ALC-Personnel

So this meeting is called order of the A co chair is not here for any remarks he might have. And. So I want to recognize Tony and we can take up by Adam B. thank you Mr chairman I didn't B. as a request from north Arkansas college. To provide a greater than two percent color for all classified non classified faculty employees the institutional be providing a two and a half percent increase to the employees in two different installments they will receive the first one point five percent in July of this year in or Steve a second installment of one percent in January of twenty twenty to twenty twenty three. The total cost of the Colo will be about a hundred seventy three thousand dollars hi read recommends the Coleman. Okay is your questions from the committee. C. none. A motion the second to approve. I have a motion and a second any discussion those in favor say aye opposed no motion carried. Mr chairman items C. is request from Ozark college to provide a greater than two percent color for all classified non classified that the employees as well one review the institution will be providing a three percent increase in employees the total cost of the call will be about a hundred twenty eight thousand dollars higher ed recommends the Kollam. Any questions from committee. The motion to approve and second all in favor say aye. Oh no motion carried. Mr chairman item D. is a request from the department of commerce big department division for one growth pole position to be created as a database specialist agreed I. T. oh eight position will be responsible for maintaining database systems identifying data processing needs and examining requirements for application systems the estimated cost of the position will be about ninety four thousand dollars and will increase the number of positions within the division by one opium is recommended the requested position. any questions from the committee. Say none has a motion and a second. Motion the second all in favor say aye opposed no motion carried. Mr chairman items he is requesting the Arkansas department of parks heritage and tourism their shared services division the request for a new growth pole position with a new classification as well of Chief communicate chief of communications upgrade GS twelve the duties are currently being handled by an incumbent it admin services manager classification and gray GS ten based on the needs of the agency the duties of the job and the incumbent skill set agencies requesting the new position or promote the incumbent into the new position opium states the cost of the promotion and to the new Perm position will be estimated about nine thousand dollars the new position will increase the number authorized positions within the division by one opium is recommended the request a position in the new classifications while. Questions from the committee. Motion second to approve. Those in favor say aye. PostsNo motion carried. Mr chairman if is a request from the public defender commission for two new growth pole positions with two new classifications they're requesting a management associate integrate As You no one any chief capital investigator and agree GS ten the management social work to develop and implement procedures meant to expedite the disposition cases assist with requests from the governor's office and the legislature legislatures was monitored monitoring cases the chief investigator position would be responsible for a case load of death penalty cases investigations as well supervising and training new investigators the estimated cost of the two positions is two hundred thousand dollars and will increase the authorized total positions at the agency by two OPM's recommended the new positions and the new classifications questions from the committee. Sanitizer motion a second to approve. All in favor say aye. Oceano motion carried. Mr chairman Ivan G. is requesting the crime victims reparations ward at the department of public safety agencies requesting one new growth pole position as a CV RB senior investigator agreed yes of seven the position will be downgraded to just investigator in order to hire someone and give them a career incentive to be promoted to the senior investigator position at a later time intestate cost of the position will be fifty one thousand dollars and will increase the number of authorized positions at the agency by one opium is recommended the requested position. Questions from the committee number eighty six. US senator Hammer you're recognized. Thank you Mr to the agency come to the table or can K. answer the question one. Do you know what okay do you know what the current backlog is of the cases. The department will need to answer that one sure no Sir I do not I'm speaking. Yes Sir I do not department will have to answer the backlog that we have someone agents here. Okay. Please identify yourself in an X. and sitting answer senator Hammer question I am Tony that's what crime victims reparations for. And I'm here and that on behalf of my administration that peer. Okay you're recognized answers questions. Over here too far. Good afternoon can you tell us what your current case log is our backlog as far as investigations that would necessitate this position yes currently I do sexual assault cases and I have about twelve hundred cases backlog. Typically we have about. Three hundred but in the past couple of years with several things that can. That was unforeseen we are now back logged we went from nine staff employees to five. We're going from the attorney general's office to department of public safety and convict inside I think they are currently working out of. July's cases up from twenty twenty one. Follow up this year yes Sir when did you go from nine to five. Employees we went. Two five When the transfer over one of twenty nineteen. Okay when the information was affected was that one was I'm sorry when the transformation was yes Sir okay and up to that time we run into backlog at that time we were not. We're really staffed and we maintain our ninety day turnaround. And right now what your turn around time based on your case load number of investing we are running about a year behind yes. That's what I thought thank you thank you for the request. Other questions. All represent Cavenaugh if you're recognized thank you Mr chairman here to your right up when you were talking about me in your backlog so during the transformation process why did they take away your your employees you workers well they didn't taken away people found other jobs