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Senate committee reviews bill to create independent commission on legislative pay and expand health-plan access
Summary
Sen. Bielski told the Senate Government Operations Committee that S.229 would create an independent Legislative Compensation Commission to study pay and benefits and open access to the state health plan; senators asked JFO and HR to testify about costs and administration and no vote was taken.
Senator Bielski introduced S.229 at a Jan. 14, 2026 meeting of the Senate Government Operations Committee, saying the bill would create a Legislative Compensation Commission to remove the legislature from setting its own pay and to study compensation, benefits and staffing changes intended to improve recruitment and retention.
The sponsor told the committee that parts of S.229 mirror S.164 and that the health-insurance provision in the bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2027, while other statutory changes would take effect July 1, 2026. "We would no longer be responsible for setting our own pay," Senator Bielski said, describing a seven-member commission with appointments split between the two houses and one appointee from the governor. She said the commission would be barred from including current members of the General Assembly, current legislative employees or registered lobbyists.
Bielski…
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