ALC-Personnel

Adam the. Thank you Mr chairman items at B. one A and B. one B. these of the quarterly position employment reports for state agencies and higher education institutions for the third quarter of FY twenty the average number state agency employees for the quarter for state agencies was thirty Mister chairman items be two in B. three these reports to the department of higher education and the office of personnel management detailing the use of directors discretion labor market just months special ensure rates for exception will qualified candidates in the use of eggs existing administration grits as reviewed by this To the B. Malam see in the yes Sir I want to sorry I Mister chairman item sees request from the department of higher education to continue On the course for job these differences are required we review back committee falling independent examination of the employees language skills the amount of difference was based on Division of Harry as request university of Arkansas division of agriculture. Any any questions any discussion. All is a need a motion. E. these differentials cover shift work law enforcement training national certification for various Okay thank you thank you Mr chair of we had a discussion on this and previous meeting of peer and I don't understand the explanation that was just given of where the position is being cross cross applied from but I don't see it in any of the documentation Mr Barnhill could you of. Provide us some I mean I just wanna make sure that we've got a proper paper trail of that of the position is even though the chief fiscal officer has been previously from the department of insurance which we've already established by the it should have been done that way right Uh we're that we're doing it correctly now moving forward but there's not anything in this documentation that shows that it's coming from a pharmacy position. So if you can give clarification question. You're recognized. Yes Sir okay the title we establishing is chief fiscal officer and that's what we're doing with this particular process I think you see in the next report that the transfer of the pharmacists to a from re have to commerce at that point. Okay I think I I was just shown that is being transferred from energy and environment no Sir it is being transferred from re haven't re funded and re have. Of I'm sorry that's a different fiscal officer position Well I'm trying to say it self represent letter it's the fourth line up on that document it says registered pharmacist okay registered pharmacist from rehab services to commerce. Okay great I see a clarification now in. Is the position of chief fiscal officer with the department of insurance being retained I'm yes Sir that that position has been returned to the insurance department in that position continues to exist okay great all right thank you very much thank you Mr Mr chair. Thank you. Any any other questions. Hammer. And thank you Mr chair the the pharmacist position has it is currently vacant is that correct yes Sir that position was are located the hot springs facility in when they closed it down it has been vacant since September of last year and that's not needed anywhere else I mean you on this. Okay alright thank you. Any other questions. Any further discussion. Representative Dotson. Thank you Mr chair we did have a discussion about this in the. Previous meeting but I wonder if we might be able to help here from transformation services On whether or not I mean we we haven't been we haven't had a chief fiscal officer in the department of commerce for a little while now apparently and are we expecting any further. positions like this needing to be request. Aimee Fletcher secretary of the department of transformation shared services Representative Dotson yes this position being created in and taken from rehab services for commerce is a result of that will of the legislature to full insurance securities and banking departments out of the shared services model so up until this time for a year we've been utilizing the CFO position at insurance and is that stated in the last meeting she was doing two jobs she expanded her duties and we we did not plan to have to fill a position FOR the department of commerce but due to legislative action we're doing that now and yes your answer I don't know for sure the and number of employees it will require it banking and securities but miss barn house indicated their most likely will be some so so we're going to have it Ted duplicate these positions which was not necessarily anticipated and the regional transformation correct it will be a net increase in overall costs because the way the law was written. I believe it's not a result of the way the law is written but more of a result of the desire of the legislature. Okay. Thank you thank you any further questions. Because. Senator hammer. Mr. Would you be explicit as far as which legislative action you're saying you're referring to that necessitates this was at the transformation bill or was in another one. Now I was not in that can meeting but I think Senator Hickey were you there. Jim. This but this is intended to give greater oversight in order to to pay attention to the financial operations. More explicitly is that correct I mean is that the overall purpose of this is to get it where somebody is having a good set eyes on the on the money over there current. Okay thank you. Is the. Well sector is this. This position will be in the central office. Yes it will be fun senator hammer's quit a line of questioning. Will it what will this person over city all the other