JBC-Personnel

All right this meeting is called to order. And we'll start with the first thing on the agenda higher it. Madam chairman of. Item one is a Senate bill three forty five this is the higher education class and classification compensation and this isn't a personal from JBC because it identifies the classified jobs at the higher ed institutions and establishes the pay plan used for classified jobs several classifications were moved during the fall hearings from the classified section to unclassified status. Which is why you'll see classification struck through in the bill the pay plan has also been adjusted to bring the lowest entry level salary range up to the new Arkansas minimum wage at eleven dollars per hour the minimum salaries for the first seven grades had to be adjusted as much as ten percent and on through down to two point three percent in order to accommodate the new minimum wage grades eight through thirty were each adjusted two percent and then finally the code section providing labor market rates for information technology titles this was struck because most of these titles have been moved unclassified status this is a bill that we hear each year or each regular session and it does not add any positions. Hi thank you is there anyone here from hired to speak to this. Thank you please investor self for the record. The pharmacist and director for finance for the Division of higher education okay thank you so does not add any new positions it's just and changing pay grades around due to minimum wage increases yes ma'am and then there are there a few minor changes to some of the the sections dealing with classified employees they were made at the request of the institutions okay. Thank you and are there any questions from the committee for Mr fuller. Okay and anyone here to speak for against. All right and got a motion. Motion the second all those in at any discussion all those in favor please say aye. Has no vision carries thank you Mr for. Our measurement item be to you this is the house bill eleven eighty two for the Commissioner state lands this isn't personnel due to a letter from the Commissioner state lands requesting it wouldn't give me a one percent across the board increase in line item maximums this does not mean that each employee will receive a one percent increase its just the maximum salary their eligible for is being increased by one percent this is new and was not heard during the fall hearings. Is there anyone here from the land commissioner's office. If you please introduce yourself in here and for the record. I'm Kelly board chief deputy commissioner of state lands. Thank you and Mister Boyd do you nine oh and how many of your employees are already maxed out. We have six that are in the range of being maxed out within the next pay cycle we have a couple that are there now what we've done is put those people into higher paying classifications until we can get this adjusted to reflect I've got to employees without thirty plus years one thirty plus years with COS sale I have a significant number with twenty plus and it's really hard to. To ensure their longevity stay with us if we can't keep their top one at least a little bit for one percent will give us enough room to do that okay thank you are there any questions Mr Floyd. Anyone and speak for against. C. nine do I have a motion. Second. Any discussion all those in favor please say aye. Posebno motion carries thank you Mr Boyd. Chairman on item three this is house bill eleven eighty one this is an amendment by. Senator garner the Amendment provides two additional positions for the Department hell suicide hotline this is in conjunction with his substantive bill requires and at half staff is trained to deal with veterans or or or the staff are veterans themselves he's also provided additional regular showers and matching appropriation for the positions can be found on page twenty five the Amendment in the in the markup of the bill is on page twenty six and twenty seven. You're recognized Senator Garner. Thank you madam chair and other matters here your staff did an excellent job explaining the contents of the bill came out of that veterans suicide task force that particular for last two years AS one the substance changes we can make to make sure that we protect our veterans I'm usually that suicide hotline is one the first lines of defense they call when a crisis situation we passed we passed a bill in the Senate I'm running how soon that requires you to veterans or veterans does your training to help veterans and that suicide hotline this would add to this positions either the a they can feel that would veterans or be they can use that specifically for veterans that'll take any questions committee. Have any questions. Yeah. Okay say no questions and is there anyone to speak for against. I have a motion. Motion and a second any discussion all those in favor please say aye. Is no motion carries thank you senator. We are a committee chairman item B. for is governor's letter five governor's letter five affects house bill ten eighty six house bill ten eighty nine Senate bill thirty eight Senate bill forty one Senate bill fifty six and Senate bill fifty seven this request brings the bills in line with a reallocation of resources that was approved for DHS previously the governor's letter request transfers twenty seven positions from various divisions of DHS to developmental disabilities each of the twenty seven positions will also be reclassified as behavioral health aids and agreed GSO three the positions were approved to be transferred via reallocation of resources in December of twenty twenty this makes the transfer permanent and request for us positions this was not requested during the fall hearings the item that is being handed out at the