ALC-Personnel

Gentleman they'll see a personal subcommittees now in session and i'll do on the third two my culture senator wallace bringing comments thank you center in wallace tony. Armish chairman committee members we're gonna start with item b I to be as a request from the department of agriculture that actually includes four separate requests their first request is to retain four positions that have been vacant for two years or more that appear on the act seven of the list will get to that later in the agenda their second request is from the agriculture division to surrender two agro inspectors into forced rangers i'll agree just or five and return for two new positions as well as the new title of senior last scientists that are just eleven for one of those new positions you'll only position is going to be a forester in a gs of seven. The third request is from the natural resources division where they are surrendering three positions including a p engineer and agree program specialist in an admin specialist three and return for two new positions as well as a new title for one of those as well and agri water resources division manager at g thirteen and then an environmental program coordinator at AGS o seven the fourth request is from the shared services division of the agreed apartment and they are requesting two new positions from the opm growth pool both of these new positions include new titles they're asking for a cfo of agriculture at AGS fourteen as well as an agri general council at AGS fourteen although not required when requesting these growth will positions the agency is noted that they are wanting to voluntarily freeze for additional positions and keep them unfilled to be eliminated during the next uh session the immediate net effect of all of these request is the reduction of one position within the department while providing six new positions with four new titles the estimated cost of these changes is two hundred and fifty four thousand dollars according to opm and they have recommended the requests. I have a few questions and seat sixty nine seventy five representative or law. Thank you mister chair mister I asked that we pull the general council from consideration from this week I met with the secretary and that position is going to be newly field in at that time we can re evaluate this request and I put that in a form of emotion of need be. Gay any discussion on the motion. Represent cabinet is in reference to this motion now it's a getting reference to the same addition going okay I have questions for the department on the need for this. You may secretary office here secretary war. Take miss secretary fuel state your name in who you're with and you're be recognized. Yes there are west board from the arguments all department by culture. Thank you mr chair secretary board these are no positions but I thought we already had a cford general account while we needing these new positions. That that's right yes my absolute would be upgrading so we would be surrendering other positions in order to have it but these these two at a higher classification but that's that's the so we're seeking to raise the salary of these two positions that's right and how much of a raise are they going to be getting. The. The. Yeah. So I would say that this representative in the general council position itself would be that would be advertised so so that wouldn't be yet array so that that our current job counters is leaving the department. So this that would be a uh a new employee filling that position. And then the year the cforal position I believe. Yes yes I am to see about position increase until it's current hours when they move from a thirteen to fourteen give me dollar amount currently what they're making and what you're proposing to pay the place. The. Yeah. You know says aki chief fiscal officer is my current salary to set up one or four eight thirty three. So with the ten percent we're looking at are roughly a little bit of a ten thousand dollars. Okay. Mr chair if if it's all right with you weaken address representative or laws motion on the general council and then I could resume my questioning on the other one at that's okay yes that if there'll be fine it represented board that you just once again on a hold ag general council GS fourteen position for further consideration at the time of the feeling of that new position and sector war and I have conversations nine is added for members I want to see so just poor that out of the consideration and then we'll go into the rest of the positions. Okay and that's that's your motion that's my motion can any discussion on the motion. Oh and they were say I am opposed to no. I have it. Okay representative cabinet. Thank you mister chair sorry for them interruption so what was what was the rate is going to be from one or four to what number so currently I made a one or four eight thirty three so would attend percent we're looking at a little bit over ten thousand dollars okay and check on secretary ward what's facilitating this need for the raise in the upgrade. This. The. Yes maybe i'm just in dual terms just one week we do have certainly have a very good see if I were who's who's setting right next to your mean so I had to put him on the spit but he he certainly does a very good job and and has absorbed an increasing responsibilities over the last few years that that's the best the short answer of it just additional responsibilities overseeing additional staff as we work through additional programs not not just currently but over the last few years so just trying to get that on poorer with similar seatbelt positions across the cross the statement and so is this got a putting it power with the other cfl positions and other departments it will be in closer right now the seat was range from his current position which was below gs thirteen up to an seal two and another department so they are in that range so this will bring him further online with currency about and just fannel follow up mr chair. In am asking this just because I want to make sure none of these that you're requesting is