From: Clifford Strachan
To: Rep. Perry, L.,
Subject: Report of the 2014 Legislative Compensation Commission
Date: 2013-12-10T15:25:34Z
Attachments: Report_of the 2014 Legislative Compensation Commission.pdf , Body:
To the Utah State Legislature:

The Legislative Compensation Commission (“the Commission”) has completed its report for the 2014 General Session of the Utah State Legislature. [The full report is attached to this email.]

Utah law requires the Commission to “study and formulate recommendations concerning the salary levels of Utah state legislators…[basing] the study and recommendations upon maintaining a citizen Legislature in Utah, but compensating members fairly for their service in order that all individuals have an opportunity to serve.” The law further requires the Commission to submit its recommendations to each member of the Legislature “concerning changes, if any, which should be made in the salary plan and its administration for state legislators,” by January 2nd of each even-numbered year.

The Commission reviewed and updated the work done in 2011 and 2012, and noted that its four recommendations were essentially adopted by the Legislature in its 2013 General Session. Those changes increased, in a transparent way, compensation for legislators while ensuring that legislators who incur expenses to attend to their legislative duties are appropriately reimbursed for those expenses.

As in prior years, the Commission reviewed much data from state and national sources, including surveys of all 50 states’ legislative compensation levels. Our analysis considered compensation trends for all states, western states and states with traditional citizen legislatures. The Commission determined that the increase in daily salary to $273 for legislators last year was significant and needs no adjustment for 2014.

The Commission also reviewed leadership pay this year. After obtaining and considering data from state and national sources, and analyzing trends for all 50 states and states with traditional citizen legislatures, the Commission concluded that the Legislature’s leadership should receive additional compensation for the additional burden placed upon them.

The Legislative Compensation Commission RECOMMENDS leadership pay be increased as follows:

•           To $5,000 per year each for the Senate President and the Speaker of the House,

•           To $4,000 per year for Majority and Minority Leaders in both chambers, and

•           To $3,000 per year for other members of the respective Majority and Minority Leadership teams (specifically the Whips, Assistant Whips, and the Minority Caucus Managers) and for the two chairpersons of the Executive Appropriations Committee.

Sincerely,


The Utah Legislative Compensation Commission

Paul D. Williams, Chair
David Pyne, Vice-Chair
Derek Larsen
David L. Rail
James R. Gowans      
Matthew G Bell
Chris Bray


Staff:   Clifford Strachan, Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, (801) 538-1861