during a transition to came with us and then after that time. Two of them apply for other positions and that the sessions weren't field. So you actually have openings that you cannot fail is is that what you're saying is that why you're law employees is because. You can't fill the positions. For Philip. If you will identify yourself Johnson this CFO department public safety. I'm sorry okay sorry I have to put a face With transformation we absorb we their employees came into the business very ninety nine thirteen that's where there are appropriation act is. That's the part of the public safety all of our other divisions kept their same business area the positions then go away but I tried to budget one. In for FY twenty three. In the annual process and the transfer language is going away so I can't move it from where it's budgeted to the new business or so I mean that's why I'm asking for a little. Okay I guess my question is they didn't have a backlog until transformation correct now we're three transformation. There twelve hundred backlog because they don't have enough employees to be able to process so why did we lose these employees during the transformation. To the left nearly immediately after we got them moved over. We didn't think at the time that we would need to refill them we thought we could. Then COVID happen we were working remote we weren't able to have the meeting so we weren't processing is fast and we just it's just ongoing. So you've never fill those two positions so they're down two positions is that what they're now. And we can't feel closer you've not tried to throw it in the correct business area so I can't much I can't Fund feel the on board the crown vics on until I get it approval of mobile to get a gospel I can't move them that between the servers and you're only asking for one here that's not addressing the issue that we're speaking about here so having how can you not address that I can ask for those to move in the biennium with that one will help us get caught up right okay if we've got a twelve hundred backlogged in cases and that's a year backlog. Where we ask on the rape kit backlog that's a crime what questions okay. Okay that's part of us I can't answer but either somebody you're like any of right. I'm going to want that question answered. The chairman of that yes ma'am but from speaking from somebody a year backlog on a sexual assault case is not acceptable I mean this is a dramatic of the incidents happened. To a man or a woman. And having to wait just a year for it to be investigated and gone that's not going to be acceptable so we need to correct that issue that's why we had the same issue with the right kids And we we wrote the legislation that had to be done I mean if we have to write legislation we can't but we shouldn't have to it should be something you can do internally to get the employees. Weather we've had covid or whatever what we're we're at the point now where people can work and we need to get these positions build and this backlog any civil way if I can get the position this one. This will help us with that if we need another an additional I'll come back and ask okay thank you. John is a long time to get there but I think you finally got the answer you're not going. The it seems like this committee would be interested in that and getting that back low increase in if it takes more people to do it then that's what we're going to other questions from committee. I don't I don't see any lights on or anything of so with that the thank you all for coming. Down here and I hope we got it by the question answered and I'll call for a motion they out to prove most is second to approve any discussion those in favor say aye. Posebno motion carried thank you. Mr chairman I did H. is a request from the Department of Parks heritage tourism for one position from the opium swap pool the agency request a surrender three positions in return for one new position classification at a museum and heritage museum services director and agree GS thirteen the positional serve as the lead historian curator for all don zines the estimated cost of the position will be about eighty three thousand dollars it will decrease the authorized hold positions at the agency by two because the of the positions what opium is recommended the swap of the positions and the creation of the new classification. The questions from the committee. A friend. Thank you Mr my question is do we have someone to fill this position is someone getting a promotion or is this a position that we're actually going to have to hire for. I'll have to let the Department answer I thought they were gonna advertise this position and look for new hire but there they should be here. It. He. sauce. Yes ma'am please identify yourself okay red lights on thank you I'm Leslie that's going to for legislative affairs with parks heritage and tourism. Hi I'm David Biggs HR director with parks heritage tourism. When you bought it again there you go I'm Jimmy Bryant director the Division of Arkansas heritage. All right to represent Canada off. I just someone we're going to hire or we got we already have someone doing the position we're just giving them a promotion this is someone that we're going to have to hire okay. And why are we feel we need this new position exactly this section will give us a US government level of expertise that we currently do not have this position will be over all the curators of all museums I will be able to offer us governing consultation and direction in regard to of course collections requiring collections also exhibit development. Exhibit presentations. The personal also have historical articles scholarly articles that focus on the topics. That are permitted resilience. Follow up Mr yes ma'am how is that being done currently how are those duties The and handled at this time currently we don't have the the a scholarship that I mention the but we also of course we do have curators at each museum but this will give us an enhanced level of the curatorial experience the expertise that we do not have it'll be enhanced of version of what we currently have we currently I think do a very good job of these areas but this will take us into a a more scholarly direction. Okay thank you. Okay is this gonna be a position you're going to advertise for yes Sir this surcharge this state or tass this this will be a search we'll have to find someone who has a focus in Arkansas history and someone who's the most of their scholarly work in Arkansas history is well versed in