Normally government does not dictate the wages paid in the private sector beyond minimum wage laws. In California, there were some municipalities that mandated hazard pay at grocery stores; however, it backfired since the companies decided to close stores rather than pay the increased wage.
I also see that you have a low opinion of public sector employees. As a former public employee I will state that I deserved every penny that I earned since my pay was about 20% lower than similar positions in the private sector. Yes, there were some employees that slid by, but I saw that occurring in both the public sector and private sector.
Also, just because there was a pandemic doesn't mean that every legislative staffer was able to work remotely. People in the IT and communication sectors still had to report to work so that other legislative staffers could telecommute.
I've found it helpful during my career to never assume that other employees sit around and do nothing, particularly if I never worked a similar job myself. The janitors that emptied my trash can and cleaned the toilets at work had a job just as important as my job as a statistical analyst. Unless you have worked as a legislative staffer, I doubt that you are aware of the skills, schedules, and routines that come with the job which includes uncompensated overtime work including all-nighters.
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