SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION J

 

 

May 31, 2017, Introduced by Senators HERTEL, BIEDA, ANANICH, HOPGOOD, KNEZEK, JOHNSON, GREGORY, YOUNG and CONYERS and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

 

     A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, by amending section 12 of article IV, section

 

23 of article V, section 18 of article VI, and section 9 of article

 

VII and adding section 9 to article III, to require an intervening

 

election before a change to an elected official's compensation

 

becomes effective.

 

     Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

 

state of Michigan, That the following amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, to require an intervening election before a

 

change to an elected official's compensation becomes effective, is

 

proposed, agreed to, and submitted to the people of the state:

 

ARTICLE III

     Sec. 9. A change in compensation for an elected official is

 

not effective until an election for that elected official's office

 

has intervened.

 

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

 

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 term of office

 

immediately following the next general election for that office.

 

The commission shall meet each 2 years for no more than 15 session

 

days. The legislature shall implement this section by law.

 

ARTICLE V

 

     Sec. 23. The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of

 

state, and attorney general shall each receive the compensation

 

provided by law in full payment for all services performed and

 

expenses incurred during his or her term of office. Such

 

compensation shall not be changed during the term of office. except

 

as otherwise provided in this constitution.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

     Sec. 18. Salaries of justices of the supreme court, of the

 

judges of the court of appeals, of the circuit judges within a

 

circuit, and of the probate judges within a county or district,

 

shall be uniform, and may be increased but shall not be decreased

 

during a term of office except and only to the extent of a general

 

salary reduction in all other branches of government.except as

 

provided in section 9 of article III.

 

     Each of the judges of the circuit court shall receive an

 

annual salary as provided by law. In addition to the salary

 

received from the state, each circuit judge may receive from any

 

county in which he or she regularly holds court an additional

 

salary as determined from time to time by the board of supervisors

 

of the county. In any county where an additional salary is granted,

 

it shall be paid at the same rate to all circuit judges regularly

 

holding court therein.

 

ARTICLE VII

 

     Sec. 9. Boards Except as provided in section 9 of article III,

 

boards of supervisors shall have exclusive power to fix the

 

compensation of county officers not otherwise provided by law.

 

     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.