because is because we moved the proportional boards over to these are not positions that are going to do anything with the promotional boards because we were going to assume that cost and I just want to make sure that that is true one hundred percent so we we do have there are fiscal responsibilities with administrating those boards but the cabo is not the administrator of those boards that the the role there is separate and removed from from the administration of those six research and promotion boards okay thank you that was sitting all the hours covered under item be the under representative wardlaw's motion so will move on to items chairman there was the committee item sea is a request in the department of commerce department of the excuse me the department is requesting to surrender their chief fiscal officer position at AGS fifteen or new title in position of a come cheap fiscal officer at a seal one the request is based on the retirement of the current cfo effective september first and the need to be able to recruit and retain a new cfo opm estimates the cost of the request at eleven hundred dollars and recommends the position any title any questions from the committee seeing none developing have a motion the second. They weren't the second. The. And the second on the favorite say I while post no motion passes item d. Mr chairman item d is a question of department of higher education to surrender for existing positions in return for two new positions ADH program coordinator at AGS ten in an information system specialist in it the program coordinator position will work in operations of the americorps program or the information systems manager will function as the only in house programmer for the division working on the web application development data integration and reporting software obm has made an alternative recommendation to the agency's request that includes the swap of only three of the original four positions and creating only one of the new positions. You're sorry that is the new info systems manager position the agency would then be able to cross the downgrade and existing position to the program coordinator position about requested without creating a new position the estimated cost is about seventy six thousand dollars to fill the new it position. Having questions from the committee motion have a motion in a second second. Yeah. Oh yeah I guess a weekend the so I guess a for the committee you want to go with the opm's recommendation opms recommendation so and that was your motion okay we have a second motion I want favorite sa i'll pose no motion passes. Mischairman item e is a request from the department department of energy and environment for their eighty equivision they're requesting to surrender seven existing positions in return for four positions that you see under the classications requested including a request as a new classification of air quality modeler this will result in a decrease of three authorized positions at the division with an estimated cost of forty thousand dollars due to two of the four positions being filled with existing employees through promotions opium is recommended the requested swaps. Any questions from the committee. Seeing none of the motion. To have motion you have motion second in discussion on the motion of every say I all oppose no motion passes. Mr chairman item f is a question the department of transportation insured services to surrender tin existing positions at the state surplus division. Excuse me for ten new positions there will be a net change of zero positions this train can provide two new classifications for surplus property agents and a supervisor to help recruit enrouting employees in the division part of the qualifications needed for these new positions is the possession of a cdl license opm has recommended the swap of the positions and estimates that cost to be roughly forty four thousand dollars based on the number of positions that would be filled by incumbents. Any questions from the committee. Seeing none motion. Second. Discussion on the motion aren't favorite although motion passes mr chairman out of g is a request from cost top community college of a for four growth pool positions one project program director to service the schools athletic director headman's basketball and women's at basketball coach and in three project program managers to serve as the assistant basketball coaches head coach for soccer and assisted soccer coach the department of higher education is recommended the four positions and estimates the total compensation to be about two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the four positions. Any questions and maybe see in none of the motion. Uh emotion second. Thank you mister ubank's in discussion on the motion. I'll be rising. In favor say I all post no motion passes chairman moving on to item h item has a request from the state treasurer's office they're requesting a growth poor position to be utilized as an executive assistant to the treasure and provide administrative support to the treasure answer your management this will be a new classification as well as a new position they have requested a lot of maximum of seventy three thousand two hundred and sixty dollars for the position. Any discussion from the committee seeing them. They have a motion. Got motion second in discussion on favor say I both not motion passes. Ms chairman item I is an approval request this is from DHS to allow the agency to pay one hundred and fifty six employees who are currently at their grade maximum to exceed the maximum under code twenty one five two nine due to the elimination of their shift pay while on leave the committee approved the original version of this request for all agencies last month allowing an increase in salary for employees and lew of a differential without legislative approval these one hundred and fifty six employees cannot receive the increase because they are at the max yesterday to cost of the salary increases is about a hundred and forty three thousand dollars op has recommended the request to increases over the maximum