JBC-Personnel

Welcome to the personnel committee meeting we're pleased that you're here it's early but our schedule today For the budget hearings at eight thirty we need to go and made seven thirty. Cochair Davis welcome to the side to I will hold this will be expedited the we appreciate the fact that you're here and Tony you're recognized thank you Mr chairman item number one on the agenda is a Senate bill one thirty four for Mister of Office Office of the Courts it's ready to go this has to new positions it as were reviewed during the fall hearings Mr chairman. Table. is anyone here from the agency from the court. You would come forward these. We're. We're pleased your hero please identify yourself or the committee. I'm Marty Sullivan I'm the director the administrative office of the courts I'm to multi from the director of the court information systems division I work for Marty thank you for being here any questions of these gentleman from the Committee. She's I am not thank you. Mr cell then I know that you know we've worked on an issue throughout session and and an issue that's still not resolved one that I'm not pleased with and. Iran special language to try to resolve it and at the judges lobbied against something that A. O. C. has the authority to do and they lobbied by lying to other members about what the language to it and I'm I'm really offended by that I think that's an a gross misuse of use of trust especially coming from judges and and then once you all defeated the social language to resolve the issue you celebrated celebrated it through emails and you know whatever else and I'm quite honestly still baffled and not sure what is celebratory about refusing to pay an employee what she's legally entitled entitled to you and what you're legally allowed to pay her something that you all have the authority to do so I just we're letting this out today I'm going to vote against it but and it's in the session and there's nothing left to do at this time I suppose and if I try to do anything I think it would just be lobbied against once again with lies from judges which is again a misuse of trust into and totally inappropriate and but we're at the end of session so what else is there to do but I want to voice my frustration and you know it we've had numerous conversations about it and probably some of the people in here now it and but I just I find it so frustrating that you know we're here to do and the business of the state in the people's business and part of that is ensuring that we treat our employees well and and pay them the way they should be paid and and this is a small instance we're talking about six thousand dollars hardly anything but it matters a lot to that person and again it's something that you have the authority to do and you all are refusing to do and I just want to voice my frustration with that and in my displeasure with the way that the process was handled throughout the session thank you. Any other questions from anyone on the committee. Good to have a motion as it relates. Motion the second. Second four K. all in favor in the campus saying aye. Opposed. Your bill is passed thank you thank you. Tony you're recognized for. Mr chairman not seeing Senator Clark at the moment we're going to move down to item number four which is an amendment by Senator Clarke Tucker after the public defender commission. You all come forward please. Senator is good to see you here working identify yourself and your witness thank you Mr Clarke Tucker senator district thirty two and I'm joined by Greg parish of the public defender commission morning Mr. I'm just gonna deferred to Mr perish. Let him explain in the thank you senator Clark Tucker this is requested by the public from the commission for distal positions when we made this request we went through the governor's office. We're trying to match what was given to the prosecutors as far as positions and so when there's amendment came through a realtor governor seeking permission to add these to our budget to us my understanding the governor sent the sword opium for analysis referred back to the governor for approval and therefore you find this here today these pleas for attorney positions that will be distributed throughout the entire state. My understanding is everybody's on on board and there's no opposition I'm aware of. We have any questions from committee the committee. I have one and I ask everybody this year to those different. The you do not have any other any positions within the agency now that you can put people in rather than having that positions. No Sir Mr chairman and in fact yesterday when I was in a meeting over here by Senator Hammer he asked me specifically how many positions I thought I needed and I don't think this body would like the answer but I mean I need at least fifty attorneys there's a disparity across the state between us and prosecutors. Of approximately a hundred positions and we handle at least at least ninety percent of all the criminal cases throughout the state I have public defenders carrying over three hundred active felony cases at this very moment. And any other questions. I have a motion. I have a second. Okay all in favor say aye. All opposed. Thank you your best your bill thank you members thank you Mr thank you. The Mr chairman the next item on the agenda is I remember for for the state board of election commissioners. In this is an amendment by Senator Hammer. Senator hammer here. There is okay us even now. Senator Hammer you're recognized. Thank you Mr the members of the committee for coming out early this morning I'll be brief opening comments because I think Daniel can probably lead more insight as to the need for the request for the three additional positions and there's also twenty part time or your part time positions that are included in the requested chart matured like to ask him to share with regards to the reasoning and rationale why and then talk about the numbers if that's okay with the chair. Thank you Mr chairman Daniel Schultz director for the state board of election commissioners. this amendment is necessary for the state board fill the the various duties the General Assembly has and it's been assigning to it. these B. three addition all personnel there be subject matter experts that has had experience in running elections and and the technical side of of the election process. State board has a wide range of duties currently from financial reimbursements to creating publications but there's three particular areas that that are the. Primarily responsible for this need training the complaint process in the directed ministration of Election. on the training side the General Assembly has passed a new well it's a Senate bill on the house side at least it looks like it will pass The New Training requirement that we try to election coordinators currently we trained County Board of election commissioners and although we would like to do more that training is limited to the legal responsibilities not the technical side we're gonna try to election coordinators which essentially the people who were there to assist the commissioners to doing the work that's going to need to be expanded into a programming and and some of the more. Finer points that were not able to get to in the current training because we just don't have the time. also there's a new requirement that we test County Board of election commissioners and administer testing the poll workers which is of course new duties disso personnel will unnecessary also allow us to better oversee the certified poll worker trainer so the two people these County we trying to then go trying their poll workers right now we don't we only have a limited up actual oversight of how they do that and so more personal may allow us to to be more effective and and overseeing that training. The complaint side since I've consent board in twenty sixteen