DOCSLIB.ORG

Fact Sheet Only Identifies Other Part-Time Citizen Legislatures Similar to Wyoming’S Legislature Based on Legislature Categories Defined by NCSL1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Fact Sheet Only Identifies Other Part-Time Citizen Legislatures Similar to Wyoming’S Legislature Based on Legislature Categories Defined by NCSL1 FFAACCTT SSHHEEEETT W Y O M I N G L E G I S L A T I V E S E R V I C E O F F I C E Prepared by Joy N. Hill, Research Analyst January 6, 2009 09FS001 STATE HEALTH INSURANCE BENEFITS PROVIDED FOR PART-TIME CITIZEN STATE LEGISLATURES According to information provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and the Council of State Governments (CSG), forty-two of the 50 state legislatures provide some degree of health insurance coverage to its legislators. Eight states, including Wyoming, either do not make health insurance coverage available to legislators or do so at the expense of individual legislators. For purposes of appropriate comparison, this Fact Sheet only identifies other part-time citizen legislatures similar to Wyoming’s legislature based on legislature categories defined by NCSL1. By NCSL’s definitions Wyoming falls into the Blue Legislature category, meaning about half of a legislator’s time is spent tending to legislative business and considered a traditional citizen legislature. Table 1, below, identifies state legislatures that fall into the previously referenced category. Briefly, of the 17 citizen legislatures, 11 provide some degree of health insurance coverage, and six either make coverage available at individual legislator’s expense or do not make coverage available at all. Wyoming does not currently offer health insurance coverage to its state legislators. According to State Group Insurance staff, elected officials that have health insurance coverage available (may or may not elect coverage) by state health insurance include those whose positions are considered full- time jobs, such as the five elected officials (Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, and Superintendent) and judges, etc. Elected county or municipal officials are not eligible for state insurance coverage, according to State Group Insurance staff. If you need anything further please contact LSO Research at 777-7881. 1 The legislature categories defined by NCSL (http://www.ncsl.org/programs/press/2004/backgrounder_fullandpart.htm) are as follows: Red Legislatures are those that require “…80 percent or more of a full-time job. “ They also have large legislative staff and are paid a living salary without necessity of an outside job. White Legislatures are those that spend 2/3rds of a full-time job as a legislator. They have an intermediate sized staff and receive an income, but typically not enough to live off of solely. Blue Legislatures (includes Wyoming) are those that spend about half of a full-time job being a legislator. They have small staffs and are not paid enough to live off of solely and require outside employment. These legislatures are considered “…traditional or citizen legislatures” and are common in more rural states. There are two categories of Blue Legislatures (Blue Light and Blue). Wyoming is in the Blue category identified as those which are the most traditional citizen legislatures. RESEARCH AND INFORMATION SERVICES • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE 307-777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • EMAIL [email protected] • WEBSITE http://legisweb.state.wy.us PAGE 2 OF 2 Table 1. Health Benefits Provided to Legislators by Other Part-Time Citizen State Legislatures. House Senate Total State Members Members Size Member Health Benefits Yes. State pays a portion, legislator pays a portion. Same as state employees. Dental, optical, disability Georgia 180 56 235 and life insurance benefits are optional at legislator's expense. Yes. State pays a portion, legislator pays a portion of health, dental and disability insurance. Life Idaho 70 35 105 insurance benefits are optional at legislator's expense. Optical not offered. Yes. State pays for legislator health, optical, and dental. Legislator pays dependent portion of health and Indiana 100 50 150 optical insurance. Life Insurance optional. Disability not offered. Yes. State pays a portion of health and dental, legislator also pays a portion. State pays for disability. Life Kansas 125 40 165 insurance