Measure 116 independent public service compensation commission amendment

Measure 116 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It would create a new independent commission with the power to set salaries for the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, Bureau of Labor and Industries commissioner, judges, district attorneys, state senators and state representatives.

Oregon now has some of the lowest elected official salaries in the nation. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum earns less than any other attorney general; Gov. Tina Kotek only outearns the governors of Maine, Colorado and Arizona; and Treasurer Tobias Read and Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade each make less than their counterparts everywhere but Wisconsin and Arizona.

Now, the Oregon Legislature is responsible for determining what elected officials make. Lawmakers are reluctant to approve raises because of the political perception. If voters approve the amendment, the commission would be able to set salaries and automatically appropriate the money needed to pay those wages from the state general fund without legislative approval.

What supporters say

The referral passed the House 47-3 and the Senate 21-4. Its supporters include labor unions, current and former elected officials, business owners, the state’s leading taxpayer watchdog group and the Democratic Party of Oregon.

Former Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton: “This is really about professionalizing, in some ways, how we do this and taking our own salaries out of the hands of politicians to set. I want to make sure that wage analyses are able to be done by human resource professionals who have an expertise in compensation.”

Former Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend: “This is critically important to allow the people of Oregon to decide compensation for elected officials versus elected officials determining that compensation for themselves, which is obviously an inherent conflict.”

What opponents say

Noah Robinson, the Republican nominee for the 2nd Senate district in southern Oregon and son of retiring Sen. Art Robinson, submitted the only argument against the measure in the state voters’ pamphlet. Robinson wrote, “The reason for this commission is so that members of the legislator (sic) and the governor can have their salaries raised without taking responsibility for it.”

The measure would

This Measure Would

A “yes” vote would create an independent commission to determine certain public officials’ salaries.

A “no” vote would keep the status quo, with the Oregon Legislature determining public officials’ salaries.