2624                                          Reports

V.    THE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMPENSATION
COMMISSION

The General Assembly Compensation Commission has held 8 meetings
since its organizational session on December 22, 1970. At that time mem-
bers of the Commission developed a work plan which resulted in receiving
testimony from and questioning of the following witnesses:

December 28, 1970: Hon. William S. James, President of the Maryland

State Senate
Hon. Thomas Hunter Lowe, Speaker of the Maryland

House of Delegates
Dr. Paul Cooper, Director of the Department of

Fiscal Services
Mr. William S. Ratchford II, Director of the Division

of Fiscal Research of the Department of Fiscal

Services

January 4, 1971: Hon. Marvin Mandel, Governor of Maryland

Hon. Francis B. Burch, Attorney General of

Maryland
Hon. Robert F. Sweeney, Deputy Attorney General

of Maryland

Mr. Christ G. Christis, Assistant Secretary of Per-
sonnel for Retirement Systems

Mr. Burch and Mr. Sweeney also met with the Commission on January 11
and 12, 1971. Dr. Cooper met again with the Commission on January 11.
Mr. Sweeney consulted a third time with the Commission on January 23.

January 12, 18, 20,
23, 25, 1971:         Executive Sessions of the Commission

VI.  THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSION

A. Salary of Members of the General Assembly

The Commission recognizes the complex considerations involved in
determining a reasonable and adequate salary. The hours a legislature is
in session normally represent a small fraction of the hours a conscientious
legislator spends at his job. Another difficulty in determining adequate
compensation in Maryland has been the past reluctance of the electorate
to support increases by constitutional amendment. However, by decision
in the 1970 general election, the voters of Maryland have entrusted this
Commission to examine the entire problem in order to recommend adequate
compensation for legislative service. We believe that part of our responsi-
bility is to recommend a salary that is identifiable to the public as total
compensation, excluding retirement, that a Senator or Delegate earns each
year. This knowledge is a critical element of public confidence in Maryland's
legislative process; the public is entitled to know exactly what a legislator
is paid.

The annual salary that each legislator currently receives is supple-
mented by a $25 expense reimbursement each day the Legislature is in
session. Regardless of whether the Senator or Delegate actually remains
in Annapolis overnight for legislative business, the $25 is paid. These per
diem payments add $1,750 to the $2,400 constitutionally-established salary
for a 70-day session; $2,250 for a 90-day session. While most legislators
are paid as much as $4,150 with salary and per diem during the session,