DeLeo and company 2014

House Speaker Robert DeLeo speaks at a press conference earlier this month as Gov.-elect Charlie Baker and outgoing Senate President Therese Murray listen. DeLeo announced today that he has given out raises to House employees who haven received raises in two years.

(Elise Amendola / Associated Press file)

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON - With state programs and agencies facing mid-year budget cuts, House Speaker Robert DeLeo has signed off on a more than 6 percent raise for all House employees after aides and staff went two years without a salary adjustment, according to his office.

The total cost of the raises is $1.6 million, reflecting 3 percent bumps for each of the last two years. A spokesman for the speaker said the increases would not be retroactive, and are based on two-year annual cost-of-living hikes, promotions or"merit-based modifications."

Announced the day before Thanksgiving with most lawmakers and staff far from Beacon Hill, the raises arrive as Gov. Deval Patrick is attempting to close a projected $329 million gap in the fiscal 2015 budget with a blend of unilateral spending cuts and reductions for agencies and programs that require Legislative approval.

"The adjustments are commensurate with those realized by most state employees within collective bargaining units and will be supported by existing appropriations," spokesman Seth Gitell said in a statement addressing the raises. Gitell could not say how many employees would be impacted.

According to the speaker's office, almost 60 percent of House employees earn $40,000 a year or less.

A spokeswoman for Senate President Therese Murray said that unlike in the House, raises for staff in the Senate are based on individual recommendations by members after performance reviews, and are not done across the board.

Patrick this month used his executive authority to unilaterally cut $198 million from the $36.5 billion state budget. After identifying additional revenue streams and asking quasi-public agencies to forgo about $29 million, the governor filed legislation to close the remainder of the shortfall with $57 million in cuts to local aid and non-executive branch agencies.

Among the recommendations, Patrick proposed a $1.27 million cut to the Legislature's budget, including almost $764,000 earmarked for House operations and $346,352 to the Senate.

While DeLeo roundly rejected the governor's call for a $25.5 million cut to local aid for cities and towns, Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey is still reviewing Patrick's other recommendations and the House has not yet agreed to trim its own budget.