optional. Optical not offered. Yes. Same as state employees for health and dental. Optical and life insurance optional at legislator's Maine 151 35 186 expense. Disability not offered. Yes. State pays legislator premiums only. State pays portion, legislator pays portion of life insurance. Mississippi 122 52 174 Dental optional at legislator's expense. Optical and disability not offered. Yes. State pays for health and dental. Optical is optional at legislator's expense. Disability not offered. Montana 100 50 150 State pays $14,000 term life policy. Nevada 42 21 63 All optional at legislator's expense. New Hampshire 400 24 424 Health and dental optional at legislator's expense. Other coverages not offered. New Mexico 70 42 112 Not offered. North Yes. State pays for health. Dental, optical and disability offered at legislator's expense. State pays Dakota 94 47 141 $1,300 term life policy. Rhode Yes. Same as state employees for health, dental and optical. Disability and life insurance are optional at Island 75 38 113 legislator's expense. South Dakota 70 35 105 State only pays for accidental death/dismemberment insurance. Other coverages not offered. State pays a portion, legislator pays a portion of health, dental, and optical. State pays for disability and Utah 75 29 104 life insurance. Vermont 150 30 180 Health is optional at legislator's expense. Other coverage not offered. West Virginia 100 34 134 All optional at legislator's expense. Disability not offered. Wyoming 60 30 90 Not offered. Source: Current information provided by NCSL and CSG. WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE • 213 State Capitol • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE 307-777-7881 • FAX 307-777-5466 • EMAIL [email protected] • WEBSITE http://legisweb.state.wy.us .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Citizen Legislature: How Reasonable Limits on State Legislative Salaries, Staff and Session Lengths Keep Liberty Alive
    POLICYbrief Goldwater Institute No. 11-04 I June 22, 2011 The Citizen Legislature: How Reasonable Limits on State Legislative Salaries, Staff and Session Lengths Keep Liberty Alive by William Ruger (Texas State University) and Jason Sorens (University at Buffalo, SUNY) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the last two decades, the Arizona Legislature has sent three measures to the ballot to raise legislative salaries. Only one, Proposition 302 in 1998 passed. Arizona voters have been wise. Although Arizona lawmakers are paid only $24,000 per year, often share staff, and have not had a pay raise since 1998, the state’s inadvertent frugality in this respect has helped protect freedom. An analysis of indicators of economic and personal freedom in the 50 states reveals that states with “citizen legislatures”—part-time legislators, low salaries, short sessions, and small legislative staffs—enjoy more economic and individual liberty. New Hampshire, which enjoyed the top overall freedom ranking, also enjoyed the status of having the most minimalistic state legislature. By contrast, five out of the ten least freedom-friendly states—New York, New Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Illinois—all shared the dubious honor of supporting state legislatures that are among the top ten most lavish in terms of salary, staff, and session length. Our findings confirm that citizen legislators—as opposed to career legislators—avoid legislating in areas that are normally private domains and prevent government from expanding unsustainably. Consequently, voters should continue to resist efforts to increase legislators’ salaries, staff, and the length of time the legislature is in session. Arizona, in particular, would also benefit from a reduction in the size of its legislative staff given the state actually has one of the larger contingents in the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin No. 13-03 Structure and Operations of the Nevada Legislature