museum activity in Arkansas history okay thank you. Any other questions. Your motion to approve. Motions I will prove the favor say aye opposed no motion carried. Chairman item I guess your question partner public safety's crime lab Division your question to surrender one forensic scientists coordinator agreed yes so nine four forensic administrator at GS eleven to the opium swap will incumbent in the position to be surrendered has been functioning as the technical leader of the section in the agency wishes to promote him into the new classification to align him with other section leaders within the agency the estimated cost of the swap is based on the income it's promotion which will be about six thousand dollars because it is a one for one swap there will be no increase or decrease of positions OPM is recommended the requested positions. Questions from the committee. Yes ma'am I'd like to ask the crime lab a question please. Thank you Mr. Current channel director state crime lab thank you my question going to be about the right kids do you know what the backlog is on the right get your backlog is about the four hundred seventy three that's for DNA and then we've got about eighty two and physical evidence which is where the screen for biological fluids. And how long is it gonna take to process those. If every case is going to be a little bit different but what we are doing is you guys have approved me to hire five additional DNA analyst and we're in the process we've been in the process of advertisement advertise we're going to the applications were interviewing we've interviewed last week were interviewing this week and what the plan is is to to get those individuals and the training peer it's about a year and then that's when we can make us some drastic improvements in the turn around time the sexual assault kits and. How well how far back up when I mean by the how old are they. How old they are I think they're about now about six to seven months old and that's from a submission date into the laboratory to full announces out the door and of the four hundred seventy three dollars when you got about seven months old is that correct. That's that's correct okay thank you thank you ma'am of the representative berry. Thank you Mr chairman and the director general thank you for your service to the Arkansas and everything that you're doing to help solve a lot of the crime issues we have an my concern is I know we were adding positions and you are doing a tremendous job about bringing on for Attala just in there examiners in the in the crime lab but your facility over there is in bad need of modernization and do you think that by and if we as a legislative body look at the the crime lab in being able to improve better for provide you with a new crime lab will help you in curtailing some of the R. or being able to hold criminals accountable for their actions just by have been able to have a good quality facility being able to prop this process evidence better to crime lab. Yeah I mean absolutely you know I think our infrastructure as a testify before is it's outdated we're doing the best we can with what we have in the state and the state's been good to us with respect to that but we are at the time where were a maximum capacity in with forensic science obviously it's it's very expensive instrumentation costs a lot of money and it also requires the appropriate infrastructure HVAC in those things because most of the work we do instrumentation is temperature sensitive so we have all those requirements so fiscal space room to grow which is extremely important for the state and one of director how long have you been in that facility how many years we've been in the facility about some forty years now okay crime keeps going up but your facilities not grown is that correct and gets keeps becoming more archaic it is we we have the utility building we've we've outgrown it to this point we do everything we can to stand it of course as long as we can do we can but I think we're at that tipping point where we really have to look at those critical condition infrastructures that we need for the state to do our job great thank you the director thank you Mr chairman yes Sir. Any other questions. Your motion and second to prove. See a motion and second any discussion. All in favor of the motion so that. PostsNo motion carried. Thank you Mr chairman. Mister chairman I have J.. Request from the public service commission to surrender three positions in return for two new positions the opium swappable the ex is requesting an information systems coordinator and I. T. O. seven in a PSC senior rate case analyst in a GS eleven nineteen position will be used as a dedicated resource the eight for the agency's proprietary computer systems and the rate case analyst will assist with the agencies increased workload by violating filings in testifying before the commission the estimated cost of these two positions the hundred and sixty thousand will create a net decrease of one position at the agency based on the three for to swap opium is recommended the request okay I've got a question for K. if you don't mind of on the the first the land there the salary range is sixty four four forty five to sixty two five thirty one is that a misprint. Okay Adam J. passcode the old three oh six no it sixty four for free for forty five to ninety three okay that for that one and then the one underneath starts at sixty two thirty one and goes up to nine thousand okay great all right thank you any any other questions on this. If not the I have a motion the second to approve. The motion second all those in favor say aye. Posebno motion carried. Mr chairman item Katie is request from DFA Revenue Division to provide an increased entry rate for an applicant they deems that sexually well qualified candidate for a DFA revenue assistant commissioner the agency's requesting to pay a hundred twenty thousand dollars to the applicant based on her fourteen years of service and education currently the agency has eleven other employees in this classification with an average of twenty four point nine years of service an average salary of a hundred three thousand dollars the applicant previously left state service in December of twenty twenty one making a hundred eleven thousand and is currently making one hundred thirty thousand in private industry according to the agency this one should be taking about a ten thousand dollar pay cut come back to state service opium is recommended the requested rate. Okay questions from the