moment is an additional request from DHS and that Department transformation church services office personnel management this would include an additional twelve positions that they want to eliminate so these are this is these are part of transfers this is an additional twelve positions that they wish to eliminate from those divisions which are aging adult behavioral health services child care and early childhood education in office of chief counsel. Madam chairman with that I'm. This presentation hi thank you. And is there anyone here from DHS. Well can we please set interest yourself in here with for the record. I'm Cindy Gillespie secretary of DHS mark white chief of legislative internal fairs for DHS okay thank you for. Sorry I'm just this. So you guys are your. Adding for your changing that. Title of some of the positions I'm sorry we explanation what you're doing sure be happy to the first the twenty seven positions that are being moved from various divisions over to DDS as he said this is something that has been approved before during resource reallocation this is tied to the effort that are human development centers where we have been shifting to see an eighties And so we needed higher created positions to move over there for the CNA's and then the behavioral health eight as to sort of higher categories so other parts of DHS identified positions that they could shift over and so that process has been underway and you'll have been approving it for resource allocation reallocation this makes it permanent then in a in the next biennium so that's what that part is and that's why the titles are also changing because it's positions. It it's a variety of positions around the agency serving whatever the twelve positions that are we're requesting to eliminate is part of an ongoing effort to continue to identify positions that haven't been filled for over a year or two years you'll have provided us information on that before from the personnel committee it's something we continue to monitor and look at and we find positions that we know we just will not be filling in the future. We try to bring them over so that's what this one is thank you. Okay are there any questions. And representative Jean. Thank you Mr of. And this may be for K. she prior to read quick these twelve positions. Usually we give them up when they're there's no funding or these positions funded. These are funded positions okay field position okay but they're not field right okay thank you. Thank. Thank you are there any other questions from the committee. C. nine is there anyone would like to speak for against. Okay I have a motion from the Committee. Seventy second and any discussion all those in favor please say aye. Oppose no. Motion carries thank you. Hi madam chairman we're going to just skip over for the moment item number five which is governor six for agriculture and we're gonna go down to item six which is governor's letter nine it can be found on page seventy seven in the first package. Okay so governor's letter nine this was sent to personnel to the reduction in the number of authorized positions of various departments none of these requests were made during the fall hearings you're only requests so governor's letter nine item six A. and six B. these are amendments for house bill twelve oh seven and SB forty five respectively hospitable seven is the appropriation for energy environment Division of eighty Q. and eliminates fourteen vacant positions and the associated regular salaries and matching appropriation for the positions S. B. forty five as the appropriation for energy environment division of geological survey that eliminates two vacant positions and regular salaries to match an appropriation as well. this item six C. and sixty these are amendments for house bill ten seventy one and Senate bill sixty eight house bill ten seventy one is the appropriation for the Department transformation shared services division of information systems eliminates for vacant positions the regular salaries and matching SB sixty eight is the appropriation for the Department transformation shared services administration and state wide shared services appropriations this eliminates fifteen vacant positions as well as the regular salaries match in have item sixty which is amendment for US Senate bill ninety seven which is the appropriation for the department of inspector general an amendment will eliminate two vacant positions one position is in the inspector general shared services division and one of the positions is in Medicaid inspector general Division madam chairman that is all for donors that are not mine. Thank you and. There also are several and listed here so instead of calling them all at the members have questions for anyone. Representative gene. You are recognized. Thank you. Okay same question hello I guess is about thirty seven positions have been these happening behind them. All of our I believe all these positions are funded position but not field but not down there I think a positions right thank you. And I'm curious to know how many and employees are and in the department of the inspector general of the Medicaid inspector general do you happen to know that. A one St thirty nine but I'm not exactly sure I think. Yeah. Good morning hi I'm Elizabeth Smith on the secretary for the department of inspector general we have thirty nine positions for that Medicaid inspector general's office is that the specific when you're asking for yes okay but they're not all filled okay okay how do you know how many are still. Late is it thirty nine I think we thirty nine total that's what I was thinking thirty nine totaled thirty three maybe for Medicaid inspector general and I think. We do have a number of those that are vacant okay okay and I can get you that documentation