Money for Nothing

I noticed the BDN published the full list today of the past and present legislators who chose to take the extra pay deemed owed to them from last year's special session. These payments are on top of normal legislative pay. From the AP:

About 70 percent of the lawmakers in the last Legislature have accepted more than half a million dollars in back pay for serving in a special session last year.

The Legislature´s administrative office said 127 of 177 current and former lawmakers who are eligible will receive a total of $514,430, or an average of $3,755 each, later this month [...]

Lawmakers who declined the money said they should not be paid extra because the state is so strapped for cash that it would be wrong to put more money into their own pockets.

"I feel that´s money that belongs to the people of the state of Maine," said Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston. "I don´t feel that this is money that I´ve earned." [...]

Some, including Republican Sens. Karl Turner of Cumberland and Peter Mills of Cornville, said they will donate most or all of the money to a referendum campaign that is trying to undo a borrowing plan that is part of the $5.7 billion budget that takes effect July 1.

I note that my former senator and representative at the time, both of whom are Democrats and are no longer in office, have chosen to take the money.

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