    Structure and Operations of the Nevada Legislature Bulletin No. 13-03 Legislative Counsel Bureau January 2013 STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS OF THE NEVADA LEGISLATURE BULLETIN NO. 13-03 JANUARY 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Summary of Recommendation ............................................................................. iii Report to the 77th Session of the Nevada Legislature by the Legislative Commission’s Committee to Study the Structure and Operations of the Nevada Legislature ........................... 1 I. Introduction ........................................................................................... 1 II. Background…… ...................................................................................... 2 A. Previous Studies of the Nevada Legislature ................................................ 2 1. Prospect for Greatness (1974), Citizens Conference on State Legislatures ....... 2 2. Blue Ribbon Commission on Legislative Process (1988), Bulletin No. 89-7 ..... 3 B. Structure and Operations of Other State Legislatures ..................................... 4 III. Review of Major Issues and Committee Activities ............................................. 5 A. Sessions of the Legislature ..................................................................... 5 1. Annual Sessions ............................................................................. 5 2. Limited Sessions ............................................................................ 6 a. Limited scope sessions ................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • REPUBLICAN for State Senator
    vote am let Information Your offici~l .l91{) .Pri~ Y:<>ters' Pamphlet; ip YOU MUST BE REGISTERED 20 DAYS BEFORE THE accordance with. f.* nf!w 1977 Qregqn l~w, is .divideclinlli ELECTION IN ORDER FOR YOUR NAME TO BE IN­ fmJr separat~ ~ions. .. < ·.. · . < CLUDED IN THE POLL BOOK. All materialr~l~tting iW f!l~~~ure~ .·appears first. ·'fbi$ in~l~ ;aeh ~~tui:JI)neasur¢, th~ h$-llot titl~; an imp~r~ You may retester and vote within 20 days of .. ti$.l~~~~~t ~laining t~tti~~ and ·i~ ~ffeet .~· election day if: ··•·•• ~.Y ~~en.~.fiJ~ ])y.pro:P()~!lt$1iln9/or opp<m~nts· ';['b,~ 1. You deliver to the appropriate county clerk or a person laW a~l~'f:S t~ legi~~~ture to sul)rtrit an argutne~ti~fa\'Pf .· of ~ . q1easJ;tre .· jt re.f~l'S tO the . })OOple. Cit~:dS or designated by the county clerk a completed voter registra­ ~rg~~tioo$ . may al~ .file arguments by P\ire~i~ tion fonn and obtain a "Certificate of Registration." space for $300 or suf).ndtting a petition signed ])y ~®9 IMPORTANT: If the county clerk receives your applica­ tion more than ten days prior to election day, your el~t$: . .... < / ••• . .. ·.. ·· ··•···•••······• certificate will be mailed to you. During the last ten days ....· .. 'fP~. ~el!;t .·t\v~ ~~~M (i()ntain .material. $ttbmi~ ~/ before the election you must obtain the certificate in can(i.i(i4f.es for ~~~an.~ffices. This y~ar REPUBLIC~ person. Certificates are issued by the county clerk or .ap~.firSt, PEM!()¢~TS ap~.se(X)t).(i, Tbe 9J'der '1~ .
    [Show full text]
  • Uncovering Texas Politics in the 21St Century
    first edition uncovering texas politics st in the 21 century Eric Lopez Marcus Stadelmann Robert E. Sterken Jr. Uncovering Texas Politics in the 21st Century Uncovering Texas Politics in the 21st Century Eric Lopez Marcus Stadelmann Robert E. Sterken Jr. The University of Texas at Tyler PRESS Tyler, Texas The University of Texas at Tyler Michael Tidwell, President Amir Mirmiran, Provost Neil Gray, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences UT Tyler Press Publisher: Lucas Roebuck, Vice President for Marketing Production Supervisor: Olivia Paek, Agency Director Content Coordination: Colleen Swain, Associate Provost for Undergraduate and Online Education Author Liaison: Ashley Bill, Executive Director of Academic Success Editorial Support: Emily Battle, Senior Editorial Specialist Design: Matt Snyder © 2020 The University of Texas at Tyler. All rights reserved. This book may be reproduced in its PDF electronic form for use in an accredited Texas educational institution with permission from the publisher. For permission, visit www.uttyler.edu/press. Use of chapters, sections or other portions of this book for educational purposes must include this copyright statement. All other reproduction of any part of this book, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except as expressly permitted by applicable copyright statute or in writing by the publisher, is prohibited. Graphics and images appearing in this book are copyrighted by their respective owners as indicated in captions and used with permission, under fair use laws, or under open source license. ISBN-13 978-1-7333299-2-7 1.1 UT Tyler Press 3900 University Blvd.