I was just curious it's been awhile since we've spoken about that office and I know and just looking for investigators you know Medicaid fraud being able to follow up and I know there's probably plenty of that going on and and hard to catch so I was just curious based on our last conversations even yes players ago and the positions that we asked to turn back are very low level positions were not able to fill at that level we have a hard time filling at the auditor level for Medicaid inspector general begins at a G. S. R. six and we've been having trouble filling those we're trying. so thank you okay thank you. Are there any other questions from the committee. Scene nine. Does anyone want to speak for against. I'm sorry IDC of questions Senator Hammer you're recognized thank you manager Kate just for clarification when you say funded is that the appropriation with money matching the appropriation on these positions or is it just corporation level another thing with money mention this session. Okay so follow injured yes. So when we do away with these positions that are funded. Where does the money that would have previously been spent on these positions go. Well basically this letter I believe is reducing the preparation as well so they're not gonna that's where the money is going to be there anymore okay so the so the the dollar amount listed on letters what matches the positions yes Sir okay thank you thank you Mr. Thank you senator. Okay I have a motion and motion the second. Any discussion all those in favor please say aye. Because now motion carries thank you. Madam chairman item seven is house bill ten eighty three and it starts on page one thirty three this is for the department of trade just me the Department of a disability determination FOR Social Security Administration this item as originally said personnel because they had to add that they had added a hundred and forty two additional positions during the fall hearings the governor's letter number eleven also has that sense IDSA includes twenty more new positions as well as operations appropriation the governor's letter also requests approval of new special language section for the agency providing them a growth pool of two hundred and fifty positions to be accessed following approval by OPM in the review of the personnel committee the positions would be accessed as the federal government continues to lean on the TSSA tell the limit the backlog of other disability cases in other states this agency is one percent federal they receive no state funding part of this request was made prior to and during the fall hearings and then the twenty positions added in this letter or The New portion which was the the purpose of this letter. I'm in with that manager might take any questions. There any questions from the committee. The nine and. Do I have a motion. Motion the second and any discussion. All those in favor please say aye. Posebno motion carries. Thank you. Man chairman moving on to item C. and this is in the smaller packets of the first item or items C. is request for miscellaneous federal grant from the prosecuting coordinator's office the appropriation the position were already reviewed by appear on February twenty fourth personals only responsible for reviewing the request the classification of the job title opium is recommended the requested classification which is a senior deputy prosecuting attorney to and this is for a special. Gun crimes Gun crimes program working with the US attorney's office. Okay. And are there any questions from the committee. Thank scene nine and do I have a motion. Second. Any discussion all those in favor please say aye opposed nay mishing carries. Madam chairman item D. is this is a follow up request from disability determinations so security ministration goes hand in hand with the item. B. seven that we heard just a moment ago DDS is a is requesting to utilize the growth pool from opium to create seventy positions that you just authorized in B. seven they want to create this positions now to get started so this will be kind of a temporary set up for these positions to finish out the remainder of this fiscal year and then they will Kerry Ford is as regular positions in the appropriation bill so the positions will be switch from growth pole positions to regular positions effective July one based on the on the active and and what was done to be seven. This is all paid for with federal funds yes correct yes. Are there any questions from the committee. Scene and I have a motion. And second. Any discussion all those in favor please say aye opposed no motion carries. All right ma'am chairman The last thing on on the agenda would be reports that's items E. and F. these are personal actions in provisional position reports for the institutions of higher education I'll take any questions if there are any and then we'll go back. When you're ready and and deal with Agriculture which was item five B. five. Okay. And. It's one for an irate Mr fuller I can speak to this. And then. All and explain and then unless you've got if you kind of explain this. Committee chairman was L. M. I. to be is a report from high ready telling the use of previously approved special entry and labor market rates those increases for exception what qualified candidates at the institutions an item F. as a report from the Department higher ed that details the institutions request for new provisional positions these are created using other moneys which may include grants donations or other anticipated funds under Arkansas code each institutions provide a number of the positions available for this purpose we're twenty total provisional positions approved by the H. in March for both for your their nineteen positions of the four year institutions in one position at a two year