JBC-Personnel

In the morning we'll. Welcome to the Joint Budget personnel committee meeting this morning we're happy all of you here we'll try to run through our budget throughout our agenda pretty quickly and without any further ado alternate over to Tony Robinson. Thank you Mr chairman just a reminder committee that. these first few requests when we talk about what a maximums and not a maximum increases those are just the maximum salaries for the job it doesn't necessarily mean if the line item Max's increased that an employee will receive that same level of increase so as we go forward one item B. as a request from the treasure of State to amend their authorized positions within the appropriation section of the bill The Amendment ask use me includes the reclassification of a number of positions while creating three new classifications and eliminating three positions taking them from thirty five to thirty two positions and their increasing all but one of their Lana maximums the amendment also includes changes to the regular salaries matching and maintenance and operations line items within their appropriation and it reduces the total appropriated amount by eleven hundred dollars Mr channel take any questions. You for the report follow up to our last meeting any questions of the staff Mr Robertson. Do I have a motion. Anyone. Welcome motion second. Thank you thank you all in favor say aye. Those like ones thank you motion carries. Its chairman items C. is requesting the attorney general's office requesting includes a complete overhaul of their classification structure to fifteen titles and we will increase the total number of positions at the AG's office by ten and their regular salaries and match line items by about two point seven million however due to other cuts an appropriation line items the personal related appropriation sections will show a reduction of roughly one hundred twenty five thousand dollars. Any questions. Seeing no questions I have a motion to accept. The motion second. Welcome all in favor say aye. Lows like ones motion tours thank you Mr chairman item D. this is a letter an amendment from the auditors state request includes restructuring of their operations regular salary section three classifications and new line item maximums with no increase in positions the operations appropriation section is also increasing the regular salaries matching and maintenance and operations what items for excuse me for an overall increase of four hundred twenty five thousand dollars the unclaimed property salary sections will also see reclassification of title change however there are no request for line at a maximum or appropriation increases for this program for positions thank you Mr Robinson with that being said I recognize co chair senator Davis for Amendment. Senator Davis. Sorry and thank you Mr chair I met this last time I and like to make a motion to suspend the rules for the purpose of taking at an alternative amendment and that I have for and the auditor State's office we're gonna. Thank you. Second a motion to suspend the rules. All in favor say aye. Lows like was we will pass out the amendment at this time thank you. Senator Davis you're recognized to. Presenter amendment thank you Mr chair and. This amendment essentially grants everything that the auditor State's office requested in terms of and changing salaries and and some changes at or you know being able to buy the machinery for operating expenses but it keeps their and line item it keeps their total appropriation rather at two million seven hundred and thirty five thousand and one calendar so it keeps it the exact same and. So that they can find they can have the ability to do what they need but it within their current budget. You heard the recommendation on the amendment any questions of Senator Davis for the staff. Per person Payton you're recognized. Thank you Mr I. I'm I just don't. No if you're rolling so fast you that don't have a chance to absorb this amendment or not but. I thought she said Senator Davis said that the. Appropriation would not be increasing but on the first thing I'm seeing is a twenty five million dollar line going up to twenty nine million dollar line so if we can have a few minutes maybe to. Absorb this chair. Thank. Senator. But that's a or a let alone relate generate their own income. But will will pause for a few moments and give you an opportunity to look at it will move on and the gender so that we won't waste time the bustle You're recognized thank you what do we have anybody from the auditor's office here are they aware of this change. There. Image with the co chair senator You may just a moment. We have so lawfully alters office you come forward please thank you. Jason Jason Brady deputy auditor. Okay I guess my question would be are you aware of this proposal and have you had a chance to look at it I understand what it does I was not aware of it but I just from what I'm hearing I do understand basically we're not gonna get the funding for the added does cyber security that we requested if I understand the amendment rights. From what I'm hearing I haven't seen. Okay good we are providing a copy of the amendment. Okay I see some head non do you care to comment on whether or not that'll work. We'll we'll make it work out we have to make it work Sir again of we do appreciate the funding for the printer we we appreciate the increase for the salaries of we appreciate the raising the limit on foreign claim