Thursday, April 26, 2007
Senate In Harmony on Pay Raises
Capitol Confidential
Gee...no press releases....no press conferences.....on pay hikes.......I wonder why???? ......yeah right..........andy
In the spirit of bipartisanship, all 62 senators have signed on to a new bill sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John DeFranciso that would provide for pay raises for judges and elected officials, including legislators.
Check out S5313 to see a bill that both parties embrace. Every senator’s name is on it and it is expected to be voted on next week.
It arrived Wednesday without a press release or mention despite two press conferences by Senate Republicans and one by Senate Democrats on other topics.
It grants annual pay raises to judges retroactive to January, costing $48.2 million this year, and sets up a commission to plan for compensation upgrades for lawmakers and statewide elected officials. Those upgrades would be effective as soon as January 2008.
It would also establish a 13-member Commission on Executive and Legislative Compensation, appointed by the governor, legislative leaders, and chief judge. It would make binding recommendations on pay hikes for the officials effective next year, except for the Legislature, whose raise (if any) would be effective in 2009, after the next legislative election year. Oddly, the bill seems to leave out immediate raises for the governor and lieutenant governor.
The bill also calls for another, similar commission to be set up every four years, starting in 2011, to review executive, legislative and judicial compensation for the following four years.
Gee...no press releases....no press conferences.....on pay hikes.......I wonder why???? ......yeah right..........andy
In the spirit of bipartisanship, all 62 senators have signed on to a new bill sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John DeFranciso that would provide for pay raises for judges and elected officials, including legislators.
Check out S5313 to see a bill that both parties embrace. Every senator’s name is on it and it is expected to be voted on next week.
It arrived Wednesday without a press release or mention despite two press conferences by Senate Republicans and one by Senate Democrats on other topics.
It grants annual pay raises to judges retroactive to January, costing $48.2 million this year, and sets up a commission to plan for compensation upgrades for lawmakers and statewide elected officials. Those upgrades would be effective as soon as January 2008.
It would also establish a 13-member Commission on Executive and Legislative Compensation, appointed by the governor, legislative leaders, and chief judge. It would make binding recommendations on pay hikes for the officials effective next year, except for the Legislature, whose raise (if any) would be effective in 2009, after the next legislative election year. Oddly, the bill seems to leave out immediate raises for the governor and lieutenant governor.
The bill also calls for another, similar commission to be set up every four years, starting in 2011, to review executive, legislative and judicial compensation for the following four years.
