Judicial Compensation in New York: A National Perspective, Report

48 JUDICIAL COMPENSATION IN NEW YORK: A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
§3. Subdivision (f) of section 110 of the New York city civil court act, as amended
by chapter 324 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
(f) The housing judges shall be appointed by the administrative judge from a list
of persons selected annually as qualified by training, experience, judicial temperament
and knowledge of federal, state and local housing laws and programs by the advisory
council for the housing part. The annual salary of a housing judge shall [be one hundred
fifteen thousand four hundred dollars] equal an amount representing ninety-five
percent of the annual salary of a judge of the New York city civil court.
§4. (a) The legislature recognizes that it has been nearly a decade since the annual
salaries of high-ranking executive branch officials and members of the legislature last
were adjusted. This section is for the purpose of permitting representatives of government
and the community with experience in matters involving executive compensation,
human resource administration and financial management to determine such
adjustments as may be appropriate to insure that the compensation paid these public
officials is adequate to continue attracting able individuals to such service while
respecting the state’s limited resources.
(b) There shall be established a special commission on executive and legislative
compensation to examine, evaluate and make recommendations with respect to the
level of compensation for the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, comptroller
and those state officers referred to in section one hundred sixty-nine of the executive
law, effective April first, two thousand five; and for members of the legislature,
effective January first, two thousand seven.
(c) In discharging its responsibilities under subdivision (b), the commission shall
take into account all appropriate factors including, but not limited to: the overall economic
climate; inflation and changes in public sector spending since January first,
nineteen hundred ninety-nine; the levels of compensation received by legislators and
other high-ranking government officials of other states and of the federal government;
the levels of compensation received by professionals in government, academia and private
and nonprofit enterprise; and the state’s ability to fund increases in compensation.
(d) The commission shall consist of thirteen members to be appointed as follows:
four shall be appointed by the governor; two shall be appointed by the temporary president
of the senate; one shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; two
shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; one shall be appointed by the
minority leader of the assembly; and three shall be appointed by the chief judge of the
state. Of the members appointed by an official hereunder, where such official has more
than one such appointment, at least one-half (at least a majority, in the case of the governor)
shall not be employees of the state or any political subdivision thereof, and at
least one-half shall not be members of the bar of the state. The governor shall designate
the chair from among the members so appointed. Vacancies in the commission
shall be filled in the same manner as an original appointment. To the extent practicable,
members of the commission shall have experience in one or more of the follow-