and this is an approval item or requires approval. Any questions in the committee. See enon of a motion have a motion second i'm sorry miss yeah I just would like to i'd like to hear more about specifically what this what we're doing here what the proposal is take and DHS k again to take it yeah I can't take that one which may want to add more but basically what's happened. Is that there has been a policy in the past that allowed employees to receive their shift different when they were only and that's not really logical or not the way shipped your parcels for work it should be only when you work the hours that are eligible for ship so this is a large group of low level employees lower level employees who would have negative impact on their check if we didn't give them something so our solution. That to address the issue was to go on cost what would kind of make a you know the difference because we want these employees which are hard to attract right now lose any salary so we came up with a two percent. A recommendation just to increase our source to keep the related keep them hole as they are now. The. The. Senator hammer. Over here too far left which which positions are we talking about on this just kitchen speeder work are they in a particular division of dhs or the cross the board always they're both in d s and behavioral health is where these positions are located the majority for me more listed weather ten DDS director so standard hammer a large majority of these are at the human development centers erm nj's facilities okay and the turnover rate for them well you know it's not pretty it depends on the center but it can be up to a hundred percent. Okay and it were going to give them. Two percent we're going to give them a two percent increases out what this is about yes okay and and house airline with all the other state employees and i'm not being gradually folks because I am not think they probably need more than two percent but i'm just trying to think the being fair across the board with all the others. And km or directors to you so house at me and had it house at line enough with everybody else it may be didn't get anything at all okay the reason these people were we'll recommending this for these people as to keep them at that current salary where other employees in their grade levels didn't have any impact it off so we were just addressing these people said they wouldn't lose money. And we have jennifer are the people that were receiving shift and we you know not about other agencies what they could do but these this particular group that they are talking about here where those employees will go over so everybody else in that group was already in the two percent with these people that have sing maximum we're just trying to give them the same treatment right and this will open the door for them to get that then okay thank you they were sure. A more questions from the committee. Your information. No motion second and the second old favorite sar opposed. Motion passes. Mischairman were under item j this is a request from dhs to provide a geographic differential to are into the opinions in clark faultner bradley craig head in login counties at the state's human development centers the differentials are based on the difficulty the human development centers in these areas have been recruiting and retaining qualified nurses the hs estimates that the implementation of these differentials will affect about ninety seven current employees as well as forty five big positions that they plan to hire at some point as they can and they'll be trying to fill those in and would have an estimated cost of about seven hundred thousand dollars op must recommend the request a differential. Arizona twenty two. But managed to feel thank you mister sheren ladies and gentlemen here I have no problem with the recommendation my concern is. The lack of nursing across the state. How then did we decide that it was only in these counties that we needed to address this particular issue. Sandra chesterfield I made the request for their human development centers based on the amount of money i'm spending on at nursing contracts so we have forty five back in an orient and then the contracts cost me almost three times it's match so even though it is seven hundred thousand no increase deal insufficient yeah I don't think that that is that ignorant where apples to apples and spinning so much money on these contracts I would say I pick the areas because I asked for the hdcs up miss barney what is the turn of a read and state nursing across the state. It is running higher on lpn registered nurses hands have a pretty significant probably about twenty five thirty percent turnover the registered nurses have about seventeen percent out and I want I thought they'd how about the c and e's cna's their turn I can I had to look that one the thing is traveling is there were proposals brought in here that I put on deferred for months. That would allow us to hear more and more cna's trying and we can't seem to get any traction at a legislature so thank you so very much. The. Center hammer you recognize thank you i'm looking at the salary range is this going to bring it competitive or put us a little ahead of the private sector can just update me I think this will make us more competitive I don't think we're going to be ahead of anybody this particular point in time one of the point I wanted to make some geographic differentials already prove for like c n nice and nurses at the better house of this deal and asking for it to be a third apartment as well and in do we know for certainly that might doing this you're gonna be able to cut those traveling nursing is always talk about traveling nursing contract so right now i'm filling those forty five vacancies where the contracted nurses so if this will allow me to be more competitive and hiring full time employees I will be able to stop hitting this contract so hard and i'll see it decrease in spending that line item right so we'll get hopefully the awash money and yes sir okay thanks appreciate. Well. Mr later thanks you mister