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Pay-raise measures move in Ohio House, Senate
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
The Ohio Senate and House moved separate measures Thursday related to pay raises for elected officials.
The future of either remains in question, however, as lawmakers race toward the end of a lame-duck session, possibly next week.
The Senate approved a proposed constitutional amendment to place pay-raise decisions in the hands of a nonpartisan commission.
Senate Joint Resolution 9 passed on a vote of 32-0 and heads to the Ohio House for further consideration. If approved by the House, it would be placed before voters in May for final approval.
Later in the evening, the House approved legislation to institute pay raises for future lawmakers, other statewide officeholders and an array of county and township officials and judges.
House Bill 661 passed on a vote of 56-24 and heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
But the Republican leader of the Senate and primary sponsor of SJR 9 questioned whether there’s support to pass HB 661 in his chamber.
“I’m not sure there’s votes for it,” said Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina.
SJR 9 calls for the creation of a nine-member commission to decide changes in pay for most public officials.
Members would be appointed by the governor, majority and minority leaders of the Legislature and the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court. Appointees could not be elected officials, family members of elected officials, government employees or lobbyists.
“I think it’s time we take politicians and politics out of pay raises,” Faber said, adding later, “The goal is to make sure this is truly a citizens commission.”
Commission members would consider pay rates for similar positions in the private sector, those in place for elected officials elsewhere in the country, the economic position of the state and other factors.
The commission would offer changes to pay rates for statewide, county and township officials and judges but not some other officials, whose pay is established via resolution at the local level.
HB 661 would reinstitute cost-of-living increases of up to 3 percent for statewide officeholders and lawmakers.
Judges would see larger raises — 5 percent plus cost-of-living adjustments for several years, then cost-of-living increases thereafter. County officials would see even bigger pay increases.
“The last time we considered a raise for those folks in those offices was in the 123rd General Assembly in 1999-2000,” said Rep. Gerald Stebelton, R-Lancaster, the bill’s primary sponsor. He added later, “We think it’s time to increase these salaries. We think that 661 is the bill to do it.”