Latest news with #StateOfficersCompensationCommission
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State panel calls for 25% pay hike for governor, lawmakers, other elected officials
LANSING — A state commission on April 30 called for 25% pay increases for Michigan lawmakers and top elected officials, but the plan appeared to be dead on arrival at the Capitol. Under the Michigan Constitution, pay hikes approved by the State Officers Compensation Commission don't get approved unless there is an affirmative vote by both chambers of the Legislature. There hasn't been the political will to approve any pay increase since that law took effect, after a 2002 referendum. Michigan's governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and members of the Legislature, have not had a pay hike since 2002 and have all had one pay cut since then. Michigan Supreme Court justices received a 2023 pay increase to $181,643, up from $164,610. But they still make less money than the judges of the Michigan Court of Appeals, who sit under them and who receive automatic pay increases that match those that state government employees receive. Michigan Court of Appeals judges are paid $195,625. "We think it's just and fair," commission chairman Tom Cochran, a former state lawmaker and former Lansing fire chief, said of the unanimous recommendation for across-the-board pay hikes by the seven-member panel, whose members are appointed by the governor. The commission arrived at its recommendation after considering inflation, the years that have elapsed since the last pay increase, and the amounts that elected officials in comparable states are paid. "We need to pay people … a fair wage," or it will be too difficult to get good candidates to run for office, Cochran said. Under the law, the Legislature could take the 25% recommendation and either approve it or reduce it proportionally across the board, giving everybody instead a 5% pay increase, for example. But the Legislature couldn't pick and choose among the proposed pay hikes and give, for example, a 25% pay hike to the justices and no increase to everybody else. Also, any increases the Legislature approved would not take effect until after the next election. House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, said April 30 he's opposed to the recommendation. "We're not going to raise our pay, we're not going to entertain that at all," Hall said at a news conference. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is paid $159,300, plus a $54,000 tax-free expense allowance. The salary ranks 19th nationally and is less than the Michigan governor made in 2010, which was $177,000, plus a $60,000 expense allowance. Michigan's governor is paid less than the governors of California, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania, but more than the governors of Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, according to a staff report considered by the commission. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II is paid $111,510, plus an $18,000 tax-free expense allowance. The salary ranks 21st nationally and is less than Michigan's lieutenant governor made in 2010, which was $123,900, plus a $20,000 expense allowance. Attorney General Dana Nessel is paid $112,410, with no expense allowance. The salary ranks 39th nationally and is $12,000 less than Michigan's attorney general was paid in 2010. The average salary for a county prosecutor in Michigan is just under $140,000, according to a letter two of Nessel's deputies sent the commission, arguing for an attorney general pay hike. Nessel, who can't run for attorney general again because of term limits, spoke out in favor of a pay hike for the attorney general in a 2023 interview with the Free Press, saying "the hardest-working Supreme Court justice doesn't work as hard as the single attorney general." In addition to a 25% pay hike, the commission recommended an $18,000 expense allowance for the attorney general. Secretary of State Jocelyn Bension is paid $112,410, with no expense allowance. The salary ranks 23rd nationally and is $12,000 less than Michigan's secretary of state was paid in 2010. In addition to a 25% pay hike, the commission recommended an $18,000 expense allowance for the secretary of state. Members of the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives are paid $71,685, plus a $10,800 tax-free expense allowance. The salary ranks fourth nationally, as many legislatures are considered part-time, and is less than Michigan lawmakers were paid in 2010, which was $79,650, plus a $12,000 expense allowance. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: State panel calls for 25% pay hike for governor, lawmakers, officials
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska Senate votes against inflation-adjusted pay for legislators and state execs
Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, speaks Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska Senate. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Members of the Alaska Senate voted 19-0 against a proposal that would automatically adjust the salaries of state legislators and executives for inflation, starting in 2027. Senate Bill 87, disapproving the proposal from the State Officers Compensation Commission, now advances to the House for consideration. Alaska's governor currently is paid approximately $176,000 per year in salary. The lieutenant governor's salary is approximately $140,000, and the salaries of state commissioners — in charge of agencies — are approximately $168,000 per year. State legislators receive $84,000 per year in salary. Under the commission's proposal, those figures would be automatically indexed to the Consumer Price Index for Anchorage, a measure of inflation in the state's largest city. Members of the commission said they felt it is important to have salaries that allow Alaskans of all ages and economic classes to serve in state government. Voicing disapproval of the idea on Friday, Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, said he believes automatic indexing is a recipe for budget growth and a bad idea because other state employees do not have their salaries adjusted automatically. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Panel recommends automatic salary adjustments for Alaska governor, cabinet, lawmakers
