SJR 9, recently passed by the Ohio Senate, would amend the Ohio Constitution to create the Public Office Compensation Commission. The Commission would review and set pay for lawmakers, constitutional officers, judges and others. Commission members would be appointed by the governor, members of the legislature and the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, but they can not be state employees, family members, lobbyists or someone who was a candidate for public office in the last 12 months. The commission creates a proposed compensation plan, and there must be three public hearings on the plan. The General Assembly can reject one or more of the compensation amounts in the final plan.
If the House passes Senate Joint Resolution 9, Ohio voters must approve this amendment to the Ohio Constitution.
Currently, the General Assembly has authority over pay raises for public officials. See Dayton Daily, Statehouse split on raises; Ohio House, Senate pass competing bills to increase pay for 7,300 in public office.