agencies that are in there right a. Not regarding regulatory authority but budgeting authority they will oversee it I believe this chief financial officer will oversee all of their that there's ten entities within to the department of commerce so they will focus on the seven other than banking insurance and securities. Caused by the notorious question how much are we saving overall we have it we at least I haven't seen a remote for. Whatever the amount of this position as that's what we would have been saving. The one. The amount of this position the CFO is is what we would have been saving doing it the other way the the weight transformation intended for it to be done until who will overall not just commerce but the overall transformation. We we've been told the hill at least fourteen million. That is that report forthcoming or there was a report at submitted in March two state agencies but the house and Senate as required by One of the Representative backs bills and so I'd be happy to distribute that to the entire legislature but but we do have in it it has twenty six million in savings in the first nine months okay any further questions on this Any further discussion. H. I'm sorry page. Hammer. Senator hammer thank you Mr. On the vacant on the vacant position how long is it not been filled. I believe since September of last year it was September of nineteen when they close the hot springs rehab facility. So it's within. Within the past year I mean it's ninety. But imagine month I think we're within ten less this year yes last fiscal year or other. Is that how. Just qualify what you said a minute ago but it's not. It's saving us money because was it of what it was that a field position that had the appropriation to go with it or was it unfilled position. They didn't have appropriation you're with I just wanna make sure we're not doing no offense funny math as far saying we're saving when reality was a call for the same thing because it wasn't built in the first place right this position has not been filled since September so wasn't and field position that has been is being made commerce I thank you or directing at my comment on the savings Senate yes we have been saving that salary because we have not field the CFO position the department of commerce but rather utilize someone that isn't within the department we will not be saving that money going forward. Okay part thank you. Senator Chesterfield thank you Mr chair of the state you're going forward you said we had saved some twenty six million dollars and transformation yes ma'am and that report was given to us it was given to state agencies but the Senate and house as required by the law who would you share that with me please absolutely I'd like you here much because I'd like to see what constitutes the twenty five twenty six million dollars thank you very much and thank you Mr. Any further questions. Mister two yes Sir A you much trouble logo that you said that you weren't in on that but you did see the amendment in you do you feel that when you were using that person. When you knew better. Because that was in the state you we amid the governor agree to it. And I don't think it he agreed to without your knowledge no I was in the meeting at the governor with you just by statement one true that well what what the amendment said was regarding the consultation of the directors of those three departments and so they did not have to get approval from the secretary of commerce they had to just consult and and let the secretary no that was what I what was in the amendment language it did not address the shared services model in in in that in the the law it does say. that all of the entities will be created under a shared services model FOR the department of commerce and it doesn't specifically say in the amendment anything except the consultation language. I'll get back with you on that are I differ with you on that well I'm not an attorney I'm I'm not definitely not an attorney that's just the way I'm reading it. Thank you for your. Any other questions. Further discussion. Do I have a motion to accept is review of my each. Motion made motion second. Thank you. Okay thank you. Okay all in favor. Of accepting Adam my age and gave the sign Opposed like wines. Kerry next classification request. Mister chairman item eyes request for approval from the department transportation shared services on behalf of the department of correction commerce and department commerce and department of energy environment department corrections requesting with nineteen positions to their shared services section these positions were in virtually left off the list we were provided last month the preparation has already been moved for these the one position listen for commerce is the registered pharmacist we just discussed in and three positions AT energy environment there actually requesting to move those back from their shared services section into the department of environmental quality is the work only for that particular division of energy environment opium is recommended the request step compares. You heard the explanation of any discussion many questions. Seeing none chair would entertain a motion to accept Motion made motion second. Second all in favor say aye. All opposed J.. Mister chairman item Jay's request from the secretary of state to utilize ten positions available available to them through the growth pool established in Arkansas code twenty one five to twenty five for entities not covered under classification compensation act secretary of state is requesting to police sergeants and eight corporals