2626                                         Reports

sacrifices required under present conditions for service in the legislature
fall heaviest.

In comparing present legislative compensation with salaries paid to
high officials of the other two branches of State government, it is seen that
a legislator is in an unfavorable position. While the Governor's salary is
constitutionally restricted to $25,000, the Lieutenant Governor receives
$24,000, the Attorney General and Comptroller each receive $36,000 and
the secretaries of the principal departments of the Executive Branch each
receive $36,100. The judges of the Court of Appeals each receive $35,000
and the trial court judges throughout the State each receive $30,500. State
legislators also fare badly by comparison with county legislators in many
instances. County councilmen in Prince George's County each receive
$15,000 per year and in Montgomery County $10,000.

Despite the preceding comparisons, legislative compensation has been
the subject of much recent activity, according to a June, 1970, report of
the Citizens Conference on State Legislatures. During 1969 alone the rate
of compensation for legislators has been raised in 27 states. In the 1950-51
biennium, realized legislative compensation (which can include salary, per
diem and expenses) ranged from a low of $200 in New Hampshire to a
high of $10,000 in Illinois. Today California provides the highest compen-
sation level, projected at $24,475 per year. Nationally, legislative compen-
sation has risen from an annual average of $1,230 in 1951 to a current
annual average level of $6,850.

According to the 1970 Citizens Conference report, Maryland currently
ranks 33rd in the nation in legislative compensation, with a $2,400 annual
salary, and a $25 per diem, bringing the total to $4,150. With an $11,000
salary, Maryland will rank 11th nationally in compensation of state
legislators.

B. Salary of the Presiding Officers of the General Assembly

The Commission heard recommendations in support of (1) the same
salary for all members, without higher levels for leadership or committee
chairmanship posts; (2) different salaries for members, committee chair-
men, majority and minority leaders, and the two presiding officers; and
(3) a higher salary level for only the presiding officers. We adopted the
last view, recommending $13,000 each for the President of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House. All witnesses agreed that, during the session,
these jobs are not only full-time but also carry heavy responsibilities in
administering the organization of each House, in managing the flow of
legislation, and in guiding the General Assembly toward policies and pro-
grams in the best interest of the State of Maryland. The duties of the Senate
President and House Speaker include planning of each session's' work,
organization of their respective Houses at the beginning of each session,
leadership and administrative responsibilities during and between sessions,
management of staff and clerical personnel, and supervision of the enrolling
of statutes.

The Commission rejected the view that there should be a differentiation
between the salary of a member and a committee chairman for the following
reasons:

(a) A proliferation of committees could develop. This is a condition
that would be contrary to recent efforts in Maryland to improve the
Legislature's committee structure by reducing the number of committees.