committee. All right Dave there are no questions a motion and second to approve. I have a motion and a second. Any discussion those in favor say aye opposed no motion carried. Mr chairman of the bill is a request from northwest technical institute to provide an increased interest rate for an applicant dating is exceptionally well qualified candidates for their ammonia refrigeration technical specialist in training manager to do its job experience and education the institution is requesting to pay a hundred and ten thousand to the applicant who currently works for Tyson foods OPM has recommended the requested salary. Any questions from the committee. If not motion the second to approve most a second any discussion those in favor say aye opposed no motion carried. Sherman I am is an A. R. P. requests for the Arkansas school for the deaf for certified masters teacher position to help address learning lost like miscellaneous federal grants personal committee is tasked with reviewing the classifications for these positions well peer reviews the appropriation amounts in the number of positions OPM has recommended the requested classification. Questions from the committee. Seeing none. So most of the second I have a motion and a second those in favor say aye opposed no motion carried. Mr chairman items in is also an A. R. P. request National Park college for five positions with the classifications listed for the institutions projects and programs related to covert response he's classifications include to project program managers registered nurse academic adviser in a project program specialist opium is recommended requested classifications. To questions from the committee on this. Senator motion second to approve. I have a motion a couple of glasses then and a second. Any discussion those of favour say aye opposed no motion carried. I don't is a request for a continuation of an approved salary grid used to recruit and retain employees at DHS's youth challenge program they're also requesting adjustment to the grid that would eliminate one of the original classifications that received the great rates and then established an increased entry rate with a bump at six months and then another bomb at one year opium is recommended the adjustments and the continuation of the grid into FY twenty three. Questions about this from the Committee. C. none motion second to approve. All in favor say aye opposed no motion carried. I don't P. is a new salary administration created for the public service commission for the classifications listed in grades GS oh eight the GS fourteen you agencies requesting agreed that will allow them to hire into these positions at the mid point of the grade and then provide a five percent increase each fiscal year not to exceed the maximum salary of the positions in order to receive the requested increases the employees will need to meet the criteria set forth on the third page of the request the anticipated initial costs of this grade would be about a hundred two thousand dollars opium is recommended the requested great. Two questions from committee. Yes Sir represent love you're recognized. Thank you Mr this is Tony man is is guaranteeing our percent increase each year. It would allow them to give a five percent increase they have to meet the criteria if you flip to the third page of this request they've set the criteria out in there in the request which includes having to meet certain performance standards certain education certain certifications and the like so they have to meet those and if they meet those criteria then yes the agency can't provide them five percent each year up to the maximum salary according to this request okay K. you want to add something. No I was just gonna point I guess yes representive love this is very similar to the bridge we recently enacted for DFA tax auditors all those particular classifications are losing some employees with expertise that they need and so this is what PSE came for because I think they battle sometimes for the same date okay all right thank you. Thanks. Any other questions. Seeing none is a motion and second to approve. I have a motion and a second. All of the favor say aye opposed no motion carried. Mr chairman I don't Q. is request for the continuation of the previously reviewed hazardous duty differential plan for the department of corrections division of community corrections but also includes the addition of six parole probation in an internal affairs classifications on the first page this has to differences will provide up to ten percent on top of the employees base salary the estimated cost of the continuation of this plan and the additional classifications is roughly seventy two thousand dollars opium is recommended the continuation and requested classifications to be at. Okay questions from the committee. Senator motion second approved. Motion second those in favor say aye. Does the virus that. Those opposed no. Motion carried by two. Mr chairman item or is requesting the department of correction for hazardous duty pay request They are requesting a differential of up to six percent for the three classifications listed at internal affairs of the department the estimated cost of these of these differences would be about thirty thousand dollars a year opium is recommended to request a different. Any questions from the committee. Seeing none of your motion second to approve. Most second those of favour say aye. Oh no motion carried. Mr chairman I don't S. is in the is a request to the Department of Human Services division of aging adult and behavioral health services to create a new geographic differential led to ten percent on top of the base salaries for nursing positions listed in our quest insulin and Pulaski counties the hope is that the requested help alleviate turnover and help the agency recruit and retain employees the estimated annual cost of the differential is five hundred twenty seven thousand dollars opium is recommended to request a different. Our questions from the committee. Sam Nunn is a motion and second to approve. Motion second all in favor say aye. PostsNo motion carried. I don T. is request Military Department to add two new electronic security systems classifications to their current on call differential plan there only two incumbents in this classification the estimated cost to add these positions is One of lost it. An let's see okay recommended apologists of loss place and direct the right stuff in Thank you. Mr chairman I did you is there a question department