at a cost of seven hundred and seventy one thousand and then includes match their requesting positions help staff security the capital and help alleviate overtime an officer fatigue staff concurs with the request. You've heard an explanation any questions concerning J.. Senator hammer. Could we either get chief for secretary of. State or whoever wants answers answer a few questions please. They're here. State your name and your position please. Under all had in a chief of state capitol police. I'm Kurt naman director of administration for the secretary of state's office. Chairman of. Senator before you as your question I have is the with the secretary of state senators are speaking about this. And during the recent situation that we're all familiar with that occurred here at the capitol they utilize nine hundred hours of overtime. It became very apparent at that time that the the capitol police themselves were not adequately staffed to be able to deal with those circumstances that Our prayers coming more familiar in today's society so with that being sent I recognize Senator hammer. Thank you Mr chair and let me begin my comments just saying how much I appreciate you always feel safe when it come to the capital of thank you great job specially U. chief and your force are always respectful of just always street with the greatest respect of CM interact with the public even right out here yes they had accident unnoticed out here on the corner but children's adjacent to the property in your officers route their conduct himself in actual manner so I want you public recognition for doing a great job in spite of what anybody else may say in my book you guys are the best so the sides that let me ask you this so being adequately staffed is one thing being adequately trained to handle situation is totally different can you talk about the training are these can be specialized trained individuals are they going to have a more training than the rest of your staff does or would you speak to what's involved there to handle unique situations like we've been dealing with. We currently my arm. Required by the commission on law enforcement standards to each one of us all law enforcement officers have to have at least twenty hours of training per year the specialized training that you're probably talking about is like a riot control crowd control things of that nature we've been in contact with the I think it's a three eighty ninth. Early if squadron. we got some guys that used to be in that unit and their military police wing at the Air Force I they put on that training and we're going to set up the training to for all of us to be go through the riot control crowd control. Training. That we think we need going forward we're in the process of ordering or trying to purchase the equipment to where we can have a eighteen per se of set up to be able to respond to large events. Things of that nature to be be set up to pre to respond and handle a situation like that but we're all going to go through the training everyone of us including myself that's something that we've we. Up until the last year so you know we thought about it but we never had the I guess the the the the desire the need to do that plus our manpower is only. Twenty one of us. And it's hard to see in six at a time to a training class like at that last forty hours and but we are anticipating doing that are having them come to us we're going to get to officers that are certified in instructing that so we can continue to continue the training as we move forward in that in that progress. Is the cost of the equipment covered in this request are you covering that in another portion of your budget for the equipment that you only. The cost for any additional equipment and training is not provided for in this particular request what we're doing now we're in the process of preparing our bi annual budget and we're looking at the chiefs additional needs that he will have and we anticipate up pretty thorough analysis of what those needs are going to be and will likely be in in telling that in our by annual budget coming up if funds are not available from our existing budget. And with regards to these additional officers are you gonna allow them to get trained prior to putting them into the force so that when they come into the force or fully trained to what you're trying to do are they going to get on the job where are they get on the job or by law we we everyone that that goes to work for the Arkansas state capitol police they either have to go to the law enforcement training academy. Or they have to be a certified officer there's a lot of our guys that are pre certified and I've worked in various agencies that come on board with us that bring a lot of talent a lot of training to us and we do have continuing education as we go for now the specialized training some of our officers now have been through that okay and we we're going to get To speak to our officers are going to be the training instructors to continue this for and some of this quick a quick meant there were going to be asking for or trying to purchase you have to be certified in that equipment before you can even take risks receipt of it. So that's that's the process server we got what we got to got set up right now to go to a class in September to be certified to receive that equipment to be able to instruct with it our train people to use it so we're we're trying to get that establish now but like the chairman said when you when you when you're working. Your record or she AS an in an additional nine hundred hours in two weeks time