    [Show full text]
  • Citizen Legislators Or Political Musical Chairs: Term Limits in California
    Citizen Legislators or Political Musical Chairs: Term Limits in California by Ava Alexandar Citizen Legislators or Political Musical Chairs? Term Limits in California by Ava Alexandar Center for Governmental Studies Center for Governmental Studies Board of Directors: Stephen D. Rountree, Chairman Allen I. Freehling, Vice Chair Tracy Westen, Vice Chair & CEO Robert M. Stern, President Stephen Contopulos, Secretary, Treasurer Art Agnos Dan Schnur Kathay Feng Margita Thompson Aileen Hernandez Harold Williams Robert Hertzberg .................................................................................................................................................................. The Center for Governmental Studies (CGS), founded in 1983, helps civic organizations, decision-makers and the media to strengthen democracy and improve governmental processes by providing rigorous research, non-partisan analysis, strategic consulting and innovative models of public information and civic engagement. The CGS Board of Directors takes no position on the statements and views expressed in this report. .................................................................................................................................................................. ISBN 978-1-880990-19-3 Copyright© by the publisher, The Center for Governmental Studies Permission is granted to copy or reproduce this report or portions of this report, provided that proper attribution is given to the Center for Governmental Studies. Copies of this publication are available
    [Show full text]
  • Term Limitations and the Myth of the Citizen-Legislator, 81 Cornell L
    Cornell Law Review Volume 81 Article 1 Issue 3 March 1996 Term Limitations and the Myth of the Citizen- Legislator Elizabeth Garrett Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/clr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Elizabeth Garrett, Term Limitations and the Myth of the Citizen-Legislator, 81 Cornell L. Rev. 624 (1996) Available at: http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/clr/vol81/iss3/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholarship@Cornell Law: A Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cornell Law Review by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Cornell Law: A Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TERM LIMITATIONS AND THE MYTH OF THE CITIZEN-LEGISLATOR Elizabeth Garret I. THE DIRECTION OF THE NATIONAL TERM LIMITS MOVEMENT AFTER THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISION IN US. Lim=[zw r, Arc. v. THORNTrON ................... 628 II. THE IDEAL OF THE CITIZEN-LEGISL TOR .................. 630 III. THE PREVALENCE OF PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS IN CONGRESS AFTER RATIFICATION OF A TERM LIMITS AMENDMENT ............................................ 633 A. Political Ambition and Political Careers ............. 634 B. Term Limits and the Shape of Political Careers ..... 638 C. Changes in the Factors Considered by a Prospective Candidate .......................................... 643 1. Term Limits' Effect On the Probability of Success for a ParticularOffice (P) .............................. 645 2. The Cost of the Decision to Run for a Particular Offi ce (C)....................................... 650 3. The Remaining Terms in the Calculation ........... 652 D. Progressive Ambition as the Dominant, but Not Universal, Characteristic of Politicians After the Adoption of Term Limits ..........................
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the Utah Legislative Compensation Commission
    Report of the Utah Legislative Compensation Commission Prepared for the 2020 General Session of the Utah State Legislature 1 Table of Contents Letter to the Legislature ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Legislator Compensation...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Analysis of Data .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Appendix A .................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Appendix B .................................................................................................................................................................................... .35 2 Governor’s Office of Management and Budget State Capitol Complex, Suite 150 Salt Lake City, UT 84114
    [Show full text]
  • The Case for a Citizen Legislature
    POLICY BRIEF Vol. 22, No. 04 from the COMMONWEALTH FOUNDATION February 2010 The Case for a Citizen Legislature NATHAN A. BENEFIELD & ELIZABETH BRYAN Executive Summary At 253 members and bearing a price tag of $300 million, Pennsylvania’s legisla- ture is the most expensive and second largest in the country. The Keystone The operating cost of the Pennsylvania General Assembly has steadily increased, while Pennsylvania’s economy has been stagnant. The Keystone State’s burden of State’s burden of state and local taxes is among the heaviest in the country, while it ranks near the state and local bottom in economic growth and freedom. taxes is among the heaviest in This reality can be addressed by a number of reforms that would improve the the country, while efficiency and effectiveness of Pennsylvania’s legislature. it ranks near the bottom in eco- • Limited Sessions: Pennsylvania’s General Assembly is one of four full-time nomic growth and state legislatures. Returning it to a part-time body (with a limited number of freedom. session days) would help return it to a citizen-led legislature. • Compensation and Benefits: The virtue of “public service” should be re- stored through a reassessment of the compensation and benefits provided to public servants. At the very least, public servants’ remuneration should not exceed the compensation and benefits commonly provided for comparable work in the private sector. • Term Limits: Pennsylvania currently limits the number of terms a governor can serve. Term limits should also be placed on the General Assembly. Term-limiting committee chairmanships would be a meaningful first step.
