Bill Text: VA SJR17 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: General Assembly; JLARC to study salaries and expenses of legislators.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-04 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ17ER) [SJR17 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR17-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, determining the pay of legislators is one of the most complex and politically sensitive issues faced by state legislatures today; and
WHEREAS, different perceptions about the rewards and sacrifices of public service and the breadth of duties and responsibilities of a part-time legislature contribute to the difficulty in placing a monetary value on legislators' time; and
WHEREAS, a representative government can only flourish when there are no financial barriers to entering and continuing in public service; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interests of the Commonwealth that there be a fair and adequate compensation plan for legislators in order to attract the highest caliber of candidates to public office; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission be directed to study the salaries, expense allowances, retirement benefits, and other emoluments received by members of the General Assembly.
In conducting its study, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) shall (i) review the current salaries, expense allowances, retirement benefits, and other emoluments of the members of the General Assembly; (ii) examine the Commonwealth's history of legislative compensation; (iii) review the compensation, expenses, and benefits for legislative service in other states; (iv) assess various state methodologies in determining reasonable legislative compensation, including the tying of salaries to certain indexes or economic indicators; (v) seek the assistance and input of legislators and other citizens by conducting surveys and holding public hearings as may be appropriate; and (vi) make recommendations for any adjustments to such salaries, expenses, benefits, or other emoluments.
Technical assistance shall be provided to JLARC by the Offices of the Clerks of the House of Delegates and the Senate. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to JLARC for this study, upon request.
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2025, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether JLARC intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
