Subdivision 1. Creation. A Compensation Council is created each odd-numbered year to assist the legislature in establishing the compensation of constitutional officers, justices of the supreme court, judges of the court of appeals and district court, and the heads of state and metropolitan agencies included in section 15A.0815.

Subd. 2. Membership. The Compensation Council consists of 16 members: eight nonjudges appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court, of whom no more than four may belong to the same political party; and one member from each congressional district appointed by the governor, of whom no more than four may belong to the same political party. Appointments must be made after the first Monday in January and before January 15. The compensation and removal of members appointed by the governor or the chief justice shall be as provided in section 15.059, subdivisions 3 and 4. The Legislative Coordinating Commission shall provide the council with administrative and support services.

Subd. 3. Submission of recommendations. (a) By April 1 in each odd-numbered year, the Compensation Council shall submit to the speaker of the house and the president of the senate salary recommendations for constitutional officers, justices of the supreme court, and judges of the court of appeals and district court. The recommended salary for each other office must take effect on the first Monday in January of the next odd-numbered year, with no more than one adjustment, to take effect on January 1 of the year after that. The salary recommendations for judges and constitutional officers take effect if an appropriation of money to pay the recommended salaries is enacted after the recommendations are submitted and before their effective date. Recommendations may be expressly modified or rejected.

(b) The council shall also submit to the speaker of the house and the president of the senate recommendations for the salary ranges of the heads of state and metropolitan agencies, to be effective retroactively from January 1 of that year if enacted into law. The recommendations shall include the appropriate group in section 15A.0815 to which each agency head should be assigned and the appropriate limitation on the maximum range of the salaries of the agency heads in each group, expressed as a percentage of the salary of the governor.

Subd. 4. Criteria. In making compensation recommendations, the council shall consider the amount of compensation paid in government service and the private sector to persons with similar qualifications, the amount of compensation needed to attract and retain experienced and competent persons, and the ability of the state to pay the recommended compensation.

Subd. 4a. Constitutional officers. No constitutional officer whose compensation is set under this section may receive monetary compensation for unused vacation or sick leave accruals.

Subd. 5. [Repealed, 1987 c 404 s 191]

Subd. 6. Expiration. Each Compensation Council shall expire upon submission of the recommendations required by subdivision 3.

History: 1983 c 299 s 8; 1984 c 654 art 2 s 42; 1Sp1985 c 13 s 93,94; 1988 c 686 art 1 s 43; 1991 c 22 s 1; 1991 c 345 art 1 s 51; 1992 c 592 s 4; 1994 c 560 art 2 s 7,8; 1994 c 628 art 1 s 2; 1995 c 236 s 1; 2Sp1997 c 3 s 18; 1998 c 254 art 2 s 4,5; 2013 c 124 s 3-6; 2013 c 142 art 6 s 6-8; 2014 c 312 art 4 s 4-6