chairman i'm not part of the committee appreciate you recognize me could it also be true and I know this is true and crazy I don't know about the other counties but I talked to the europeans there and then rans at the human development center in I wouldn't say a lot but some of them leave because we have great demand for nurses at the two large hospitals and the automatical center even the clinics so it was that another consideration that you looked at the competition in certain areas. Yes are so as you know I have a really hard tom in jones brow and particular with nurses I would say more so than the other centers and it is due to the competition but i'm seeing not also in conway and because they also have hospitals but i'm also seeing it because they just go to do different types of work in all of our counties because of the pay so I am very hopeful that uhm we will be more competitive if this is approved so are we gonna be even competitive with the hospitals or are we there yet. I think it depends on the hospital alright thank you. I believe that's representative johnny down there yeah sure okay go ahead thank you mister chairman couple weeks ago representative jack and hour and a meeting in june squirrel for dhs and a lot of the folks that are supervisors i've not seen any kind of change at all maybe just a little bit a couple of years ago with the folk said they're actually. On top of the there are making very very close what's the supervisors aren't I just want to see it plans for trying to. Fix that add their human development centers in particular or just a dhs in general it is a dhs i'll speak towards the human development centers because that's my area and let me chairman on that others were all say at dhs and and many of you in this room have been here for several years and they have seen me come with proposals to to try to have kind of correct that latter so they I could promote people in that supervisory ladder and space the salaries out and make it worthwhile to become a supervisor but I will say that I think that something that we're looking at a cross the hs and with misbarn hell iron recommendations for how to to do that a little differently in the future place what are what we have found is like there's quite a few people that have better sugar that are making around thirty four thousand dollars a year and then you have folks that are working under them that they're training making around thirties early one thirty two so I hope you'll confix yes or in this metro so I do want to point out that we are working with opm and and secretary putting is working to look at that there's a problem we recognize both our supervisors getting paid more and also really just our gs fives in lower not making a very much money and so we're looking in an overall plan that we hope to bring to OPM and this body here in the next couple months that should address some of those issues or appreciate you and thank you mister chairman thank you in a location differentials not going to fix the nursing pay problem but that's left up for a another discussion so any more questions on. This item seeing none to have a motion have a motion second second home favor say I albos motion fastest thank you so much. Mr chairman we are now an item k this is a request from the military department to modify their certification differential criteria to include either police and firefighter classification listed on page one of that item based on additional certifications the employees in these classifications receive their eligible to receive additional differential payments as part of their salary opinions recommended the request of classifications that's on the listing and estimates the cost to be about two hundred thousand dollars for eighty three positions okay and I believe firm miss barrels at that's hundred percent read really funded is. The. Yes sir yes thank you. Any questions from the committee have a motion a second and a second on favour say I although motion passes. Misdetermine item l is a request for the military department to modify their own call differentials to add two security systems positions that monitor alarms and security systems for the weapons armories opm has recommended the requested additions and estimates the cost to be about thirteen thousand dollars. And leave miss ms kay that hundred percent betterly bound it also that correct thank you any questions on that item from the committee seeing none. The motion motion in second. Second all in favor say I although is no motion passes. This chairman item is another this is an approval item that will require approval by the committee this is a request from the arkansas PBS commission from july seventh to the office personal management to provide a merit increase for the director of architect pbs that exceeds the grade maximum for the director's seo too grade the director's current salary of one hundred and eighty thousand dollars yes to currently twenty three thousand dollars above the one hundred fifty seven thousand other max providing the requested five percent increase would increase the directors current salary about nine thousand dollars to a hundred eighty nine thousand and put the director at thirty two thousand dollars over the max this item does require approval center wallace. Oh you're a letter. Visit sixty nine now yeah okay senator sold and thank you mr chair this i'd like to move that we postpone this in the like everyone question is there a they said this is a merit increase is there a bruberic. That shows why the merit increase was awarded and do we have access to there. Yes so there there is a farms valuation system that this pledger has been evaluated and we have what standards and stuff that she was valuated can you provide those standards and the scores to justify the married increase to the chair I can provide the standards I think the scores are protected under for so we don't we can't see how we're going to award a merit increase without knowing what the merit was she had to be a far to be eligible for this increase I understand but in order to be a four five there