Senate Approves Corn’s Amendment to Reduce Salaries for Statewide Elected Officials

The state Senate on Monday adopted an amendment that would allow the Legislature to reduce the salaries of statewide elected officials in the event of a revenue failure.

Sen. Kenneth Corn, author of the amendment, said elected officials should be prepared to shoulder their part of the burden in a struggling economy.

“I’m pleased the state Senate today approved my amendment that would cut the salaries of statewide elected officials in tough economic times,” said Corn, D-Poteau. “I believe elected officials should not be treated as a special class. If our state employees are being furloughed and taking reductions in pay, then elected officials should do that as well.”

Corn’s language amends Senate Bill 2087, which sets annual salaries for state elected officials to take effect in January 2011. The salaries of statewide elected officials are set by statute, and may be changed by the Legislature. Corn has also proposed to reduce the salaries of state legislators, and plans to introduce an amendment that would allow voters to enact a constitutional amendment enabling cuts in legislative pay. Corn’s ballot proposal was initially filed as Senate Joint Resolution 2, which was not heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“State legislative pay can only be changed by constitutional amendment,” Corn said. “I have an amendment pending in the Senate that will allow us to let the people vote on whether legislative salaries should be reduced in the event of revenue failure. I’m going to continue fighting for this – if we don’t adopt this language in a Senate bill, I’ll be looking for other vehicles coming from the House.”