institution okay thank you there any questions from the committee. Is there anything additional that you thought sorry I called you at the frat him explain that thank you okay all right C. nine to have a motion. Thank you all those in favor please say aye. Yes No motion carries. Okay we'll go back to. Item five on the agenda with the Department of act. I'm chairman that starts on page sixty seven of the big packet. this is the governor's letter six and what this governor's letter does this was sent personnel budget we see because it reclassified as the original secretary of agriculture position and this was created of years prior to transformation in its request by the two deputy secretary of agriculture in the current deputy director of agriculture agriculture position is request by two ACT right laboratory director III you also have a new put several new positions have when you veterinary specialist Agra division manager microbiologist and five agro inspector to use these are created as new positions for the new state meat inspection program none of this was requested during the fall hearings this is Nikki. And is secretary ward here. More ma'am west for from the Arkansas department which thank you you care to explain a little more about this sure yes ma'am so as was mentioned there two pieces to to the governor's letter regarding personnel one is changing the titles on on two positions so one is for the deputy secretary positions roles of lab director position so released as part of transformation efforts is your better aligning those positions within within the department and retitling there was uh separate from that the other additional eight positions are tied to made to the Arkansas state meet inspection program which is currently running your house bill thirteen fifteen and and the reason why others personnel positions are requested is because it requires even though Arkansas would have a state plan if that bill passes it it requires a that we submit a plan to USDA USDA has certain requirements for them to approve that plan in these positions are reflective of of what would be required in order for Arkansas to an act Are there any questions for Secretary ward. And Senator Hickey you're recognized yes Sir just the back to the meat inspection of have no issue with that course we've been as you know back and forth back and forth. So you're not going to use the somebody's Max on the think this way it's a cool madam chair. I'm sorry what. I think somebody else's mac was owners reason this is echo one but the of my question is is it do you do you all have a plan on how much of the seven fifty that you're going to use because it was my understanding that USDA has up to eighteen months to give us the approval and I understand that we anticipate that happening but we're not guaranteed I just wanna make sure that we're not investing in a lot of capital expenditures or even personnel that we shouldn't and but do you do you all have a plan that goes with this. Yes Sir we do and I think that's an excellent question so there there are some timelines associated with with the plan and and getting that approved so everyone is passes of the law meant to is working to a plan your going through the rule making process that would also come before the legislature for personnel specifically you know what we do know that these positions would be required under state plan but we wouldn't on July first they will go out and immediately hire these that positions because there is still a timeline associated with it so so really you're with that the timeline moving forward on the personnel side I would be higher in that division manager position that GS eleven position getting that person and started so that they can Shepherd that program through the process through the rule making process through the state plan and then once of USDA approves that then we would build off of that with the inspectors and any other positions that are identified there the question there of course is how long does it take USDA to approve it took to your point you we can take up to a year eighteen months before we get final approval and this year the the request this is really reflective of hoping to be able to expedite that and that once it is approved then we wouldn't have to wait two years or longer to know for the next session to come back and ask for this position but we we do not intend to fill those positions until USDA approved the planet and we. Before the program from there followed madam chair. So as far as the overall program. What do you what do you all see that you need between now and June thirtieth and then after June thirtieth up to approval what what are what are the calendar numbers for the total have you all calculated that. So the the the the initial cost of from or going to be personnel related so of course with with this the the no we wouldn't hire the division manager until the new state fiscal year so between now and July first and we would your essential we've we've been tackling these additional research aspects of this on our own in addition to other job responsibilities so we wouldn't course when feel anything between now July first we would continue to work on you know looking at other states and you're looking at their plants other doing it July first we would advertising how are you of this division manager position then they would begin begin work on all the rules on you have a state plan being submitted okay. This is back in a big as far as the overall bill is that correct on the Senate side because we referred it back it is yes Sir this morning DO would do you mind so it's going to be heard when this morning nine thirty okay Sir do you have a written plan on how much money that you're going to need like I ask because I still hadn't heard