we've operated in my opinion near capacity to handle complaints. the essentially there's an attorney who's chiefly responsible for that and an assistant and then ideally by insist as well to the degree that I can although the spring it's been rather busy. at seven fifty six of twenty twenty one recently signed expands the state board's jurisdiction here election complaints almost to the maximum degree possible. it expands the time to file a complaint from sixty days to eighty six days it allows cure of technical deficiencies so although it is often regrettable current law make certain requirements that because some complaint to be dismissed which although they don't get attention of course that allows lighter burdens on staff there's now process security fissions the so if it's assigned or it comes after the deadline you can get extra time to to sign it or to add a piece of required information that may be missing the first draft. in addition it creates a new remedy or or a solution or resolution to a complaint called institute corrective action obviously that implies an on going supervision responsibility beyond just the final resolution of the complaint. set Senate bill four sixty nine which is on the governor's desk also expands our ability to expense skews me changes a requirement that County Board of election commissioners currently forward any complaints they had to the county Clerk in the county prosecutor that's now shifted to us. Senate bill Two seventeen and seventy one has additional requirements for the CBFC to file complaints if they see they if they believe their fraudulent absentee ballot activity. And Senate bill six forty four just passed out of the house yesterday for to go to the governor's desk sets up an AG hotline to hear receive election complaints that ultimately would flow to us. Because in these three election administration experts can be used to help conduct investigations we'll it in allegations that people who know how to run elections will be helpful in investigating whether election to run correctly and the the most pressing need and what really I guess more than anything bring this here today all of the others are probably reason enough is the newer possibility of the State Board of Election Mister's directly administering a county selection that's and Senate bill six forty four that was passed out yesterday for the first time we there's a mechanism for us to go in and run the election and if we're going to the state's gonna take responsibility for running County selection we need people who we trust who are well trained and experienced in or to go do that and I don't currently have people To fill that role. Our other jobs new jobs this session hearing appeals of a closure of a poll. The session where now to receiving compile statewide reports on the disposition of boats on eleven different data points lots of new rules to write training materials will need to be updated too many changes offices there's probably the education of come out of some of those changes. in the previous session we were given the ability to cover to are the responsibility review ballot titles and then of the state board's own initiative in the previous session we created for the first time postelection audits in Arkansas to proud of but that is a fairly labor intensive process we're doing it at the state level so we don't flicked initial burden on the counties and we are do we did that with no requested new personnel or or funds we just did we realize of internal savings we thought we could confined to do that but those were that was a good idea at the time now makes us less flexible to absorb more duties now. I think with that below stop talking and I'm happy to answer any questions. Mr chairman may I address the money for this. Mr chairman address money. For this what. Is full of go ahead Senator all right then thank you all right thank you Sir and maybe maybe Tony can help give me other judge forget the detention explaining this but as I understand it right now the funds could possibly be paid for other miscellaneous agency fund but in the event that the money is not made available there three special language that was passed it created the pathway forward of for the board to be able to utilize their reserve fund which right now has one point if the one point eight million which we try to keep one to one point two million so we have a little extra in there right now. And Daniel can go into the weeds this farce how that money is arrived at are gathered but through the special language it was created it would allow them to go ahead basically set up shop with these three individuals so that in the event things play out during the rest this year that they would need to step in and maybe take over election the pathway for utilizing that money temporarily would be in place so he could go ahead and get set up and and be ready to go for all the requirements are being placed on with the new changes so I'd I'd like to hit the pause button and maybe at least it chair would allow let Tony at least acknowledge that I'm stating that correctly or Kevin one just for the comfort of the committee and verification of what I'm saying is true. I Mark wrecked me if I'm wrong he's correct. At the chair would like to know in the event any members have any questions about that fund and how the money is actually put into that fund the reasons why it's put in that fund that be chair's discretion Daniel could maybe in like this on that if the chair feels it's necessary. Or any any questions from the committee. So what we're doing here is following with legislation it's already been acted relative to the Board of the election commissioners taking over elections the design activated by a request. Or help how will the. Takeover in election. Well according to Senate bill six forty four that cleared the house yesterday and is on the governor's desk the first thing is we hope that they never have to take over election that's that's not the desire nor would that be the intent but with the high number of investigations that are going on now and also was testified the increasing number of complaints that are coming in the probability is there what Senate bill six forty four would allow to happen is for the state board to step in after recommendation from J. P. R. to take over an election and as Daniel testified while ago if you've got you know the need to take over election it's not like you could utilize somebody part time because you want the highest skill set person you have to be able to step in and take that election and and make sure it's right so that's part of the reason for the three positions but there's also twenty extra help positions in there in the event they would be needed but but the meat of that is we want three well qualified people that are able to instruct and able to step in on a moment's notice after investigation if determined to be able to take over in a it be kind of like you know you want your brain surgeon to be operating around the clock twelve months of the year not just step in and have to Google it figure out how to do it elections can be just as important. All right any other questions. I have a motion. Second. all in favor and give you saying aye. All opposed. Your motion carries thank you thank you Mr members of the committee thank you. Next to the well okay. And so I sense as Senator Clark is not here and I'm gonna make a motion that we refer as it has amendments to Joint Budget and to be heard there okay. Thank you for the motion I have a second to that. Okay second all in favor say aye. Posed. The. Let me say it's been a pleasure or maybe a I'm sure Senator Davis agrees to serve as cochairs of this committee we appreciate the our colleagues cooperation and all so that the the agencies and certainly K. miss barn hill we appreciate you so with that we'll be adjourned thank you.