A ripple from the federal government shutdown impacts the new salaries for Pennsylvania state lawmakers.

The base salary in 2026 for the 253 House members and senators is $113,591, reflecting a 3.25% annual cost-of-living increase, said House Chief Clerk Brooke Wheeler Monday.

The base salary for 2025 was $110,015.

Legislative leaders are paid more.

The announcement of the new 2026 salaries will appear in the Dec. 6 issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin, one week later than normal.

Wheeler and Senate Chief Clerk Jessica Rodic made an adjustment in calculating the cost of living increase because of some missing federal government data.

The U.S. Department of Labor delayed releasing Consumer Price Index (CPI) data for two fall months because of the shutdown of the federal government from Oct. 1 to Nov. 13.

Other federal economic data is late for the same reason.

A 1995 state law ties annual salaries for state lawmakers, the governor and elected statewide officials, cabinet secretaries and various agency heads and judges to the annual change in the CPI for urban areas in the Mid-Atlantic region which normally would be from Nov. 1 2024 through Oct. 31, 2025.

Wheeler said CPI data was used from Sept. 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2025, to calculate the salary. August is the most recent data available, she added.

The Dec. 1 date for lawmakers reflects the official starting day for a two-year legislative session.

The chief clerks of the House and Senate jointly determine the salary percentage increase and exact amount down to the cents based on the CPI change definition under the law.