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State Representative Matt Dean
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3018
For more information contact: Amber Berhow 651-296-5520
OP/ED COLUMN
WHY WE NEED PERFORMANCE PAY FOR LEGISLATORS
By Matt Dean
State Representative
Do you remember how mad you were a couple of years ago when Randy Moss walked off the field with time remaining on the clock? Would he have done that if it cost his teammates a month’s salary? I do not think so.
Last year, on the day before the government shut down, Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson pounded his gavel to adjourn the Senate with time remaining on the clock. This left a last minute agreement undone and sent several thousand DOT employees home without a paycheck. Would he have done so if it cost the senators a month’s salary? I do not think so.
That is why I authored legislation that aims at holding legislators accountable for results.
The legislation seeks to withhold legislator’s salaries in the event of a government shutdown. This would specifically apply in budget years, when the legislature is required to pass a state budget by a May adjournment deadline. Both the Governor and legislators would forfeit June salaries if appropriation and revenue bills were not passed. The bill also provides for pay forfeiture in even-numbered years if lawmakers fail to correct budget imbalances based on prior forecasts.
There are three reasons this legislation makes sense. First, elected officials should be held to an equally high standard as those they represent - certainly not a lower standard. Employers in the real world demand on-time results from their employees. Why should the people of Minnesota - the employers of our elected officials - demand any less? The families I represent are held accountable for completing their daily jobs on time. It makes perfect sense to expect the same of lawmakers.
Second, in order to achieve results for the state of Minnesota, there must be some measure of accountability. The principal measure of accountability currently is the reelection process. In the House, each representative must face the voters in their home district to explain both successes and failures. Yet representatives face this measure of accountability only every two years. Performance pay provides an immediate incentive for the completion of legislative duties on time.
Third, performance pay for legislators is inherently in the public’s best interest. By definition, a public servant is obligated to work towards the best interests of those they represent. Too often, we become cynical and question the motives of our politicians. Performance pay would send a clear message to the public: We are not in St. Paul for per diem pay; we are here to serve Minnesota. Without any financial incentive to disagree over the state’s budget and prolong a legislative session, we communicate our sincere intent.
Very simply, this bill is about holding legislators to a high standard, achieving results through accountability, and truly working in the public’s best interest.
The bill was successfully passed out of two committees and may be voted on by the House in the next two weeks.
Representative Matt Dean (Dellwood) serves on four House committees: Capital Investment, Civil Law and Elections, Education Policy and Reform, and Health Policy and Finance. This is his first term in the Minnesota legislature. Representative Dean can be contacted by phone (651.296.3018) or email (rep.matt.dean@house.mn).
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