JBC-Personnel

Order thank you everyone for being here today this is that well intended meeting for personnel so we're excited and I'm gonna go ahead and turn it over to Tony Robinson to discuss item be on the agenda. Thank you madam chairman I to be is requesting the governor's office to create five new positions from the growth pool available to constitutional agencies they're requesting for new classifications are titles to go along with these five positions classifications are chief of staff and SCO for two deputy deputy chief of staff positions at GSO three or scheming SCO three a public affairs director at SCO three and a chief legal counsel at SCO three. Although it is not required the governor's office is also committed in the letter to eliminating five positions when possible as well OPM has recommended the requested titles in the positions and request the actions to be retroactively effective to January the eleventh twenty twenty three. All right we have any questions. And senator Hammer you are recognized thank you measure can your committee directives to Kayser okay janitor K. thank you the the five positions that are gonna be surrendered or those currently vacant or the are they occupied. And I'm sorry K. we go ahead and just introduce yourself for the record I'm K. barn hill director of the office of personnel management and Senator Hammer they have been vacated their vacant thank you at the moment okay the. The actual. Cost and it's going to be an increase to the budget and or is it operating within their appropriation levels that they have now this is just a. Basically a reshuffling of the deck there is no increase to the budget they're operating within their current appropriation and funds it's just a restructuring of the office okay but if they haven't currently okay thank you. M. representative Richmond you're recognized for a question Jean and Richmond C.. Thank you madam chair K. of. I understand what you were this gonna be a supplemental and we're and we're we're going to correct this. Right to two thousand twenty four appropriation get it back under the to the number that were it is now yes so this is basically a bandaid approach in the only way we had a doing this business at this point time we will have a a different governors appropriation act coming out that will eliminate those five positions keep us down to the sixty numbers currently authorized and and I've got a question on the hiring freeze and you may or may not be able to answer yes if if there is a is a hiring freeze throughout the state all the departments of a mainly concerned about the department of correction if they can find people that are willing to work there the and they have a shortage and also state police the public safety factors is that hiring freeze on those two entities also not serve those two departments were specifically exempted from the hiring for a pharma corrections and public safety we're also receiving Marie during request for other exemptions at this time that for from departments that have critical positions that have to be maintained okay where the process review and all those thank you ma'am thank you madam chair. Right are there any other questions. M.. Excuse me Sir representative you're recognized for a question representative Springer. Thank you madam chair good morning. So my question is these five new positions have you already identified the persons for these positions yes ma'am I believe that that impact to that name come up so so that so that we so that I want them to be sold office of governor chief of staff deputy of chief of staff public affairs director and chief counsel. I thank can you tell me what the either one of these persons of African American. I am not sure but I do not believe so. Thank you not know all. Thank you. All right thank you any other questions. Okay members see nine I need a motion that this item has been reviewed that a motion by Senator Hester at the second. The second and any discussion all those in favor indicate by saying aye. Has no right motion carries and we will move on to item C.. The man chairman items C. is a second request for the governor's office requires approval by the Joint Budget Committee they're requesting to utilize the provided language that allows the governor to pay department secretaries up to fifty percent over the maximum salary of the grade current maximum seller for each of the Department secretary since two hundred one thousand seven hundred dollars they're requesting to pay the secretary of DHS at two hundred twenty five thousand dollars secretary of education two hundred fifty thousand dollars secretary of commerce at two hundred twenty five thousand the Secretary of corrections at two hundred ten thousand opium is recommended the requested salaries and request the actions to be retroactively effective to January the eleventh. Right do we have any questions on this and representative gene you're recognized. Thank you madam chair okay all of. In you may or may not know this the The course this is a supplemental take take your the next six months only salary right yes do you know if the practice is going to be this time that any of the secretaries or any of the secretaries will be able to collect outside income from an independent source. Right now there is no ability of any of the secretaries to receive outside. So that's a no that's not okay I mean at the department of commerce the AD Singh director is eligible but Mr macdonell serving as the secretary of the secretary's not eligible for discipline okay thank you ma'am. At Senator Hammer you're recognized for a question thank you measure the salary increases or both the current ranges do you know what the regional salaries are for these positions and with the with the requested salary are we competitive with our region below at or above the. I think these are making us competitive with our region I don't have the specific dollars in front of me to just like we've been lower with most of these positions in our surrounding states. And people that were hired to go in these positions where they hired under the expectation of the current salary ranger the expectation of the requested salary range the people are hired knowing the current maximum which is two hundred one thousand seven hundred dollars but they were told or request would be made. Kate that will not guarantee there were not there there are no guarantees okay all right thank you. All right representative at TI Shepherd you are recognized for a question. The increase in salary is the result of well with the offset be because of the salaries that are being eliminated right the increase there's no again and the situation there no increases to any budgets appropriation of funds are using existing funds and so they all can be handled within the current appropriation acts for each department should like to the Secretary commerce's that they can't they cannot receive the additional dollars that were previously awarded to the Secretary. So this brings us back up to about that. Okay so the elimination of those positions will also set the salary increase in these positions yes yes ma'am they all have the ability to make this without any disturbance okay thank you. Representative wouldn't you're recognized for a question thank you committee chairman of Richmond hill yes following up on Senator Hammer questions. Is it the the the salary increases. Let's look here eleven percent the men have and then we'll numbers will more twenty four is are these. Competitive in the market place I mean are these adjustments gonna come one way or another. Well they have to be approved