the numbers respectively we that that because we are going to have to figure out a way to fund you know those parts of it or whatever so but I just wanna know what what the anticipated cost or not only for personal but also for any capital expenditures that you all think you have to make between now and the proof rule the USDA. Yes Sir and we do have a part of the questions a little bit hard to answer because it depends on the number of facilities and the location of the facilities within a term and how many inspectors and and the additional requirements associated with it what what we have SO four is a list of several states that have a an inspection program number personnel that they have number facilities that they inspect a total cost of the program associated with it so so we we do think that that provides a good baseline of of what we might expect you know some of the states or you know forty fifty your facilities that they inspect your weed we don't necessarily think Arkansas will be that large we think or expenses will be a little bit lower but we do have some comparisons from other states would be happy to share. One more I just wanna make sure that we're here on the same page with me what I'm interested in is what the costs are going to be before the approval. Before we get US the day FDA approval because we're giving you appropriation for seven hundred fifty thousand which is my understanding what we think will run the program after it's up. After Japan going with with the inspectors. What I would like to know is is what we think the cost of going to be between now and then just to. You know so that we could can get it up and build yes yes Sir and by that date that would be good because I'll get with some of our Senate members in there yes Sir and an hour and I think I can respond. Right now it is that that cost it would just be the personnel costs until until USDA approved the plan we would not have any other expenses outside of just that one position building the plant if USDA didn't approve it we wouldn't we wouldn't go further from there okay thank you Mr war yes Sir. There any other questions Senator Stubblefield you're recognized. Thank you Mr west we have any idea of how many how many might be interested in participating in the program. Yes Sir huh so so last year's for the cures act funding we received ten point four million dollars to administer a grant program for me and poultry processing through that process we had forty five applications that were submitted we funded thirty one of those we we also had additional applications that came in after the application deadline as well as other since the amount of inquired about their their possibility of starting a meat inspection program and this we have helmets on hold until we work through the to the legislative process and and get approval from USDA Sir you're if if author follow thirty one of those facilities decided to go to a state inspection plan I think we'll probably you know that I think that's a good ballpark number to look at this is what we might anticipate expect some of those may status there's there's really for USDA inspected facility someone may decide just to stay with with that status or they may just shipped over to a state inspection plan but we did find thirty one facilities do the carers act funding last year. That seems like a robust number considering this problem just you know for a new. It It is Sir and and and and we do know that there will be some some time associated with that because it's a it's a pretty I was a lengthy and arduous but but there is a process where they have to there's I've got a an example of that you're the federal requirements of what's expected there but but it is a process of getting the state plan approved and then even even beyond that even after there's of a plan approved there's a process that the facilities that want to be inspected have to follow to to show that there that may meet at least equal to standards required under the reinspection program one one more question manage. Many of these are are Adams and M. E. how many of our new facilities. up from the one that we provided the grant funding to the cares that funding last year I can get you that number we've we've got a chart a break down of most of those were were expanding their were a few that were that were new facilities but the majority or building on expanding the process and so they're in the business wanted to wanted to grow wanted to meet that demand from consumers so it so would. Reflective of that I think but we would be happy to share your how that grant funding was distributed art thank you venture. Thank you are there any other questions from the committee. And seen and I think we've got someone here to speak for. Thank you if you'll please introduce yourself and stay here with for the record. I don't okay I'm dusting cal from Newton County and I'm also the young farmer and rancher chairman for Arkansas farm bureau just want to say thank you madam chairman for the of the opportunity to speak on this we are strongly in favor of this I personally have have recently switch from account cap operation to a more direct to market the beef beef operation we sell to our local local customers there Newton been counties and really really the entire northwest corner of our state we've recently started we've had some of our local school districts that have wanted wanted are locally grown locally raised beef But right now what we're dealing with is a a bottleneck the the consumer wants it we can produce it but we can not get processed just to give you a few examples of of what we're dealing with we have. We have processing appointments booked through December twenty twenty two the anything we we are going to get appointments to process anything past