property from twenty five to twenty nine million again our projections show us at the end of this year will be here tomorrow for another committee meeting raising that limit we've got a lot of claims coming in and of we'll we'll do we have to do on cybersecurity parser okay thank you thank you Mr thank you senator further discussion and you have further questions of the. Co chair or the staff. Okay do I have a motion to accept the orders recommendation is amended. Okay so okay Senator does the amendment yes and this is not okay do I have a right motion to accept the amendment. Second. Second all in favor say aye opposed like why we've adopted the amendment under when it. Senate okay that's it thank you. Nextone. Okay Mister chairman we're moving on to item E. this is a letter an amendment to the Arkansas game and fish commission request their request has been revised by the agency from what was presented to the committee on March fifteenth The New request includes re classifications to new titles as well as the implementation of a pool structure for their positions however the requested Lana Max increase for the director has been eliminated in many of the other previous line at a maximum increases have been reduced outside of their enforcement titles in a licensing specialist no other classifications are receiving a line at a Max increase of over ten percent they're not requesting any change to the total number of positions nor they requesting any of increasing appropriation. The bows there in. Chairman Martin. So would come forward please. Would identify yourself we're pleased you're here this morning yes Sir good morning Austin this on the Director of the Arkansas game and fish commission. I'm Jan highland chief of human resources. Good morning of Bobby Martin chairman of the Arkansas game and fish commission thank you will. What we just thank is a brief explanation of the changes in what what you have done and and I think of Mister Robinson touched on it but we like to pour the agencies respond sure yes Sir of so like we said last of last week so we undertook roughly a nine month to year to year long study to compare or where the agency's compensation as to the market and the main objective in doing that study was to make the agency competitive this was this is primary this is primarily motivated by the difficulty that we have in recruiting some of our boots on the ground professionals and like I said two weeks ago we took a really big by out of that in the fiscal session when we increased our enforcement compensation fifteen percent across the board and we increase their maximums in the original appropriations bill by twenty percent this is kind of the other side of that coin where we where we can bring along the other bits on the ground professionals we we can increase their caps so we can be more flexible of and that's what you have before you today. Thank you. German mark do you have anything that. No Sir again we appreciate the time coming back again and feel like this would be a good position for us to build from and would appreciate consideration thank you we appreciate your willingness to go back and evaluate it come back with this recommendation any committee discussion. Senator Hester. Thank you thank you so much for for for working on this from what was less than what is the most difficult position for you to hire right now. Mostly our biologist positions and then so some of the of the support positions in fiscal and accounting and and you guys and you study this like you said for nine months or so you feel like this if even after the amendments that we're kind of maybe four star here whatever like you feel like you're able to overcome you know maybe hire some of those positions with you with this amendment for this change yes Sir this is a more more more calculated incremental approach and we appreciate the willingness from the Committee to had to have his back the sworn in and to hear the revised letter and if we don't have the success that we hope will have with these more incremental adjustments and we'll be back. Thank you. Thank you senator any other questions. I have a motion motion drive second. Second all in favor say aye. Luck was thank you all thank you very much. Mr chairman we're moving on now to item F. I'm F. as a member amendment by Senator Hester this will reclassify number of deputy prosecutor positions at the auditor's office in at fifteen additional prosecutor positions as well amendment will also increase regular salaries to match by about one point two million. Senator you're recognized. All members of thank you this is a kind of like in the same vein as what we just have we we had we had a big ask a week or two ago now we're we're back to something that we feel like is much more a manageable and reasonable even though of the last request was what was needed Bob I'll ask you to explain where we're at right of armed men prosecutor coordinator with with this request does or the second amendment does is it takes out a one point three five million in the original request that would have dealt with raises for the upgrades that we have included so basically that the upgrades are still in there there's no money attached to that so the upgrades are in there the actual increases Senator Hester said would be fifteen deputy prosecuting attorneys and that they're spread out as I testified you two weeks ago throughout the whole state they affect multiple judicial districts and we went through