Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to revise provisions relating to the compensation of certain elected officers. (BDR C-654)

(Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 14, 2025)
FIRST REPRINT A.J.R. 7

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ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 7–ASSEMBLYMEMBERS WATTS,
MOSCA, HIBBETTS, YEAGER, KASAMA; ANDERSON,
BACKUS, BROWN-MAY, CARTER, COLE, CONSIDINE,
DALIA, DICKMAN, D’SILVA, EDGEWORTH, FLANAGAN,
GALLANT, GONZÁLEZ, GOULDING, GRAY, GURR, HAFEN,
HANSEN, HARDY, HUNT, JACKSON, JAUREGUI, KARRIS,
KOENIG, LA RUE HATCH, MARZOLA, MILLER, MONROE-
MORENO, MOORE, NADEEM, NGUYEN, O’NEILL,
ORENTLICHER, ROTH, TORRES-FOSSETT AND YUREK

PREFILED JANUARY 31, 2025
____________

JOINT SPONSORS: SENATORS NGUYEN, STONE;
DOÑATE AND HANSEN
____________

Referred to Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections

SUMMARY—Proposes to amend the Nevada Constitution to revise
provisions relating to the compensation of certain
elected officers. (BDR C-654)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: No.

~

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION—Proposing to amend the
Nevada Constitution to provide a citizens’ commission to
establish the compensation of certain elected officers.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
This resolution proposes to revise the Nevada Constitution to reserve to a 1
Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Certain Elected Officers the power to 2
establish salaries and benefits for members of the Legislature, the Governor, the 3
Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, the State 4
Controller and the At torney General. This resolution also proposes to revise the 5
Nevada Constitution to authorize the Commission to: (1) fix the compensation of 6
the members of the Legislature for each calendar day of service during any regular 7
or special session of the Legisla ture; and (2) provide for the compensation of 8
members of the Legislature for the performance of duties as a member of the 9
Legislature outside of a regular or special session. This resolution further proposes 10
to repeal from the Nevada Constitution the autho rity of the Legislature to provide 11

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by law, under certain circumstances, for increasing or diminishing the salaries or 12
compensation of constitutional officers. 13

RESOLVED BY THE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE OF THE STATE OF 1
NEVADA, JOINTLY, That a new section, designated Section 33A, be 2
added to Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution to read as follows: 3
Sec. 33A. 1. The Legislature shall provide by law for 4
a Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Certain 5
Elected Officers. 6
2. The Commission must consist of seven members 7
appointed by the Governor who have diverse personal and 8
professional interests and reside in various geographical 9
areas of this State, who must include: 10
(a) One member who has expertise in public 11
compensation and is recommended by the Public 12
Employees’ Retirement Board or its successor organization; 13
(b) One member who represents a nonprofit public 14
interest organization; 15
(c) One member who represents the general public; 16
(d) Two members who represent the interests of business 17
in this State; and 18
(e) Two members who have experience as officers or 19
members of a labor organization in this State and are 20
recommended by a labor organization in this State. 21
3. Each member of the Commission must be a resident 22
of this State and must not be a state officer, public employee 23
or lobbyist, or a parent, spouse, sibling, chil d or dependent 24
of a state officer, public employee or lobbyist. 25
4. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the 26
term of office of each member of the Commission is 4 years. 27
The Governor shall appoint three of the members first 28
appointed by him or her for initial terms of 2 years. If a 29
vacancy occurs, the Governor shall fill the vacancy for the 30
unexpired term in the same manner as the original 31
appointment within 30 days after the vacancy occurs. A 32
member of the Commission may not serve more than two 33
terms. 34
5. The Governor may remove a member of the 35
Commission only for cause of incapacity, incompetence, 36
neglect of duty, malfeasance in office or failure to meet a 37
qualification set forth in subsections 2 and 3. 38
6. The Commission shall elect a Chair from among its 39
members. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the 40
Commission shall adopt rules of procedure for the conduct 41

