HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION FF

 

September 10, 2009, Introduced by Rep. Paul Scott and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, by amending section 9 of article IV and

 

section 5 of article XI, to provide for advice and consent on

 

certain appointments made by the governor and certain appointments

 

to the classified state civil service.

 

     Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the

 

state of Michigan, That the following amendment to the state

 

constitution of 1963, to provide for advice and consent on certain

 

appointments made by the governor and certain appointments to the

 

classified state civil service, is proposed, agreed to, and

 

submitted to the people of the state:

 

ARTICLE IV


 

     Sec. 9. (1) No person elected to the legislature shall receive

 

any civil appointment within this state from the governor, except

 

notaries public, from the legislature, or from any other state

 

authority, during the term for which he or she is elected.

 

     (2) No former member of the legislature or former candidate

 

for the legislature shall receive any appointment within this state

 

from the governor without the advice and consent of the senate.

 

ARTICLE XI

 

     Sec. 5. (1) The classified state civil service shall consist

 

of all positions in the state service except those filled by

 

popular election, heads of principal departments, members of boards

 

and commissions, the principal executive officer of boards and

 

commissions heading principal departments, employees of courts of

 

record, employees of the legislature, employees of the state

 

institutions of higher education, all persons in the armed forces

 

of the state, eight exempt positions in the office of the governor,

 

and within each principal department, when requested by the

 

department head, two other exempt positions, one of which shall be

 

policy-making. The civil service commission may exempt three

 

additional positions of a policy-making nature within each

 

principal department.

 

     (2) The civil service commission shall be non-salaried and

 

shall consist of four persons, not more than two of whom shall be

 

members of the same political party, appointed by the governor for

 

terms of eight years, no two of which shall expire in the same

 

year.

 

     (3) The administration of the commission's powers shall be


 

vested in a state personnel director who shall be a member of the

 

classified service and who shall be responsible to and selected by

 

the commission after open competitive examination.

 

     (4) The commission shall classify all positions in the

 

classified service according to their respective duties and

 

responsibilities, fix rates of compensation for all classes of

 

positions, approve or disapprove disbursements for all personal

 

services, determine by competitive examination and performance

 

exclusively on the basis of merit, efficiency, and fitness the

 

qualifications of all candidates for positions in the classified

 

service, make rules and regulations covering all personnel

 

transactions, and regulate all conditions of employment in the

 

classified service.

 

     (5) State Police Troopers and Sergeants shall, through their

 

elected representative designated by 50% of such those troopers and

 

sergeants, have the right to bargain collectively with their

 

employer concerning conditions of their employment, compensation,

 

hours, working conditions, retirement, pensions, and other aspects

 

of employment except promotions which will be determined by

 

competitive examination and performance on the basis of merit,

 

efficiency, and fitness; and they shall have the right 30 days

 

after commencement of such that bargaining to submit any unresolved

 

disputes to binding arbitration for the resolution thereof the same

 

as now provided by law for Public Police and Fire Departments.

 

     (6) No person shall be appointed to or promoted in the

 

classified service who has not been certified by the commission as

 

qualified for such that appointment or promotion. No appointments,


 

promotions, demotions, or removals in the classified service shall

 

be made for religious, racial, or partisan considerations. No

 

former member of the legislature or former candidate for the

 

legislature shall be appointed to the classified state civil

 

service without the advice and consent of the senate.

 

     (7) Increases in rates of compensation authorized by the

 

commission may be effective only at the start of a fiscal year and

 

shall require prior notice to the governor, who shall transmit such

 

the increases to the legislature as part of his or her budget. The

 

legislature may, by a majority vote of the members elected to and

 

serving in each house, waive the notice and permit increases in

 

rates of compensation to be effective at a time other than the

 

start of a fiscal year. Within 60 calendar days following such the

 

transmission, the legislature may, by a two-thirds vote of the

 

members elected to and serving in each house, reject or reduce

 

increases in rates of compensation authorized by the commission.

 

Any reduction ordered by the legislature shall apply uniformly to

 

all classes of employees affected by the increases and shall not

 

adjust pay differentials already established by the civil service

 

commission. The legislature may not reduce rates of compensation

 

below those in effect at the time of the transmission of increases

 

authorized by the commission.

 

     (8) The appointing authorities may create or abolish positions

 

for reasons of administrative efficiency without the approval of

 

the commission. Positions shall not be created nor abolished except

 

for reasons of administrative efficiency. Any employee considering

 

himself aggrieved by the abolition or creation of a position shall


 

have a right of appeal to the commission through established

 

grievance procedures.

 

     (9) The civil service commission shall recommend to the

 

governor and to the legislature rates of compensation for all

 

appointed positions within the executive department not a part of

 

the classified service.

 

     (10) To enable the commission to exercise its powers, the

 

legislature shall appropriate to the commission for the ensuing

 

fiscal year a sum not less than one percent of the aggregate

 

payroll of the classified service for the preceding fiscal year, as

 

certified by the commission. Within six months after the conclusion

 

of each fiscal year the commission shall return to the state

 

treasury all moneys funds unexpended for that fiscal year.

 

     (11) The commission shall furnish reports of expenditures, at

 

least annually, to the governor and the legislature and shall be

 

subject to annual audit as provided by law.

 

     (12) No payment for personal services shall be made or

 

authorized until the provisions of this constitution pertaining to

 

civil service have been complied with in every particular.

 

Violation of any of the provisions hereof may be restrained or

 

observance compelled by injunctive or mandamus proceedings brought

 

by any citizen of the state.

 

     Resolved further, That the foregoing amendment shall be

 

submitted to the people of the state at the next general election

 

in the manner provided by law.