    [Show full text]
  • Crony Capitalism, Corruption and the Economy in the State of New Mexico CRONY CAPITALISM, CORRUPTION and the ECONOMY in the STATE of NEW MEXICO
    Crony Capitalism, Corruption and the Economy in the State of New Mexico CRONY CAPITALISM, CORRUPTION AND THE ECONOMY IN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO Michael S. Rocca, Ph.D., Associate Professor Department of Political Science University of New Mexico Sharif Amlani, Undergraduate Honors Student Department of Political Science University of New Mexico Julia Hellwege, Ph.D. Candidate Department of Political Science University of New Mexico Lisa Sanchez, Ph.D. Candidate Department of Political Science University of New Mexico With the Committee for Economic Development (CED) Washington, DC EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Committee for Economic Development (CED)—a Washington, DC-based non- profit, nonpartisan business-led public policy organization—recently released a study outlining their concerns about the rise of crony capitalism in American politics (CED 2014). The term refers to the unhealthy relationship between some private interests (e.g. business, anti-business interests, professions, and social groups) and government. Deals are struck that reward winners on the basis of political influence rather than merit. Like Olson (1982), Coates and Heckelman (2003a, 2003b) and others (e.g. Knack and Keefer 1997), the CED argues that such deals inhibit the productive reallocation of society’s resources and reduce innovation and economic growth. Examples of such deals include cash subsidies, tax preferences, earmarked appropriations, no-bid contracts, and regulatory and trade protection. They can be crafted to benefit virtually any sector of the economy, and though each alleged deal has its defenders—else it would not exist—the list of questionable private sector-government interactions is long. The goal of the CED report is to raise awareness nationally of the concern surrounding this trend in an effort towards rebuilding Americans’ confidence in a more sustainable system of capitalism.
    [Show full text]
  • Lobbying in the Land of Enchantment: Special Interests and Their Hired Guns
    Lobbying in the Land of Enchantment: Special Interests and their Hired Guns A “Connect the Dots” Report Published by Common Cause New Mexico October 2013 Table of Contents I. Introduction and Background page 3 II. Lobbyists and their Toolboxes page 5 Who are they and whom do they represent? Out-of-Staters and Super Lobbyists The Revolving Door and Blood Ties The Lobbyist's Toolbox: The Expense Account and the Campaign Connection III. Connecting the Dots page 12 What do the lobbyists get for their investment? IV. The Influence of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Lobby page 14 Campaign Contributions made by the Oil and Gas Industry Legislative Contributions The Oil and Gas Lobbying Corps Oil Lobbyists Use a Variety of Tools to Make Friends and Influence Votes Do the Industry's Contributions and Expenditures Get Results? V. The Agricultural Industry's Influence & Senate Bill 18 page 27 A Confusing Process, but a Creative Way to Kill a Bill The Vote on SB 18 and Potential Influence by the Agricultural Industry VI. Beyond Roll Call Votes page 31 Committee Action is Key Factor in Life or Death of Bills VII. Bankers’ Lobby Resists Fair Foreclosure Bill page 33 VIII. New Mexico Trial Lawyers vs. Virgin Galactic: Experienced Lobbyists Face Off in Strategic Showdown page 37 Campaign Contributions made by the NM Trial Lawyers Strategic contributions to legislative decision makers Outcomes: Did the Contributions Make a Difference? Lobbyist Activities, Negotiations and Compromise IX. Recommendations page 45 X. Conclusion page 51 2 I. Introduction and Background Lobbying, or attempting to influence political decisions by one means or another, is as old as government itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Meetings, Compensation, and Staffing
