Bonusgate timeline
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The following timeline traces the major developments in the Pennsylvania Legislature bonus scandal as it has unfolded in Harrisburg over the past seven years. Links to Post-Gazette coverage follow individual timeline entries.
July 7, 2005
State lawmakers approve hefty raises for themselves, sparking voter outrage and turning the next election cycle into one of the most contentious in Pennsylvania history.
• General Assembly votes itself a 16 percent minimum pay raise
Nov. 5, 2005
Lawmakers buckle to public pressure and repeal the pay-raise bill. Democratic Whip Michael Veon, D-Beaver Falls, stands alone as the only lawmaker to vote against the repeal.
• Repeal of pay raises passes quickly, 50-0, as leaders ask for forgiveness
November 2006
All House members and half of the Senate are up for re-election in an environment where angry voters are distrustful of incumbents and seeking to replace pay-raise supporters with political newcomers. Majority Leader Bill DeWeese and Mr. Veon face unusually tough races. Mr. DeWeese, D-Waynesburg, narrowly wins and Mr. Veon loses re-election to an inexperienced and virtually unknown challenger. Still, the election is a success for Democrats who -- largely because of Mr. Veon's fund-raising and campaign efforts for fellow incumbents -- took the majority for the first time in 12 years.
• Voter displeasure sends Harrisburg biggest freshman class in years
Jan. 27, 2007
The Harrisburg Patriot-News reports that some Democratic House employees received hefty bonuses accompanied by letters saying: "Since this bonus payment is of an extraordinary nature not widely received by your colleagues, we cannot stress strongly enough the need for you not to discuss this with any other person or member."
Jan. 28, 2007
Mr. DeWeese's office tells reporters that the bonuses are an "internal caucus matter" and won't discuss them or release copies of the letters sent to employees. Meanwhile, House Speaker Dennis O'Brien, R-Philadelphia, says he will order salary lists to be released.
• State House bonuses stun Rendell
Jan. 31, 2007
House and Senate Republicans, who also gave bonuses, release lists showing amounts of the payments and who received them. Newly elected leaders of the Senate say they weren't aware of the bonuses and put an immediate stop to them. Mr. DeWeese, meanwhile, says bonuses in his caucus totalled $400,000, an amount comparable to the other caucuses.
• GOP halts bonus practice
Feb. 1, 2007
Democrats release details of bonus disbursements, which nearly quintuple Mr. DeWeese's earlier estimate of $400,000. Bonuses ranged from $65 to more than $28,000. In all, 568 of the caucus's 814 staffers got bonuses. DeWeese calls them an effective management tool, but still suspends bonuses indefinitely. Spokesman Tom Andrews says the caucus's bonuses were higher because its salary scales are lower, but refuses to provide those scales. Mr. Andrews says: "There is no correlation between campaign work, legislative work and legislative bonuses. ... They weren't for political work. We know that's illegal."
• State House bonuses stun Rendell
Feb. 11, 2007
The Post-Gazette reports that 80 of the 100 Democratic House staffers receiving the biggest bonuses either donated money to or worked on political campaigns of Mr. DeWeese and Mr. Veon. Those staffers received bonuses ranging from $5,700 to $28,000. By contrast, only three the 111 staffers who received the minimum bonus -- $65 -- were similarly involved in campaigns. Mr. Andrews said the bonuses were rewards for working long hours, but acknowledges that employees who received them may have received compensatory time for those hours in addition to bonuses.
• Top bonus recipients aided top Dems
Feb. 16, 2007
Speaker O'Brien releases list of House salaries and Senate leaders soon follow suit. Some bonuses were as much as 40 percent of salaries in the Democratic caucus. Republicans limited bonuses to 10 percent.
• House staffers were paid over $100,000
Feb. 23, 2007
A Post-Gazette review of salary information debunks Mr. Andrew's contention that Democrats paid higher bonuses to compensate for salaries that are lower than Republicans'. Democratic staffers actually earned average salaries of $41,262 while Republicans averaged $36,913. In both caucuses, some of the highest paid staffers also were among those who received the highest bonuses in 2006.
• Dems paid more to House staff
Aug. 23, 2007
Agents from the state Attorney General's Office raid the Democratic Office of Legislative Research. They confiscate 20 boxes of records. The AG's office confirms that it is actively investigating the Democratic research department.
• Democratic offices searched in Harrisburg
Sept. 2, 2007
The Post-Gazette uncovers apparent ties between campaign work and bonuses. Seven employees of the research office spent large chunks of time away from their state jobs and off state payroll to work on campaigns but still received bonuses of more than $5,000. One who spent nine months on campaign work and only three in her state job received a $9,565 bonus at taxpayer expense. Another spent seven months campaigning but still received a bonus of $12,565 on top of a $31,070 salary.
• Campaign work tied to House bonuses
First Published February 12, 2012 12:00 am