Jan. 30—JUNEAU — A three-member panel recommended Wednesday that Alaska's governor, cabinet members and lawmakers receive automatic pay adjustments every odd-number year moving forward. The recommendation sets in motion pay changes for the state's top political officials based on the Anchorage consumer price index. That means that salaries would likely rise every other year, though they could also go down if the cost of living declines. The change — unless rejected by lawmakers — would go into effect in 2027. The proposal comes two years after the same panel recommended steep compensation boosts, including a 20% increase for the governor and his cabinet, and a 67% increase for lawmakers, following several years with no changes in pay. The pay guidance was issued by the State Officers Compensation Commission, which is required under law to issue recommendations every other year. The recommendations then go into effect automatically unless lawmakers pass legislation disapproving of them. Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, said Wednesday that he was not in favor of automatic salary adjustments, and lawmakers might vote to reject the commission's proposal. "I don't like the idea of having an automatic increase because our budget is so tenuous," said Stevens. "We just don't know what's going to happen." Rep. Andy Josephson, an Anchorage Democrat, said he thought he was already "well compensated." "I'm hearing no interest from legislators in further adjustments to their salary," said Josephson. The commission — whose members are appointed by the governor and legislative leaders — was created to avoid direct conversations by lawmakers and the governor about how much they should get paid and when they should receive raises. But the commission's intended impartiality was largely sidestepped in 2023, when Gov. Mike Dunleavy fired all commission members after lawmakers rejected their proposal, which would have raised pay for the governor but not for lawmakers. The governor then appointed an all-new five-member commission, which approved a new proposal, paving the way for both lawmakers and the governor to receive pay raises with virtually no public input. Three commissioners have since resigned from the commission, and Dunleavy replaced only one of them, leaving the panel with just three members, the minimum needed to issue recommendations. Commissioners include former Education Commissioner Larry LeDoux, Fairbanks Economic Development Corp. President Jomo Stewart and Republican former Rep. Lynn Gattis. The commission's recommendations this year could largely render the panel's future meetings and intended purpose moot, by ensuring that lawmakers and the governor's pay are updated every other year, even without public comment or review. But commissioners signaled they would support future legislation to require the commission to continue to meet and prepare recommendations every other year. Such legislation has not been introduced this year. Lawmakers are currently compensated $84,000. All but Juneau lawmakers can also receive $307 per-day tax-free during legislative sessions, adding roughly $37,000 to their annual income. The governor is paid $176,000. The lieutenant governor is paid $140,000. Cabinet members earn $168,000. The average salary for state employees was just over $82,000 in 2024, according to data from the state. The potential approval of pay increases for the state's top officials comes as lawmakers say pay raises may be needed also for the state's rank-and-file workforce. Some legislators have raised alarm over a move from the Dunleavy administration to block the release of results of a salary study commissioned last year to investigate whether pay increases were needed to address an ongoing recruitment and retention challenge in state agencies.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Salary board recommends automatic pay changes for Alaska governor, legislators, top officials
The State Office Building in Juneau is seen on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) A state commission is recommending automatic inflation-driven raises and salary cuts for Alaska's governor, lieutenant governor, members of the state Legislature and top officials at state agencies. The recommendation, approved by the three members of the State Officers Compensation Commission on Wednesday, will become effective after the 2026 state election unless the Alaska Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy enact a law disapproving the decision. 'If we're really going to have a system where anybody can run (for office) and be able financially to do it, we have to have salaries that are commensurate to that need,' said Larry LeDoux, a member of the commission. Alaska's governor currently is paid approximately $176,000 per year in salary. The lieutenant governor's salary is approximately $140,000, and the salaries of state commissioners — in charge of agencies — are approximately $168,000 per year. State legislators receive $84,000 per year in salary. Under Wednesday's vote, each of those figures will be regularly adjusted according to the Anchorage Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation. The salary commission is required by law to meet regularly, but before 2022, it had been over a decade since the last salary adjustment. As a result, the commission recommended significant raises for top state officials to make up for inflation in the intervening years. In addition, it recommended increases for legislators that were substantially higher than inflation. The state Legislature failed to block the recommended raises. Speaking Wednesday, LeDoux said he believes there is significant political pressure to keep salaries low, 'so the system hasn't worked well in the past.' Inflation adjustments will allow gradual, small raises instead of the large bump that occurred two years ago. Lynn Gattis, a former state legislator and member of the commission, noted during Wednesday's meeting that the CPI may change downward as well as upward, meaning that the commission's proposed adjustment could result in salary cuts as well as increases. Since 1960, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Anchorage CPI has posted a year-over-year decline only once, during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'I struggle with automatic increases,' Gattis said after the vote, but explained that if the state wants to attract quality commissioners, she believes that it needs to pay more. 'We're talking about looking for quality people that will take a leave of absence from their jobs for a couple years. And nobody's doing that for an amount of money that keeps them from feeding their kids and paying their mortgages,' she said. In the Alaska Capitol, legislators are considering whether the wages of regular state employees should be raised to fill a significant number of vacant positions. A review of state salaries, ordered by the Alaska Legislature in 2023, is overdue from Gov. Dunleavy's office. Gattis deferred comment on the broader salary issue. 'We stayed inside our box and did what we were supposed to do,' she said. The commission doesn't have control of ordinary workers' salaries, LeDoux said. 'It's not an issue that I have control of — the governor and Department of Administration and their employee groups. That's far out of our bailiwick. We're just trying to do what we believe is right with the charge that we've been given as commissioners on the salary commission,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
