The Senate this week adopted an amendment co-sponsored by Sen. Robert L. Hedlund that attempts to rein in runaway salaries at state authorities.

The measure states that managers at these quasi-public authorities cannot receive a salary greater than that received by the governor, unless the Secretary for Administration & Finance personally signs off on it and states why the higher pay level is needed. 

As of 2008, approximately 80 employees of quasi-state authorities earned more than the governor’s salary of $140,000, led by state pension fund director Michael Travaglini, who earned $322,000 that year. Massport CEO Thomas Kinton made $300,772 that year, followed by Mass. Life Sciences Center CEO/President Susan Windham-Bannister at $285,000, Mass. Convention Center Authority Executive Director James Rooney at $279,619, and Mass. Technology Collaborative Executive Director Mitchell Adams at $260,227.

“For years now, these authorities have been able to award sky-high salaries without having to justify them to anyone,” Sen. Hedlund said. “This amendment will bring increased accountability to these authorities by requiring that big-time salaries are not approved without approval by the sitting governor’s administration.”

The amendment was included in Senate Bill 2345, which attempts to streamline and better coordinate the state’s business development agencies and programs in a manner that will help create a more fertile climate for long-term economic growth.

The bill also calls for the creation of a “Sunset Advisory Commission,” which would have consisted primarily of state legislator charged with routinely reviewing all existing state agencies, boards, departments and offices, and determining whether they deserve to remain in existence, or should be disbanded, merged or reformed. Although Sen. Hedlund agreed that every state agency should routinely undergo a review, he proposed eliminating the commission, calling it wasteful and redundant.

“We shouldn’t have to set up a new bureaucracy, complete with an executive director and staff, when we already have legislative committees capable of carrying out this very task,” he said.

Although Sen. Hedlund’s amendment was ultimately rejected, his objection did prompt the Senate to adopt another amendment that added more private-sector members to the commission, and prohibiting the hiring of commission staff.