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HB0053 • 2023

State officials' compensation commission.

AN ACT relating to state officials; creating the independent commission on state officials' compensation; providing for the appointment of members; providing for terms of members on the commission; providing for reports; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Budget Elections Labor
Inactive

Wyoming marks this bill as inactive, which usually means it is no longer moving in the current session.

Sponsor
Mgt Council
Last action
2023-02-07
Official status
inactive
Effective date
3/1/2023

Plain English Breakdown

The bill is marked as inactive and did not pass, so it has no legal effect.

State Officials' Compensation Commission

The bill proposes to create an independent commission to set salaries for certain state officials and provides funding for the commission's operations.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a new commission called the Independent Commission on State Officials' Compensation.
  • Sets rules for how members of the commission are chosen, including who appoints them and their term lengths.
  • Requires the commission to meet at least twice every legislative session to discuss salaries for state officials.
  • Gives the commission responsibility to recommend salary adjustments based on factors like cost-of-living changes and market pay rates.
  • Provides funding from the general fund to cover expenses related to the commission's work.

Who It Names or Affects

  • State officials such as the governor, judges, legislators, and other top state employees.
  • The Legislative Service Office which will staff the new commission.
  • Appointing authorities like the governor, chief justice, senate president, and house speaker who choose commission members.

Terms To Know

Qualified elector
A person eligible to vote in state elections.
Per diem
Daily payment for expenses related to attending meetings or performing official duties.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and is now inactive, so the commission was never created.
  • Details about how the commission would operate day-to-day are limited in the provided text.
  • It's unclear if there were any public discussions or debates on this bill before it became inactive.

Bill History

  1. 2023-02-07 House

    H:Died in Committee Returned Bill Pursuant to HR 5-4

  2. 2023-02-07 House

    H No report prior to CoW Cutoff

  3. 2023-01-11 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H02 - Appropriations

  4. 2023-01-06 House

    H Received for Introduction

  5. 2022-12-15 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
23LSO-0380
2023
STATE OF WYOMING
23LSO-0380
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0053

State officials' compensation commission.

Sponsored by: Management Council

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to state officials; creating the independent commission on state officials' compensation; providing for the appointment of members; providing for terms of members on the commission; providing for reports; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
801 is created to read:

ARTICLE 8
STATE OFFICIALS' COMPENSATION COMMISSION

9
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3
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801.

Independent commission on state officials compensation.

(a)

There is created the independent commission on state officials' compensation.

The commission shall be comprised of seven (7) members appointed as provided in this subsection.

Members of the commission shall receive per diem and mileage in the same amount as members of the legislature while attending meetings of the commission. Except as provided in this subsection, members of the commission shall serve six (6) year terms. Members of the commission may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms.

Of the initial members appointed to the commission, three (3) members shall serve six (6) year terms, two (2) members shall serve four (4) year terms and two (2) members shall serve two (2) year terms. The governor, president of the senate, speaker of the house of representatives and chief justice of the supreme court shall jointly determine the terms of the initial members appointed to the commission.

If a member of the commission resigns, a new member shall be appointed for the remainder of the resigning member's term by the authority who appointed the resigning member. Members of the commission shall be qualified electors of the state of Wyoming and shall not hold any office or employment with the state of Wyoming while serving on the commission.

Members of the commission may be removed by the authority who appointed the member. Members of the commission shall be appointed as follows:

(i)

Three (3) members of the commission shall be appointed by the governor;

(ii)

Two (2) members of the commission shall be appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court;

(iii)

One (1) member of the commission shall be appointed by the president of the senate;

(iv)

One (1) member of the commission shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

(b)

The commission shall meet not less than two (2) times during every term of the legislature to receive all information the commission deems relevant to determine the appropriate salary recommendations to provide to the legislature.

The commission shall make its recommendations as to the appropriate salary to be provided to each official included in subsection (d) of this section to the management council of the legislature and the joint appropriations committee not later than December first of each odd numbered year.

(c)

When making recommendations to the management council and the joint appropriations committee for compensation adjustments pursuant to this section, the commission shall consider any factors it considers relevant, including:

(i)

The level of compensation necessary to attract individuals who are qualified to serve in an official position to seek nomination for the position;

(ii)

The percentage average adjustment of salaries provided to executive branch employees since the last adjustment to an official's compensation;

(iii)

The percentage change in the Wyoming cost
‑
of
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living index published by the economic analysis division of the department of administration and information since the last adjustment to an official's compensation;

(iv)

For a member of the legislature, the total compensation necessary to encourage candidates to seek election which would produce a legislature that is representative of the Wyoming electorate as a whole;

(v)

For a justice of the supreme court, district court judge, circuit court judge or district attorney, the average market pay in Wyoming of an attorney qualified to serve in those official positions.

(d)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Wyoming constitution and subsection (c) of this section, the commission shall recommend salary and other compensation adjustments to the management council and the joint appropriations committee for the following officials:

(i)

Governor;

(ii)

Secretary of state;

(iii)

Auditor;

(iv)

Treasurer;

(v)

Superintendent of public instruction;

(vi)

Members of the legislature;

(vii)

Justices of the supreme court;

(viii)

District court judges;

(ix)

Circuit court judges;

(x)

District attorneys.

(e)

The commission shall be staffed by the legislative service office with the assistance of the governor's office, the supreme court and the department of administration and information.

Section 2.

There is appropriated five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) from the general fund to the legislative service office to pay the per diem and mileage for members of the state officials compensation commission from the effective date of this act through June 30, 2024. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any other purpose and any unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from this appropriation shall revert as provided by law on July 1, 2024.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2023
.

(END)

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HB0053