January 13, 2011, Introduced by Rep. Opsommer and referred to the Committee on Oversight, Reform, and Ethics.
A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the state
constitution of 1963, by amending section 12 of article IV and by
adding section 55 to article IV, to provide that the state officers
compensation commission's determination of certain salaries shall
not exceed the increase in the consumer price index or the average
increase in state employee pay and to reduce compensation of state
legislators who are absent from legislative session or if the
legislature does not present certain budget bills to the governor
on or before a certain date.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
state of Michigan, That the following amendment to the state
constitution of 1963, to provide that the state officers
compensation commission's determination of certain salaries shall
not exceed the increase in the consumer price index or the average
increase in state employee pay and to reduce compensation of state
legislators who are absent from legislative session or if the
legislature does not present certain budget bills to the governor
on or before a certain date, is proposed, agreed to, and submitted
to the people of the state:
ARTICLE IV
Sec. 12. The state officers compensation commission is created
which subject to this section shall determine the salaries and
expense allowances of the members of the legislature, the governor,
the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the secretary of
state, and the justices of the supreme court. The commission shall
consist of 7 members appointed by the governor whose qualifications
may be determined by law. Subject to the legislature's ability to
amend the commission's determinations as provided in this section,
the commission shall determine the salaries and expense allowances
of the members of the legislature, the governor, the lieutenant
governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the
justices of the supreme court which determinations shall be the
salaries and expense allowances only if the legislature by
concurrent resolution adopted by a majority of the members elected
to and serving in each house of the legislature approve them. The
state officers compensation commission shall not make a salary
determination for members of the legislature that exceeds the
salary existing on the date of that determination by more than the
average pay rate increase for other employees of this state or the
change in the consumer price index for the United States as most
recently reported by the United States department of labor, bureau
of labor statistics, whichever is lower. The senate and house of
representatives shall alternate on which house of the legislature
shall originate the concurrent resolution, with the senate
originating the first concurrent resolution.
The concurrent resolution may amend the salary and expense
determinations of the state officers compensation commission to
reduce the salary and expense determinations by the same proportion
for members of the legislature, the governor, the lieutenant
governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the
justices of the supreme court. The legislature shall not amend the
salary and expense determinations to reduce them to below the
salary and expense level that members of the legislature, the
governor, the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the
secretary of state, and the justices of the supreme court receive
on the date the salary and expense determinations are made. If the
salary and expense determinations are approved or amended as
provided in this section, the salary and expense determinations
shall become effective for the legislative session immediately
following the next general election. The commission shall meet each
2 years for no more than 15 session days. The legislature shall
implement this section by law.
Sec. 55. (1) For any day a house of the legislature is in
session and a legislator who is a member of that house does not
physically attend at least a portion of the session day where votes
are taken, that legislator's salary shall be reduced on a pro rata
basis unless the legislator is absent because of a serious illness
of the legislator, a serious illness of a member of the
legislator's family, the birth of the legislator's child, or the
death or funeral of a family member.
(2) If a house of the legislature has not passed all bills
necessary to provide a balanced budget for the succeeding fiscal
period by the date as provided by law for school district budgets
to be adopted, the salary of each member of that house shall be
reduced on a pro rata basis until all the bills necessary for a
balanced budget have been passed by that house.
(3) The portion of a salary reduced under this section shall
be transferred to the general fund.
Resolved further, That the foregoing amendment shall be
submitted to the people of the state at the next general election
in the manner provided by law.