we can't leave the grounds to even go to one hour worth trying because our our manpower A is is limited total to be able to do that and this is turning into a. every weekend thing and you know we members ten of us here Saturday for about seven hours so that's another seventy hours on top of everything else so that's what we're trying to do is we we if we increase we got the ability to go out and get that extra training and to to free up to be highly trained in those things are less question the nine hundred hours of overtime secretary state budget has a to build cover that are you guys going to come ask us for some help later. Because I don't make you plan for that your budget when you no Sir got your procreation so the amount for the overtime will probably be able to be covered by our existing budget but if it continues to increase at this pace there's no way that we can anticipate those costs to be able to cover that so the hours it my understanding from our budget folks is that the hours that have been encouraged now will be compensable under the existing budget but from here on out with additional hours in training the cost of materiality we need those are going to be cost that we will likely be asking for more funding in the future okay well glad to help you thank you all for which she appreciate you. Thank you senator Representative Tosh. Yes. Thank you Mr chairman I do what I a call I appreciate the job that you guys do and thank you so much but I do have a question just so that I'll understand it I'm a little confused are you actually requesting ten additional positions along with the twenty one that you already have is is actually ten new positions tend to officers that you're requesting because. What I'm looking at here it says two of them will but we uh have the position of a. Of the rank of sergeant and the other eight will be at the rank of corporal and of course. You know if these are entry level personnel ten new people I'm a little confused as to how to of old could be hired in in the supervisor's position and eight of them as a in a corpus position. Could you calla help clear that up for me please I can What our idea is is we're or if for or adding additional manpower basically almost two more she us is what we're going to add in your two supervisor position is going to be over those additional people our plan is to create like a a one supervisory position to maintain all the paperwork to you the training the all the documentation goes along with these people and those that position will be filled by a promotion from within the existing structure the existing people there it we wouldn't hire somebody road street be a sergeant because I don't have the the longevity and an understanding what we do and the operations of the cap to place so naturally we would feel that maybe like taking of got off the street making my lieutenant state police said is that this would work so the the ten that incorporates the two sergeants positions of those would naturally from mobile position from the existing officers and then of course all the rest of people go through the training program that we have set up for it for anybody that goes to workforce I followed Mr. Yes the fund okay I think I understand it just to summarize that you're hot you're requesting ten additional personnel OR tool in or at the entry level of pay grade and then with those two new positions you're going to create two additional sergeant positions problem the people that are already employed and along with that eight of them will also be moved up to a corporal position is that pretty well sums rising of initially yes Sir okay thank you. Senator Chesterfield. Seven hundred seventy thousand dollars is already covered within your existing budget. A senator Chesterfield it is not at this point in time the first thing that we're gonna look to to see is if we have any salary savings that may be able to ameliorate some of the costs these positions but we do anticipate we will become and back before peer another committees to request the appropriation for those positions all right now you're just asking us for the ability to to create the positions and you will deal with budgeting for it later yes senator. Six a could you give me an example of the kind of training we're talking about. Are you Dermott specialized training orders to Santander specialized training other specialized training that were were born and to all a T. and is right control special response training What you would call swat training or a merger of. E. R. T. emergency response straining to or we have a specialized unit Arkansas I can respond to high risk emergencies active shooter situations as well as additional C. ID trying to criminal investigations training but mainly we want to concentrate create right now on response to. Crowd control. Yes collation of training things of that nature I was hoping I heard the de escalation part in there thank you. Representative rye. Okay thank you Representative McCollum I'm asking this question for committee member Representative Deborah Ferguson who's watching online and she wants to know how do you distinguish between a riot in a peaceful protest. Well. A peaceful protest. Is just that. To me it's a peaceful protest people can raise our voice yell and scream whatever but when you start act doing active. dissipation and committing crimes your target it gets to a righteous type of activity burning buildings busting windows beating people over the head with sticks things of that nature is to me a riotous behavior someone just mark of marching in expressing their