the normal process to to come to that conclusion to what to ask the legislature for so it's fifteen new positions I believe to those or a part time guy GSO nines and in the rest of full time is between a GS eleven and GS twelve and I'll be happy to answer thank you. The questions from the committee. Any questions I have one what do you know do you have a total number of the backlog in the courts right now in the lotus prosecuting attorneys occur and statewide or represent I do not I know I know there is there is still a backlog I know that the additional you know COVID deputies that you all given us awhile back or helping with that backlog but there was a backlog prior to code anyway but I know we are working through that and and that's one of the primary reasons for the increase is is to still deal with that backlog but but there is still back up but I know we are we are working through that but I don't have an exact number of servicemen thank you. Any further questions okay we'll have a recommendation motion motion second second all in favor say aye. Pose like ones thank you senator thank you Sir. I Mister chairman next item is item G. this is also a member amendment by Senator Tucker it will upgrade a number of the existing classifications and reclassify other a new class other positions to new classifications with increased grades at the public defender's office the Amendment does not include any additional positions and will increase regular salaries to match about one point two million as well. Thank you Tony Senator you're recognized welcome. Thank you Mr chair I'm I'll be very brief and turned over to Mr perish obviously this is a separate request from prosecutors but it's really in parallel to that request so with that I'll turn over Mr. Thank you senator Greg parish Arkansas public defender commission of the announcmenet on this like walls like Mr McMahon said we have mirrored initially there Amendment we have reduced like for us to mirror the same amount with this amendment well we do need positions it's more important that I be able to keep the people that I have from the defense side it's a little bit different meaning. With your complicated felonies those or your your violent crime sure why felonies during collated fences right felonies and B. felonies. You cannot just walk out of law school start handling those cases by our standards you have to acclimate to that degree of ability and that takes years to get for murder cases aggravated robberies and I cannot continue losing the people that I have that are able to do this type of these type of cases for a statewide so that's the reason for the request. Thank you any questions. Senator Hester. You know just through the through the grapevine that you're in such as a difficult position that you're in prosecuting a case or some cases that is that accurate up of defending dissent. I will not take offense to that because it used to be of. But that that is in fact thank you by taking only capital case of death from the case myself from going to drug case in another part and Another violent crime cases in another part of state secretary. Thank you. Thank you for that Senator Hester needs this is a critical need for the state as Mr Perry said and we we've got to keep the people that we have in order for their constitutional rights to be advocated for so I think this is a very necessary import requests. Thank you Senator Hester any other questions. Any other questions you have a motion to adopt a motion second. Second all in favor say aye. Opposed Like wines. Your motion Kerr thank you ma'am thank you thank you Mr Burr's thank you senator. Mr chairman moving on to item H. this is an infrastructure investment jobs act a request for one position at the department public safety is state police other request this request is akin to Muslims federal grant request and peer review any appropriation and actually adopt the position itself was looking at the at the classification which is a law enforcement liaison officer grade yes oh eight OPM has recommended the requested classification in great. Thank you. You're recognized in the comment. No Sir we support new title the Department quest. Any questions from the committee along is pretty self explanatory at this point classification. Senator Biden. Thank you Mr. so this is a position or job description that hadn't existed before before correct yes what exactly are they gonna be doing this position I believe will be providing services to law enforcement officers that was part of a in the department's here but it was part of a task force findings that was conducted a couple years ago that there need to be some are unemployed to provide support to law enforcement officer with the terms of their thank you. Do you self in the. Posi. Hi I'm Bridgette wide on the administrator of the highway safety office which is part of the state police and the department of public safety. Can your I'll go ahead Sir. Warner head of human resources. Can one of you all explain what this new job description is in. This is a law enforcement liaison officer position that was requested by the national highway traffic safety administration to be part of the highway safety program to recruit and train law enforcement officers to participate in our how we safety programs. Okay a recruit and train so as like a. A piece of human resource officer what. What are they actually go out into the field and meet with law enforcement officers around the state