had to be a rubric that said you met there for five and here's why I can provide you with the farm in the room it's just not the score I mean I think it will tell you why she was rated the way she was if you i'd like to see that if possible mr chair the this was heard in it at last week and they have several auto findings and they were holding over for next month and there is being referred to the prosecuting attorney I believe so i'd like to hold off on their until that was written hearings are concluded thank you that center selling and will come back to you for your motion i'll take a couple of questions and then we'll take your emotion representative. Thank you mister chairman could someone I have a question about this. This is a merit one time. Out of boy but it looks like it's gonna be a permanent race is that amazed perceiving that correctly reminder. That is correct increases as though i'll reads today or added to the employees based salary forever yes thank you. Center hammer thank you I notice that one of the justification says they miss pleasure received the highest rating do you know if any of the other employees received the highest rating there were. Ah you mean a pbs are just across the board so well among stick just a pps on this one the specific number for pds but there were fifteen hundred and forty six employees I think that scored fire during the left valuation and find that out the top of my head to go back and double could you find out if if any of the other employees related to pbs gutterating a far bernard and get break out for me please and you could if er is born to help you blind it to the staff to in what takes senator sullivan's motion to hold that in in a few minutes the share yes can ask one of the please i'd also like to know if any of them were originally rated. And then. They were lowered. No I if it in the initial assessment any of them may be received a five but before it was all certain done they were dropped to maybe a four I can't like to know that though the shake out on all the employees as far as where they're starting where they ended up. Mr chair I had another quality if you're not mine. Okay in a few provider information to the staff as well yes there I just want to explain that I might not be able to find how many evaluations were changed that's generally done at the agency before their emergency system I mean some I don't know if they wrote some higher drop that just get the final valuation as chair would with the chair considered directing who who is at that event which and this is from a law firm I know it is to use it that does evaluation for them this was the chairman of the commission that did the valuation this pledge i'm sorry the chairman who determined they have a eighty eight eighteen commissioner boy there's order commission for architect pbs in the chairman of that commission is the one that wrote the mischairman i'd like to ask if the chair would direct staff to ask them to provide information as to what their original rating system was and if it change any in the final outcome as well as finding out how all the other employees scored please absolutely we can do that they can assurance center so many yet another question is thank you also like you know they had quite a bit of turnover in several terminations and i'd like to look at the rating so that employees that were terminated and those it left please thank you that to the step yesterday thanks center and I believe representative bare with me this things like bringing up name so representative mckenzie. You reckon that damage chair in addition to senator hammer's request for information regarding the rubric of our rating systems I think it'd be important to note the number of four and fives that were assessed not only at atm but across agencies that we have access and that are the same grading or rating system so that's just additional request beyond that follow up. Thank you would it be possible so I know the chairman of atm wrote this recommendation letter who is for a director of agency like this who would be. The arbiter the person that's conducting the actual review process for the director of an agency yes it should be in this particular position chairman does and other agencies it's some of the department directors are done by the governments office and joining both cheap staff of the government okay alright thank you. Representative cabinet thank you mister chair my question is really going to be about she's currently twenty two thousand over the max we want to give it nine thousand merit rates of that puts a red thirty one thousand over the max so my question is for the co two positions how many in this date are over the max and how much over the max are they. I would have to put that information together if you work and if you could give it to the staff i'd appreciate that thank you thank you center chesterfield they get missed you chair miss barney all as you probably know. My concern is always been the rating system. How do we determine who was a four and he was a five. And you have told me in the past that you have. Some guidelines but that they are not unform across agencies in my understanding they're correctly yes each to parliament can choose the standards they want to value their employees again so if you're in dhs you can have the standards and you can choose standards one five and six if you're in the health department you may choose two seven and eight right and there is that is still my concern as we are looking at this issue is because if I move from one agency to another. Even though a foolish consistency may be the hard that man of little minds it would seem to me that it would be unform. Across those agencies and I think personnel maybe needs to look at why it is not because if i'm gonna use one two three and four in one agency all to use my two three and four because people do transfer across agencies and so as we're looking at this at the reading and I personally know have a problem with it because we're having difficulties timing and keep in good folks but we do need something in my view so