|
For Immediate
Release
7/11/07
CONTACT:
Colleen Greer
(717) 787-6801
Piccola Amendment
De-Linking Judicial Salaries Adopted by House
HARRISBURG – Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola (R-15) applauded
the House of Representatives today for approving House Bill
10, legislation amended to include his language that
eliminates the tie-in between federal judicial salaries and
Commonwealth judicial salaries – a connection that was
established in the inexcusable pay raise.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court reinstated the judicial
pay raise that state lawmakers repealed after popular
outcry. In its decision, the court determined that the
Legislature could not repeal the raise for judges because it
violated the constitutional provision which prohibits the
reduction of compensation during a judge's term in office.
As a result, the now repealed 2005 state law remains in
effect for judges, thereby tying their salaries to their
federal counterparts.
"Because a state constitutional provision prevents the
General Assembly from reducing judicial compensation, I
decided to unveil my own legislation that would do away with
the federal judge pay linkage system. I have not been
seeking to reduce judicial salaries, but rather to change
the structure on which those salaries are based. This is
necessary to avoid another huge pay increase for state
judges when Congress raises federal judicial salaries," said
Piccola.
As Chairman of the Senate State Government Committee,
Piccola held a public hearing earlier this spring to
consider his legislation (Senate Bill 44) that would break
the link between federal and state judicial pay. According
to Piccola, those who testified at the hearing discussed
what they perceived as problems in the Supreme Court's
September 2006 pay raise decision and stated that the
judges' ruling was about inflating their own wallets at the
expense of the Commonwealth's taxpayers and the integrity of
the Pennsylvania Constitution.
"I never believed that judicial salaries should be tied
to a federal scheme of compensation. It makes more sense
that state compensation be set by state officials," Piccola
said. "It's time we restore the confidence of
Pennsylvanians by making all public officials more
responsible to the people who elect us. I am pleased that
my colleagues in the House decided to advance this measure."
 Print this page
E-mail
this page
Back |
