Add Rep. Tom Saviello to the list of legislators willing to do the right thing.

On Monday, Saviello refused to accept pay for last year’s “special” session in the Legislature. The pay issue arose after Democrats used a parliamentary maneuver to pass a budget with just a simple majority. Republicans in the Legislature sued, accurately claiming that the law granted them more pay for participating in a special session.

But it was a special session in name only. Republicans made their point, handing Democrats an embarrassing legal rebuke.

Lawmakers were already scheduled to be in Augusta, and the move to prematurely adjourn was a trick to make passage of a majority budget – short of the two-thirds support normally required – possible.

The majority of lawmakers are content to take the extra cash, even though they didn’t earn it. Saviello changed his mind after news of the double pay was reported last week and now joins the honor roll of legislators doing the right thing.