This article is part of our series covering crucial proposed 2026 ballot initiatives and how you can support their campaigns.
The Problem
As noted in our series introduction, the Massachusetts State House is the least productive state legislature in the country. This problem is particularly unacceptable in the midst of this perilous time. Our lawmakers should be doing considerably more to protect us from Trump's authoritarian policies and cruel budget cuts. Yet so far, only 37 laws have been enacted this year.
One of the reasons for this abysmal productivity is because the House Speaker and Senate President hold in an inordinate amount of power. Their control comes from being able to shape how much lawmakers get paid through a "leadership stipend" program.
The House Speaker and Senate President determine which lawmakers receive these stipends and their value. According to the Massachusetts Stipend Reform Coalition, these stipends can amount to as much as $119,000 on top of a legislator’s annual salary of $82,044.
Approximately 75% of Massachusetts lawmakers receive these stipends, including "leaders" of committees that essentially do nothing. A Boston Globe investigation found that during the 2023-2024 legislative session, over 20% these stipends were awarded to lawmakers overseeing committees that did not hold a single hearing or consider a bill.
These stipends end up costing taxpayers a great deal of money. The Boston Globe found that in 2023 House Speaker Ronald Mariano awarded $2.3 million worth of "leadership stipends" to 134 Democratic Representatives. Senate President Karen Spilka gave 37 Democratic Senators $1.9 million worth of stipends. (Republican Minority Leaders in both chambers also doled out $700,000 worth of stipends to their members.)
Because of this stipend system, lawmakers are financially motivated to be loyal to the House Speaker or Senate President, even if doing so is not in the best interest of their constituents. This means that two people in the Massachusetts State House essentially determine which bills get voted upon and which ones languish under committee review.
“When a single ‘vote off’ from leadership can risk a significant portion of your salary, our lawmakers have to weigh their own livelihoods and the stability of their families against the will of their constituents. That’s no way to structure a democracy." —Scotia Hille, executive director of Act on Mass.
The Solution
The bipartisan Massachusetts Stipend Reform Coalition has proposed two ballot initiatives to reform this dysfunctional and corrupt stipend system.
The first measure would eliminate the stipend system entirely. The second measure caps the amount of these stipends and also ensures that they are given only to lawmakers who actually do leadership work. In other words, "leaders" of committees that never meet or hold hearings would no longer receive stipends.
These measures would empower legislators to act with integrity and represent their constituents without fearing financial retribution. They also would tie compensation with performance, which will boost the productivity of the legislature.
These ballot initiatives also make fiscal sense. The MSR Coalition estimates that limiting the number and size of these stipends also would save taxpayers $500,000 annually. These savings are critical at a time when state funds are strained from Trump's indiscriminate cuts of essential federal programs.
It is critical that we reform this leadership stipend system as soon as possible. Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in modern history. Now more than ever, Massachusetts voters need elected representatives they can trust will work for them. So let's get to work on getting these initiatives on the 2026 ballot.
Recommended Actions
- Sign up to gather signatures with the Massachusetts Stipend Reform Coalition website. The campaign also provides useful tutorials and FAQs on their website.
- Register also for weekly Massachusetts Stipend Reform volunteer meetings on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM through the month of October. These meetings will be especially helpful if you haven't gathered signatures for ballot initiatives before.
- Sign up to volunteer with Partners In Democracy to collect signatures for this ballot initiative campaign as well as the campaigns for universal voting rights, Election Day voter registration, and expanding Massachusetts public record law. Working with Partners In Democracy is an efficient way of supporting these campaigns because you can collect signatures for multiple ballot initiatives at once.
- Donate to the Massachusetts Stipend Reform campaign or to Partners in Democracy if you can afford to do so.
- For further insight into the dysfunction of the Massachusetts State House, check out the trailer to the documentary Shadows on the Hill. Please consider supporting the completion of this important film. Most Massachusetts residents do not realize just how dysfunctional our State House, especially compared to other states. This documentary has the potential to change that. Let's get it into theaters as soon as possible.
