California Lawmakers About To Lose Their Salaries Over Failure To Pass Budget

[Donnachaidh]

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/06/03/235657/california-constitution-salaries/

California isn’t exactly known for its sensible budget policy. The state’s long history of requiring supermajorities in order to raise taxes has turned it’s broken budget process into an international laughing stock. Nevertheless, California’s constitution does contain one very sensible provision — under a ballot initiative which was enacted last November, if lawmakers do not pass a budget by June 15, their salaries will be permanently docked:

n any year in which the budget bill is not passed by the Legislature by midnight on June 15, there shall be no appropriation from the current budget or future budget to pay any salary or reimbursement for travel or living expenses for Members of the Legislature during any regular or special session for the period from midnight on June 15 until the day that the budget bill is presented to the Governor. No salary or reimbursement for travel or living expenses forfeited pursuant to this subdivision shall be paid retroactively.

California Comptroller John Chiang announced yesterday that the legislature has not yet complied with this provision, thus its members will lose their pay in two weeks if a new budget is not enacted. And, frankly, the federal government would be much improved if it took a page out of California’s book.

Earlier this year, the federal government came within inches of an economically catastrophic shutdown because right-wing lawmakers refused to fund the government unless they could exact some concessions from President Obama. This summer, the GOP could blow up the entire U.S. economy by forcing us to default on our debt unless Obama signs economically crippling spending cuts into law. Meanwhile, there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution or anywhere else in federal law that penalizes lawmakers who fail to complete must-do tasks like funding the government or raising the debt ceiling.

More at the link --

I think this law should be enacted in Congress too...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. interesting k

[BeeBee]

2. I'm not sure whether I like this or not.

Because of the super-majority requirement, we usually end up with a small minority holding the whole state hostage over the budget. The Democrats who try to pass budgets end up getting their pay docked because of Republicans who won't even try to work with them.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. If they don't do their jobs and compromise on a budget...

they should get nothing.

Now, the next thing to do would be to pass an initiative that requires all members of the Senate and the Congress to face a special election if they go more than there months without passing a budget.

The state Constitution requires that they pass a budget on time. If they can't accept the requirement, they should lose their pay, and their jobs.

Outside of government, if an employee consistently refuses to the do the job for which that employee was hired, the company can fire him. Republicans are big on running government like a business. Welcome to business.