that is going to be into twenty twenty three January twenty twenty threes as soon as we can get anything new process so we're having to make appointments for cattle for cans that won't be born for another several months and and currently I mean we're we're kind of in the north part of the state we're having to take our calves three and a half four hours we're crossing state lines in the Missouri going to Cabool we spent several thousand dollars already this year across state lines just because we can not get it processed in Arkansas like I said we're we've got through twenty twenty two booked into twenty twenty three and our Arkansas facilities are are even further out than that so like I said we we have have the consumers we can produce it but right now we just have that bottleneck that we we can't get it can't get it processed into Arkansas embers. Thank you very much thank you are there any questions for Mr cal. Well thank you for coming to speak I think this is that really important program and I think we've always you know for a long time I've talked about where food comes from and how important that is but I think really cave in the past year as highlighted that and just S. really wanting to be connected to community and support local business owners local farmers and thank the importance of work eight the discounting from has been even more important as it's really been highlighted the past year and so and I think it's crazy that and we don't have something like this in Arkansas already and I just appreciate the work that I know that you've done you've got you know many other farmers with you that I've advocated for this and worked hard on this and and I think it's a really big deal it's a big deal for our state and it's a big deal for communities for schools and for kids to have local meat we've got that the rest of the school district and you know we have someone that supplies local meat and and I just I think it matters and and this this work is really really important so thank you I appreciate it thanks. Thank you is there anyone like to speak to anyone else for against. Okay seen and I have a motion. S. second. Okay L. L. sorry and any discussion all those in favor please say aye opposed no motion carries Senator Hammer you're recognized. Thank you ma'am chair actually could I ask either Jake or Amy quick question please. If all the business is conducted if I could please. Yes it is. check we did a office of budget. Thank you ma'am chair Jake within the conversation's been going on as we've gone through this packet about on field but budgeted positions which I understand that some of that money is you gonna roll back into general revenue or it's gonna go back already B. D. for the you know some of the savings my question is. The the money that would be saved because these were budgeted positions yet on field. How do we track those as far as the savings that's going to be created and is that reflected anywhere in the shared services reports. As far as the savings to the state to where you would see that is in the salary budgeting line item and then in salary savings at the end of the year so right now for example we have budgeted salaries for these various entities and of course if the positions funded with general revenue you'll see the general revenue line if it's cash if it's special it's federal those different funds will remain that the that kind of broken out but at the end of the year what's going to happen is we will have salary savings so these positions which are budgeted. And are funded if they go away that money's gonna remain where it is in the agency's budget then a couple things happened first with the salary savings or something we look at when we look at our next year's budgets so if an agency's carrying a lot of salary savings at the end of the year that's when we sit down to talk to them and say look we need to cut your your budget your salaries are too large or you have too much money right there the other thing that happens is when the agency receives their of a performance increases when the governor says we're gonna increase raises based on employee performance instead of giving finding out of that performance on the first thing we ask the agencies to do is use their left over salary savings so that money can be carried forward into other positions and ultimately save the state down the road okay so can I get a report or something that shows a based on everything we're doing this cycle can I get a report that shows the number of positions that were budgeted unfilled. And and which agencies they came out of the total dollar state is that is that doable without hiring a company right new software program. I'd like to see this savings by each agency sure we may not have that now we might have it at the end of the year the reason I say that is because people are weird they quit you know they they get promoted they move around a lot so it can be hard to project what's going to happen on on a position by position basis this is something that's that's we've been working on to transformation of course the legislature has been very active on pointing in this is out representative would in particular and I know you've been where active on it so it's something definitely we're focusing on and the absolutely we we can get you some reports on where we're at as far as positions budgeted on budget and then at the end of the year I look forward to having that opportunity to to present okay well I'd like to get his first positions were we're doing away with that were filled that were on field but budgeted elect yet that calendar at the end of the year and I'll catch up with you okay thank you thank mentor fled to. Thank you all right no other business. At L. meeting next Tuesday. Meeting adjourned thank you.