that no matter which agency you go to you know that you will be rated the same using the same rubber. A cross divisions are no speak to their police senator test for where right now in the process of reviewing their valuation and hoping to make it a work better for government at this point it may be we may end up implementing a total new system based on some of the comments and and they will hurt from now I am from a points to be answered with the subway or it is certainly a research was underway right now so i'll take what I appreciate whether you use this one or another standardization. Of the roberts the rubber accept will count towards your your evaluate your married raise. In the room which they will count against your merry raise that they be uniform across eight agencies. Because you're having false to say what i'm gonna use this because this is the one I like and you often it is up working against the worker him herself so that's my concern thank you mister ****. Thank you sender represented richardson did you have a question. Okay are representative machines. Times chair just one more additional follow up and II know can I respect the year to do this I got very long today but it would be probably beneficial for this committee and all members to understand what commiterate payers and surrounding states are comparable states just so that we have a clear picture of the competitive nature of needing to recruit top talent for these types of rules yes sir and we are currently doing that as well because we're looking at establishing a new compensation system but to make us more in line with the light of market right now we're behind we're about 18-20 percent per so we're trying to address that with the with this new system or a building divide a follow up to glad you redo you have a timeline on that where is supposed to have a recommendation to the governor of our december okay are you tracking why we're working on I can tell you it's a big job without various positions we have thank you. And miss k is that december is that going to give you enough time to implement a make any modifications or to implement a new system by the the next devaluation period. We are certainly headed that way it may that one may not be started december we'll get we're going to actually have some people look at our system and see make some recommendations so but it it should be available for twenty fiscal year. Twenty four evaluation okay thank you any more questions on item. For me. In recognize centers or solomon can you state your motion again for the committee please. I make a motion that we hold this until the next meeting after audit finished as it's finalised to the on it of pbs that's probably motion in discussion on the motion seeing none all in favor i'll oppose. Seeing non motion passes. Mister chairman we are now on to item in item is a request is actually a report from open the details the number of positions have been vacated for two years or more as of june fifteenth of this year this is act seven ninety six of twenty twenty one generated architect code twenty one five to twenty six that requires this information to be provided to the legislature each year as well as during legislative sessions of the nine hundred ninety nine positions that are currently vacant and have been vacant for at least two years or more the executive branch is recommending that four hundred and fifty four of those positions be frozen and placed on hold for possible illumination during the next fiscal session the remaining five hundred and forty five have been requested to be retained in used by the agencies as needed the second page provides a summary of the number of positions at each standalone agency in each department the individual master data is mastered data is also provided to you on the remaining pages. The. In a believe that the information is available also online and this that's a different okay. So senator hammer thank you other than going to each individual agency how would we know the justification firm why they've. Are there are they actively trying to get him filled and they can't find anybody or the higher and freeze as affecting answer can you give a little insight yesterday we did got each individual department who provided us with something alert and they provided aspects and responses a lot of times it was due they were including for the position currently in them and they find these all some they were gonna implement it like there's some text auditors I think that have been signed at the same nose or something but the thing I hang on all the way through their so they are holding them for future implementation would would we know what how would we segregate others list which ones they are actively trying to find somebody for versus they're just dormant and sitting there is very weight separate out well that is what we did as the agency to do and that's where we came up with the four hundred and fifty four positions they will ruin to give up a lot to keep the other bar forty five we're going to continue to monitor this. As to look at the bankances and make sure that there's positions need to be maintained and will come back to you next time with a recommendation okay so the fourth the five forty five those are the ones that they really want to hang out to the other four four way and it wouldn't affect anything he got a price take associate with that as far as the benefits cause I know that was always one thing in the discussion is if we get rid of the compositions that caused actually shifts to the remaining employees when it comes to insurance and it might write on that or not yes there is on a budgeted position there's a sixty six hundred dollars charge you know for ebd um a lot of these positions to be honest with the were not budgeted I think the impact added some early flim there in number side need to go back and forth fair bomb now because there were a few changes was about two million dollars occasions how would we know how many of these positions are budgeted enough budgeted over that create a fourth column that would create fourth