News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Jim Palmer, Director of Information

April 6, 2000

ALL THREE CORPORATION COMMISSIONERS APPROVE OF THE PAY RAISE BILL FOR STATE EMPLOYEES WITHOUT THE INCLUSION OF STATEWIDE ELECTED OFFICIALS

(OKLAHOMA CITY)-Oklahoma’s three sitting Corporation Commissioners are not eligible to receive a pay raise even if Governor Frank Keating signs the state pay raise bill into law.

According to the Oklahoma Constitution, the salary of a state elected official may not be raised during that official’s term of office. Corporation Commissioners are elected to staggered six year terms with one commission seat on the ballot every two years. A commissioner is locked in to the salary in effect at the time he or she takes office for the full six years of their term. Consequently the three commissioners earn different salaries for doing the same job. Currently, the statutorily set salary is $82,004 per year. SB959 would increase that amount to just over $87,000 effective for whoever fills that office beginning in January 2001. Salaries of the other two commissioners would remain frozen at the rate in effect when they took their oath of office.

Commissioners Bob Anthony, Denise Bode and Ed Apple all support the proposed $2,000 pay hike for state employees which was the main purpose of the legislation.

Bode said she "fully supports the position of Governor Keating and members of the legislature who want to remove the last minute pay raise for statewide elected officials, including commissioners, from the bill." Bode added "it is her desire for any pay raise to go to the low paid state employees for whom it was intended."

Apple said "as a statewide elected official he fully understands why he is not eligible for a pay raise but realizes the importance of state employees receiving a well deserved pay increase."

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