different she sent sheriffs and I discuss our programs explain our programs are mobilizations are different campaigns and recruit those agencies to participate in our mobilization. Each state in the nation have a lot of at least one law enforcement liaison in their state so as a bridge between the state police and the local police yes okay thank you thank you Mr thank you so let me let me be sure I understand they're they're going out and trying in which to use our departments of local police departments and sheriff's offices relative to what public service announcements you're program your plan your route reaches that what this was about all of that okay so in other words were you said a safety officers in each district the he will be doing some of that where they used to go do you still have loans in the Department. Sure photo no Sir not within the PS or state police with this this position basically kind of works with each one of those local jurisdictions to. Through that process. So though bring up all of the campaigns that we've got going they'll explain what we're trying to do they'll also help with compliance gathering statistical information to then report back to NHTSA okay so yes but it's all federal funded yes Sir yes all federal funding or thank you any other questions. Senator Hammer. Thank you just educate muses is there in federal funding that goes with this you said it was you mentioned some about the fed's very federal funding or is this all going to be general revenues this all a hundred percent federally it is a hundred percent federal fund okay thank you. Any other questions thank you senator any other questions Senator played near recognized. Thank you Mr. So you said something about this person as far report back to NHTSA. National highway traffic safety is that what that is yes national highway traffic safety administration this person would actually report back to our office and we provide that information to the national highway traffic safety administration so that's basically my question I mean federally funded they're paying the payroll is this person working for us are working for feds this person is working for our office our office is federally funded my position is federally funded all of that my status federally funded we report to the national highway traffic safety. Well as a state employee would report to. The governor I would assume yes we do that we report to the governor the governor appoints governors highway safety representative which is colonel my case and we prepare and a highway safety plan which is part of our federal requirements for a grant that we received from the federal government. Thank you thank you Mr thank you senator paid and any other questions. I have a motion. Well second. Thank you second all in favor say aye. All opposed Like wounds motion carries thank you thank you all. Mr chairman next item on the agenda is item I the miscellaneous federal grant requests from the Department correction division of community correction the requested includes one classification of idiocy treatment coordinator at a GS of seven for the agency's medication assisted treatment program opium is recommended the requested classification. Miss World Health the comments. Yes Sir this is an existing title the department corrections already has this is just adding one more treat treatment coordinator to work with the opioid. No new position is just reclassification. This is an additional position but it's an existing title Cozart. Any other questions from committee member. I have a motion. Per second. Hello there is a. Close like close motion carries. Your term which chairman Adam J. this is also miscellaneous federal grant requests from DHS aging adult behavior health services for for positions with the listing because the cations is because cations will be utilized within the money follows the person program at DHS opium is recommended the requested classifications. Comments okay thank you any discussion or any questions of opium or DHS. I have a motion. All in favor of I have a second. All in favor say aye. Bos look what is thank you. Mr chairman the last item on the agenda this is item KA this is a request the Department education that includes requests for four new classifications five growth pole positions and five swap will positions for us so it's a total of ten new positions after surrendering twenty positions have been vacant for two years or longer opium expects the cost of these positions to be roughly one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars for the remainder of this fiscal year OPM has recommended the requested classifications and all ten of the new positions. I looked for now the the we're still seeing the effects of our our efforts on the position over two years old is still out there and they're still working and then I appreciate to the farmers occasion. effort on this of I'm not too sure with you that the first year this will cost a hundred twenty five thousand. And then the the next fiscal year the cost one point two million and that includes a matching of thirty five percent of those positions so do you have any questions on this Barnhill or. The Department. You haven't saying under I have a motion to accept. Motion second. All in favor say aye. Pose look was thank you thank you Mr our next meeting is tomorrow afternoon House. Our next meeting. Okay. We'll meet again tomorrow afternoon after adjournment. With that thank you for being here.