The purpose of the amendment is to divest the Minnesota Legislature of legal authority to prescribe legislators' salaries and to create an alternative structure for setting those salaries.

The effect of the amendment would be to create a Legislative Salary Council that is independent of the legislature and has the authority to prescribe legislators' salaries. The governor and chief justice of the supreme court would each appoint half of the members of the council. Current and former state officeholders (including judges), current and former lobbyists, legislators' spouses, and current state-government employees would not be permitted to serve on the Council. The membership of the Council would be evenly divided between members of the two largest parties in the legislature. The Council would be required to prescribe salaries by March 31 of each odd-numbered year, and the salaries would take effect on July 1 of that year.