    WYOMING LEGISLATIVE SERVICE OFFICE SHORT REPORT LEGISLATURE COMPARISON PROJECT: MEETINGS, COMPENSATION, AND STAFFING December 2019 Wyoming Legislative Service Office Research and Program Evaluation Division TABLE OF CONTENTS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………….... 2 BACKGROUND…………………………………………………………………………....…......... 3 LEGISLATIVE MEETINGS……………………………………………………………………….... 5 Length of Legislative Sessions Interim Committee Meetings Total Biennial Legislative Activities LEGISLATIVE COMPENSATION…………………………………………………………………. 13 Historical Wyoming Legislative Salary Comparator States 2017-2018 Salary and Per Diem Rates Total Biennial Salary Calculations Legislative Compensation Commissions LEGISLATIVE BENEFITS……………………………………………………………………….... 18 Wyoming Local Government Benefits Prior Bills to Amend Wyoming Legislator Benefits LEGISLATIVE STAFFING………………………………………………………………………... 20 Interim Committee Staffing CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………………. 23 APPENDIX…………………………………………………………………………………….…. 24 APPENDIX A: Legislative Meetings APPENDIX B: Legislative Compensation APPENDIX C: Legislative Benefits P a g e | 1 19SR001 • RESEARCH AND PROGRAM EVALUATION DIVISION • 200 W. 24th Street • Cheyenne, Wyoming 82002 TELEPHONE 307-777-7881 • EMAIL [email protected] • WEBSITE www.wyoleg.gov PAGE 2 OF 32 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) classifies the Wyoming Legislature as a “Part-time, low-pay, small staff” Legislature, along with the surrounding states of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Of the five
    [Show full text]
  • Testimony-Citizen Legislature Ethics Laws
    Citizen Legislature Ethics Laws States with Revolving Pay to Play Financial Household State Independent Gift Citizen Door Restrictionsii Disclosure for Member Agency/Lobbyist Ethics Restrictions? Legislaturesi Prohibition Legislators Financial Connections Commission Disclosure? Disclosure?iii Georgia 1 year None Title of all fiduciary Yes, spouse Yes/No Full powersiv Yes positions; occupation and occupation and employer and employer; ownership of investments and real property; real estate (must investment of indicate for each spouse and such asset if dependent ownership interest children is more than 5% and/or has a net fair market value of over $5000) Idaho None None None No No/No None Yes Kansas 2 years None Title of all fiduciary Yes, spouse Yes/No Full powers Yes positions; must disclose occupation and employment, employer; names gifts, and of businesses, ownership investments, and interests income producing property whose value exceeded $5000 or a 5% ownership interest, whichever is less. Maine 1 year None Occupation; each Yes, family Yes/No Develop Yes source of income members must forms and of $2000 or more disclose subpoena (includes ownership witnesses investments; any interests business where legislator controls more than 5% of outstanding equity or has received more than $2000 in revenue; title of all fiduciary positions Mississippi 1 year None Occupation; gross Yes, household Yes/No Full powers, Yes incomes sources members must except ethics over $2500; provide same training ownership disclosure interests where legislator has ownership interest of 10% + or market value exceeds $5000 Montana 2 years None Occupation; officer No No/No Full powers Yes and director positions; all real property; benefits from past employers (for example, pension); all businesses and investments that are valued at $1000 or more.
    [Show full text]