views no matter how loud it is as long as there's no criminal activity that's just a peaceful protest A I thank in my personal opinion of course we could read the laws and try to determine what the legal definition for that is but in my personal opinion I've been to hundreds of rallies in protest and. The last several that I've been to here on the capitol grounds to me is all of them been arrived. Because of the criminal behavior this involved in it that's how I added term. Bledsoe. Thank you Mr chair of having been in the legislature for quite a long time I've noticed that we are having more and more of meetings that have controversial subjects and just not long ago I had a press conference to discuss a controversial subject and based on my. Of Facebook and and Twitter accountant emails I became very concerned and artist the wanted to say that times have changed and I do think that you're asking for more employees in this particular area is a good thing A at my press conference a lot of people were in the building and then there were a lot of people in the press conference from the public and. I can remember. Stopping at your office and saying aye I think I may need some help and you were gracious enough to send some of the police kept a policeman up to the press conference in there was there everything was fine but I think more and more we're going to have to look to you and your officers to help us with those kind of things and I certainly support this and the man that I know that you can pull it have just been a such gentleman and have been of just a hold them in high regard and I thank you for what you and your men do here thank you Mr chair. Thank you senator senator Chesterfield. That thank you Mr chair and like to thank you for the work that you do. I am concerned always when we militarized police. Because this is the people's house and I just want to say that for the record this is the people's house and I don't want us to engage in any activity that will say to the people you are not welcome because your point of view is different from my point of view. We do have hyper partisanship that I find very very troubling in this day and time but I would ask that we continue to remember that just because we differ. Because we even look different. That we will be treated with the same respect regardless of it and having participated in several of the rallies that have been here at the capitol that have all been peaceful. I think it's important that we would be able to differentiate and I always wax concerning we talk about the militarization of the police because people my shade of green have suffered disproportionately DO that demilitarization and so I wanted to say that I'm going to support this because I know you all worked I think we all know that but at the same time I would ask that we all we member that this is not just some people's house this is all of the people's house and that we treat everyone who comes here with the dignity and respect that there do thank you Mr chair Capron that yes you can senator our our intention is to be welcomed to anybody we always have been as best as I can recall of the where we have no intention to militarize to state capitol police but in saying that I believe that we need to be adequately prepared to respond to very very violent situations and we've had several of them in the in the region couple of months I think we had to have certain equipment not only to protect the people that come here but our officers lives as well and this request for manpower is is not only to address the nowadays that we're going through with the hyper. Partisanship in the anger and all that stuff going on. But it's also I have never in in my twenty eight years as a as a state capitol police officer I would never. In. Been involved in so many criminal investigations I've never been involved in so much intelligence gathering and I you know I have a particular job to do but yet I have to be a crime of instigator I have to be a an intelligence gather I have to be I had to try to stay at one step ahead of even the even the protestors and when you when you have the the manpower that we have today that's been in effect since two thousand or nineteen ninety two basically with only increased for officer since nineteen ninety two. And when you remain that way in the in your and use more and more and more and more coming. you have in mind my mind we have to move forward with that now I wish we could go back to the days of Andy Griffith or we wouldn't have to carry a gun but I think those days are past. Representative Dotson you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair I just want to echo in on everything that everybody's been saying appreciate capitol police and the the job you're doing and. This is long past due and I was going to make a motion of property time but I'll defer to the good senator registered if she wants to make one. hammer. The reason you're under the state police correct. Start your under the state police correct eight that if the emergency executive order that the governor issued has not expired we're still under what they call the central commander command and control of the Arkansas state police okay and where I'm going with that is under the emergency order that were under now with the state police be the group that would be looked to to come in and do what these additional ten officers would do in the event you had to deploy additional individuals because things are getting out of hand round here right now we look to the state police and the little rock police department to provide