calm and quite frankly on my system we don't we don't administer the standards of this position substantial dfa with the office about. Okay and then you think maybe when we just kept as this report come and ever every time we meet or is it cortally your annual it's all the report is required annually after june fifteenth but it also comes to you every time we go into legislative session there's an update of this report and then alc at that time can take action as to whether not how many positions are going to eliminate at that time. Okay so next time the surface is could you have a dollar telephone attached to that please okay alright thank you. Thank you and see number senator gimmers at reference to this i've got to become right back to you it so see no for the questions will consider the report reviewed and center gill more with you must share and this is in reference to item j we heard already in and reviewed so i'm cargo so that but I would I did have a question and if we could get the hs back to the table i'd appreciate that absolutely dhs can you come back to the table of this please. If your state your name for the record and senator gilmore direct asked your question. Christie putnam secretary midrouse chief staff thank you for coming to the table I know again this is already been reviewed but I just was doing some some checking and I read the letter that you all submitted where you talk about the highest highest car still around twenty five thousand lowest costs is round so it's just looking that and II reached out of some folks in the region around bradley county just to check and and they came back with numbers now this is hospital numbers and I understand it may not be apples to apples and understand there may be some some or training some more qualifications and i'm not sure what those are so in fairness say all that as a bit of a disclaimer but the numbers they came back with it zero experience is sixteen dollars a little over sixteen dollars an hour and it thirty plus years experience is a little over twenty four thousand excuse me twenty four dollars an hour so significant back to the the cost of fifty one ninety in your letter that's a significant difference deal have any sort of reasoning for why that we're seeing that disparity. Sarah good morning are you tucking reference to the difference between hospital the apples to apples the RN and what what hospitals are paying versus what you guys are paying at and I think the difference that we reference that was the higher number was for contracted nurses so contract is the higher payment because there's a temporary staffing solution so they are paid at a high rate okay. Mitch did you get out I thought you're looking at you read to say something about no sir okay was confirming what secretary partner served which is let's that contracted rate is much higher than what we pay our employees so the hope is that by shifting off this where you're actually going to save money by not having to pay as much through that contract. Okay so what is so that's the high end you're saying the fifty one ninety is the high end. Yes sir for contracted nurses for for lpn's okay okay so then what is what is the average so excluding that what is the average for full time lpns and orients I do not know the exact number can we get that we can get send it through the committee please absolutely thank you thanks center gilmore and. Center chester bill you recognized thank you thank you secretary putting it for being here one of the things that we encountered during the pandemic. The. Was the fact that nurses found out how valuable they really are. And they were able to go across this country work for six months and make more money than they had made an entire your two years they did not have to come to work on a regular basis they got to make their own their own schedule. So are we steal as dependent upon them as we were doing the pandemic. And is this an effort then to mitigate that cost. That we saw go up so exponentially during that period. Yes thank you for the question we do still have a significant nursing shortage not just across arkansas across the country I have a daughter whose and are in and she could pretty much rate her own ticket anywhere she wanted to go that being said there is there is a great difference there a great range of payments that are made depending on what setting your working end so there are hospitals the clinics that there's a great range of that and there are also trade offs you know if you want to go work across the country for six months there are sacrifices that you make in that as well but we as an agency we are working to move our salary schedule for pins and rans to be more labor market competitive and also to look at other benefits that we could offer that are similar to some of the hospitals some some of what is being paid in the hospitals and other higher paying agencies and this will preclude us from having to be so dependent upon the traveling nurses this is a step in the right direction that is the intent yes I thank you thank you very much thank you thank you center chest bill. Uh mister chairman moving on to the reports there's no action required on these reports but to go through them really quickly item o is a report of actions taken busted agencies based on previously approved grids labor market rates differentials that kind of thing items p and q item p is the renewal of existing provisional positions across all all of the universities because this report is in itself as over two hundred pages long we printed a single copy and that's at the back desk if somebody wants to look at it we also have the report online if somebody wants to look at it online item q is the same as provisional position report but it's for new provisional positions at the institutions is there access by the institutions when they use grants and damage or other unanticipated funds mister chairman again there's no action required thank you more considered items op and q reviewed and. Is there any further business before the committee saying now then the committee is adjourned.