well that was what and what I'm asking the market situation they were confronting in order to have people that we need and put competent people this is then then these are within the range what you're seeing in the markets are buddies yes particularly with the skill sets required as you recall we were paying our previous secretary Human Services two hundred eighty seven thousand dollars this is actually a decrease from what with pre paid to that particular Sir secretary so all of these are competitive within the market. On one more one more question from a on the on the foundation money this being by yes that that is not going to be posted to secretary Donald but it will be paid to the Director of the economics all right that yes of the special language allows for the director of that Arkansas. Admission is just so happen to and Richard resident had both served as both roles but Eight okay yeah so thank you but is still exist the first one which still exist and I just checked with the Department I think they're planning on using it for the new ADC direct thank you thank you madam chair. Representative Springer you're recognized for a question. Thank you madam chair to follow up on senator Hammer and representative will answer questions the different amounts for these particular positions or their criteria of that were utilized in order to to make the calls the differences in the amounts since they're all secretaries what are the criteria that we use speech yes what earlier of representive Springer of the office of personnel management conducted a study of several positions in almost all state positions are running at least twenty percent behind the market underneath with the current market is for summer jobs and these jobs fall within that same category that were running low with this particular but they're off at the follow up. Yes you're recognized I understand that but they're different positions I mean it's so some of the well they're all secretaries basement and then different ones like the Human Services and the commerce service secretaries have the same set out salary however the department of education is higher than the the one of the ones solicitors so I'm just trying to determine how is it that they're different salaries in there the same type the same position of secretary I think that's decisions were made within the governor's office space I think it's been clear that the governors meet educational party and and this job is that's the amount that they requested to pay the second. Thank. Thank you at representative Cavenaugh you're recognized for. Thank you madam chair I just want to follow back up with representative Jane because I kind of got lost in that conversation so none of these positions I didn't quite understand so you said none of those will be getting money outside their salary as a secretary yes ma'am card but then you said something about the Secretary of commerce. Under the previous administration Mike Preston actually received a bonus of at almost fifty thousand sometimes over fifty dollars this section but the Secretary he'd receive that bonus because he served in a dual function as a ETC director and secretary of commerce Mr McDonnell will not be serving as ADC director in the special language is very specific to that one position of ADC director okay he will not be receiving okay thank you that's where I got confused okay thank you. Senator Hammer you're recognized for a question thank you for your. Could we get somebody from the governor's office that would answer questions that okay please to the table there's somebody here. I believe there is someone here from the governor's office. We'll let them decide he's taking. Thank you if you would please introduce yourself for the record. Thank you madam chair my name's they're black I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you venture more Mr black just a couple questions the the first order of business is coming in and asking for increased salaries above the roof above the range the individuals have been hired knowing that they're coming in at the current range with the expectation that we would be having this conversation this morning could you just maybe give a little bit of insight to the latitude you been given permission as to the the mindset of what the governor's right to do as far as asking for the increase in salaries and the justification for please. And. As as mentioned by miss barn hill. These positions are. Related to current issues that the governor is focusing on I can't speak to her mindset specifically but I think these individuals were in similar jobs with excellent backgrounds and and resumes and so to attract them the pursuit of additional revenue was an important part. And with the consolidation I know that there's expectation to give up five is it is that the intent to and I'm on I'm all state this way to do more with less as far as giving up the five positions means that kind of the the direction to your knowledge that you're able to speak of trying to go is to is to compensate with the expectations that will have savings later by not having as many people but expecting your people to do more is that is that the direction we're trying to go here. That is a very accurate description of the current restructure that the chief of staff in the governor's office is seeking to do could we expect that across the board with all the other agencies as well I know that during the process of of working with them as far Hill that's been a goal of mine to student visit with the Secretary about being innovative and utilizing talent to do more maybe with less individual specifically okay very good thank you for that explanation appreciated thank you measure. Okay and represented what you're recognized thank you. Mr black on the. I wanna be sure the Committee fully understands. The. Monetarily this is gonna be a war Winchell said none that the salary increases that are going to those secretaries and these new position you're adding when it's all done finished the new all of completed your reorganization there will not be an additional cost to the taxpayers of the state you're gonna be within your propraetor and within your budget isn't is that a correct assumption on our part in on your poor yes Sir that is a there will be no appropriation request that is correct we will stay within the existing appropriation approved by the legislature okay thank you thank you manager. All right say no more questions of a motion to approve item C. motion to have a second. Second and any discussion all those in favor please say aye opposed no motion carries all right thank you we will move on to item D.. Committee chairman and MD is also request the requires approval the Department Human Services requesting to pay to DHS deputy director positions above the current maximum of the grade positions are graded it at SCO three with a maximum salary of one hundred sixty seven thousand dollars the agency request United similar language from item C. which allows agencies to exceed the maximum salary by up to twenty five percent for up to ten percent of the agency's employees they're requesting to pay the two positions at one hundred and seventy two thousand dollars each which is three percent above the maximum opium is recommended the requested salaries request the actions to be retroactively effective January the eleventh. Are there any questions on item D.. Okay seeing no questions I have a motion for approval. Second. Thank you and any discussion on the motion all those in favor please say aye. Is no motion carries all right thank you members M. we are adjourned.