those those essential functions that we use but under normal circumstances when we get out from underneath this emergency declaration and it's just the average we can also in you got some of the shows up are you at latitude to call in the state police were latitude calling any agency that will respond okay why are you not doing that as an option to this well. We can do that but there they have their schedule set to like you said this just shows up okay. We can call our team in their team in little rock steam in. They're all full resources from ever everywhere else and you still got everything else to do. So what we're trying to do is get ahead of the curve we're gonna head of that to where we can beef up our manpower on the weekends. Tory we will already have additional manpower here to address something that pops up right now something pops up we're scrambling even even if I call state police they're scrambling or little rock PD they're scrambling if you'd been here Saturday you would've seen all that scrambling. But. Right now or are we. I would have said and explain to you how we operate but on the weekends we don't have the manpower working because there's not that many people here but we're going to have to be for that manpower up because of all the things that are happening on weekends and that's what we're we're trying to dresses for spread these ten out throughout the whole. week. Instead of just assign them to one particular tasks that's what that's what we're saying that's fun the I just let me to meet justifies request even more because you really need be standalone specialized exactly to be able to handle because your last line of defense as far as what happens inside people's building if you can't get a stopped outside all that mess comes inside Iraq and then we got a problem shelter thank you. What is question from the the. What what's the problem call if were not under an executive order such as we are now emergency. Relative to the calling in the state police is would they be the first one you call the in. Yes Sir yes Sir I would call the state police real quick yes Sir I wonder what what color that exact order was like a called a unified command and I believe it had to do with all the regular patrol regular nine one one services in answering calls by does that but if we have any event. Like a rally protest some like that we would fall under the unified command of the state police that's what they have deserted way I understand exactly what well I'm saying this so you don't have that yet in some just mushrooms L. No Way And which which can happen in today's environment. Is the state police the first ones that you call. I meant to help you with that would that would depend on this this is what was going on in it and the the manpower that they had available to send me I it would be them or Laura paid PD. By Saturday for instance we had a a rally March at the Clinton center little rock PD was there we had a no the rally here at the capitol building now that those two rallies met on Woodlane Avenue from the capitol building. Both agencies moved with that and we met together so that's how we come together on that and they were involved and we did have some state police here's well because I had pre ask for them to be here so they which they were set up here as well. That's what we we look at the situation we know something's happening we can pri plan was something pops up it's based on what they're resources are what our resources are that they can buy conspired other consent everything they can both agencies it's just the quickest one I can get here. Most of you and I don't know you can't divulge but. You mentioned that you had already alerted the state police a man you know most of the time. When you gonna have a rally or that up the. And and your intelligence could be you should be hopefully will the. In advance that you can get in the. Identify the. We're we're your troubles gonna be. Did you. It did you have any intelligence that there were if you you may not be able to share this. Is there a cell Senate influences whom we have the trouble it originally started yes I believe it was Friday night here to Capitol. No Sir way I I believe that week we anticipated some outside influence but as far as hard intelligence we did not we knew that there was something going to go on based on the local social media talk there we monitor. And we knew that there's gonna be large gatherings but as far as. Out of town or out of state now we knew some out of towners we're going to be here local in Arkansas because we were monitoring that activity throughout all different kind of. Media. Ways we do it but as far out of staters we didn't know anything about those but we did we did some out of towners yes thank you. Senator Chesterfield or. With just a moment scheming. Person called. Thank you Mr chair I just wanted to Representative Deborah Ferguson wants to convey that she is in support of this she just wanted to make sure that that that the point was made that it's important to recognize the protest control is different than a riot and a few individuals at a protest should be considered a riot thank you. Chesterfield you're recognized. Second. Was there a motion is to give them. Okay we have a motion and a second two of. Follow through with vitamin J. any further discussion any further questions. Okay all favor indicate was saying aye a. All opposed like wellness. Thank you Jay you thank you thank you Mr chair members of the committee. Hello okay. Any other business to come before the committee. If not we're JR.IN thank you very much.