public safety for the classifications listed to receive a differential of five percent for pilot in command certification both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft so they could fit sensually get ten percent if they have both certifications is five percent for each the estimated cost of the differential is about twenty three thousand dollars opium is recommended the request a different. Any questions motion the second. To prove. All those in favor say aye. PostsNo motion carried. Now then Tony just went on a the rest of the Adam V. through. Whatever it is we're gonna we're gonna take a A adamant of the Senate agenda and try to batch all of these together I know how the senators like to move things along real fast so in in lieu of that we're going to take those Tony okay Mr chairman committee so items V. through Kate Kate are all continuations of existing Continuations of eggs are previously reviewed requests by this committee these are cool positions what positions differentials labor market rates salary administration grids miscellaneous federal grants and A. R. P. requests that this committee and they'll see a scene over the past year or maybe from previous years that have to be continued each year moving forward so for FY twenty three so if one vote you would be passing out all of these requests item V. through KK. Any procedure questions. The questions on any of these items. I represent can off you're recognized I guess this is just a general question on a lot of these we see that they're going to be used in Arkansas and to do this how is this going to be paid for one Arkansans are gone because Arkansans are gonna be gone. Yes ma'am generally when someone accepts the job that's funded by federal funds other than saying knowledge when that funding ends that they will be leaving that particular position. So there's no guarantee to any a compass most agencies and departments try to find other places to place these individuals but their time when employees actually with an offense. Okay because. No offense but my experiences with the harm they only relief and we still have to continue to pay form whether you call it our funds wherever so I guess that's one of my concerns were hiring people knowing that the money's going to disappear and your comment is. We try to put him somewhere else. Yes basically paying knowledge of point of higher that these this job may last only the length of the funding so if there is no funding and I think it happened several times over the years when we've actually let people had terminate people and now what happened this past week with this past fiscal year so but that is a requirement and a sign that knowledge from that point of higher is is is separately stated that the state will not assume funding for those positions white Ford then my question is on numbers the I guess that's department of corrections they're saying that the cost for this is seven million dollars. Is this an ongoing. Is this about what he's been budgeted or is this part of their budget that they've already gotten this was if you recall about three four months ago or maybe six months ago we are approved a ten percent increase for most all correctional officers at the time of higher this is all general revenue funding this is not from any other source I think he's trying to keep that option open but it's but it's already been it's already been appropriated it's already in his budget okay thank you. Thank you any other questions representative love. Hammer represent a senator Hammer thank you Mr chairman the just follow up on that line of questioning their how many how many positions you know right off or we talking about that would be captured what we're about to do. And are all those positions attached to federal funding or the cares Act money that was referenced. Senator so. All these request items V. three KKK various funding it's not just federal funding there's some that are going to be general revenue some that are gonna be federal some they're going to be cash it depends on the agency and how that agency is funding all these positions around I'm not exactly sure the positions are involved in the swapping growth Katie may have that. Yes yes Senator Hammer during the past fiscal year we did a hundred and two ten growth pull positions and two hundred twenty nine surrender positions that's number of positions that will be going for this fiscal year all right and in previous step any unexpected money that came in to the state to use for these positions where there were they not already. Where there were they not already filled positions. Prior to any our money or any any other money affiliated with the you know what the of pandemic. I am not I cannot tell you definitively there were some positions that were already existing pre pandemic but there's also been several that were created during the pendency. So I came ready to answer thank you look at what let me visit with health line where I'm going with it in my mind is I understand to say we you know we the money goes way leash job and that's that's a simplistic answer that we use all the time but if if it's already being planned by the agencies that they're going to fall into a slot when that money goes away I think that's what I pride like to know is are the plans already there that they're going to transition what's money goes way into a permanent position and that's that's the number I'd like to get identified with thank you. Thank you Mr yes Sir. Other questions. I'm seeing on the screen don't see light some of. So is there a motion to approve items K. through K. K.. Motion the second any discussion. Those in favor say aye. Posebno motion carried. Now you then the reports no action is required on this but Tony explained to us yes Sir Mr chairman because these reports is action required by the committee if anybody has any questions is the personal actions report from higher read provisional position report from higher ed and in the quarterly employment reports for both state agencies in higher ed but as I said there's no action taken by the committee if there's questions would try to. Okay. Nobody has a question a correction for the chair it's a was the motion was for Adams of the through K. K. resin Adams K. so up with that of any committee member have any yeah. Words of wisdom for this committee. Or anything they got they want to say. What about members of the audience anybody got any gripes or complaints or anything you wanna talk about. Hearing none this meeting is adjourned.