SENATE BILL REPORT

                                    SB 5228

             AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS,

                                 MARCH 5, 1991

Brief Description:  Reducing legislative per diem and appropriations to the governor as an incentive for concluding extraordinary sessions.

SPONSORS:Senators Thorsness, Oke, von Reichbauer, Amondson, Metcalf, Saling, L. Smith, Craswell and McCaslin.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5228 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chairman; Roach, Vice Chairman; and Madsen. 

Staff:  Barbara Howard (786‑7410)

Hearing Dates:February 28, 1991; March 5, 1991

BACKGROUND:

When the State Constitution was amended in 1979 (Article II, sec. 12) to allow for annual legislative sessions, it provided that the Governor could call a special session for not more than 30 days, or that the Legislature could call itself into special session for the same period by a two-thirds affirmative vote of each house.

Concerns have been raised that the Legislature should be able to complete the public's business within the periods prescribed for the regular sessions (not more than 105 days in the odd-numbered year and 60 days in the even-numbered year), without having to incur the expense of extraordinary sessions.

SUMMARY:

During any extraordinary session, the expense and mileage allowance for legislative members is reduced by 10 percent during the first five days, 20 percent the next 10 days, and 25 percent during the remainder of the special session.  An amount equal to the allowances not paid must be deposited in the state conservancy account.

Similarly, during each day of a special session the Director of Financial Management must remove 1 percent of the funds appropriated for the operation of the office of the Governor from appropriated status and deposit that amount in the state conservancy account hereby created.  Funds in that account may be appropriated solely for the purpose of acquiring or improving lands for wildlife habitat, conservation or public recreation purposes.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

The section relating to reducing legislative reimbursement is deleted.  For each day after the first 10 days of a special session, 1 percent shall be deducted from the monthly salary of all employees of the Governor's Office and the Executive Policy Division of the Office of Financial Management (OFM).  An equivalent amount of the appropriations for the operation of the Office of the Governor is removed from appropriated status and contributed to the conservancy fund.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  requested February 26, 1991

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

TESTIMONY FOR:  None

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  No one