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of its hearings and any other procedural rules it deems 1
necessary to carry out its duties. The affirmative vote of a 2
majority of all the members appointed to the Commission is 3
required to take action. 4
7. Members of the Commission are entitled to: 5
(a) The compensation provided by law for members of 6
the Commission on Judicial Discipline who are not judicial 7
officers; and 8
(b) The per diem allowance and travel expenses 9
provided by law for state officers and employees generally. 10
8. The Commission shall: 11
(a) Study the relationship of salaries and benefits to the 12
duties of the members of the Legislature, the Governor, 13
Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, 14
State Controller and Attorney General; 15
(b) Compare the salaries and benefits of the elected 16
officers set forth in paragraph (a) to the salaries and 17
benefits of persons who are employed by a public or pri vate 18
employer and who have similar qualifications and 19
responsibilities as those elected officers; 20
(c) Fix the salaries and benefits of the elected officers 21
set forth in paragraph (a); and 22
(d) Carry out any duties provided by law by the 23
Legislature. 24
9. Except for the initial schedule of salaries and 25
benefits for elected officers filed pursuant to subsection 10, 26
the Commission may not increase or decrease the salary of 27
any elected officer set forth in paragraph (a) of subsection 8 28
by more than 15 percent of the salary of that elected officer 29
provided in the immediately preceding schedule of salaries 30
for elected officers. The Commission may exercise any 31
powers conferred by the Legislature. 32
10. The Commission shall file its initial schedule of 33
salaries and benefits for elected officers with the Secretary 34
of State not later than January 1, 2031, and shall file a 35
schedule of salaries and benefits not later than January 1 of 36
each odd -numbered year thereafter. Each schedule of 37
salaries and benefits is effective: 38
(a) For members of the Legislature, for the period from 39
the first Monday of February immediately following the 40
January 1 that the schedule is due through the day before 41
the first Monday of February of the next odd -numbered 42
year; and 43
(b) For all other e lected officers set forth in paragraph 44
(a) of subsection 8, for the period from July 1 immediately 45

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following the January 1 that the schedule is due through 1
June 30 of the next odd-numbered year. 2
11. The Legislature shall provide by law for setting 3
apart from each year’s revenues a sufficient amount of 4
money to pay such salaries and benefits. 5
12. Before the Commission may file a schedule of 6
salaries and benefits with the Secretary of State, the 7
Commission shall hold at least four meetings at various 8
locations throughout the State to receive public testimony 9
on the schedule. At the last public hearing before the 10
schedule is filed with the Secretary of State, the Commission 11
shall adopt the schedule as originally proposed or as 12
amended. All meetings of the Commission are subject to the 13
provisions of any open meeting laws made applicable 14
generally to other public bodies. 15
13. The Legislative Counsel Bureau shall include in 16
the Nevada Revised Statutes a copy of the most recent 17
schedule of salaries and benefit s established by the 18
Commission and filed with the Secretary of State. 19
And be it further 20
RESOLVED, That Section 33 of Article 4 of the Nevada 21
Constitution be amended to read as follows: 22
Sec. 33. The members of the Legislature shall receive 23
for their ser vices a compensation to be fixed by [law] the 24
Citizens’ Commission on Compensation for Certain Elected 25
Officers pursuant to Section 33A of this Article and paid out 26
of the public treasury, for [not to exceed 60 days ] each 27
calendar day of service during any regular session of the 28
Legislature and [not to exceed 20 days ] during any special 29
session [; but no increase of such compensation shall take 30
effect during the term for which the members of either house 31
shall have been elected; Provided, that an ] . The Citizens’ 32
Commission on Compensation for Certain Elected Officers 33
may provide for the compensation of members of the 34
Legislature for the performance of duties as a member of 35
the Legislature outside of a regular or special session. An 36
appropriation ma y be made for the payment of such actual 37
expenses as members of the Legislature may incur for 38
postage, express charges, newspapers and stationery not 39
exceeding the sum of Sixty dollars for any general or special 40
session to each member; and Furthermore Prov ided, that the 41
Speaker of the Assembly, and Lieutenant Governor, as 42
President of the Senate, shall each, during the time of their 43
actual attendance as such presiding officers receive an 44
additional allowance of two dollars per diem. 45

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And be it further 1
RESOLVED, That Section 9 of Article 15 of the Nevada 2
Constitution is hereby repealed. 3
And be it further 4
RESOLVED, That this resolution becomes effective upon 5
passage. 6

TEXT OF REPEALED SECTION

Sec: 9. Increase or decrease of compensation of officers
whose compensation fixed by constitution. The
Legislature may, at any time, provide by law for increasing or
diminishing the salaries or compensation of any of the
Officers, whose salaries or compensation is fixed in this
Constitution; Provided, no such ch ange of Salary or
compensation shall apply to any Officer during the term for
which he may have been elected.

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