Bill Text: MO HCR45 | 2014 | Regular Session | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Reauthorizes the Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-05-13 - Senate Message (S) [HCR45 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2014-HCR45-Comm_Sub.html
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
House Concurrent Resolution No. 45
97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
WHEREAS, the Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages was established under HCR 32 by the Ninety-Sixth General Assembly, First Regular Session, and was reauthorized under HCR 33 by the Ninety-Sixth General Assembly, Second Regular Session, and was charged with studying and developing strategies for increasing the wages of Missouri's state employees so Missouri will become competitive with its peer states in regard to state employee wages; and
WHEREAS, Missouri state employees are ranked 50th out of 50 states for the wages paid to state employees; and
WHEREAS, Missouri state employees provide excellent service to Missourians; and
WHEREAS, Missouri state employees have had to do more with less resources for the past several years; and
WHEREAS, Missouri state employee salary increases have not kept pace with inflation; and
WHEREAS, Missouri state employee insurance costs have steadily increased; and
WHEREAS, the Missouri state employees deferred compensation state match of state employee contributions made up to $35 has not been funded for several years; and
WHEREAS, new Missouri state employees who are first employed by the state after January 1, 2011, are required to contribute 4 percent of their pay to their retirement plan; and
WHEREAS, the State of Missouri does not have comprehensive data on state employee compensation or total compensation; and
WHEREAS, the State of Missouri does not have a long-term or strategic plan for increasing the wages of state employees; and
WHEREAS, the State of Kansas undertook a similar initiative and has learned many lessons that could benefit the State of Missouri; and
WHEREAS, the three poorest states in the nation - West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas - all rank ahead of Missouri in state employee annual compensation:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-seventh General Assembly, Second Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby re-authorize the "Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages" to function in the legislative interims and during regular legislative sessions upon approval of the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate through December 31, 2016, upon passage and approval of this resolution for the purpose of further study and development of strategies for increasing the wages of Missouri's state employees so Missouri will become competitive with its peer states in regard to state employee wages; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that upon re-establishment, the Joint Interim Committee shall:
(1) Devise a focused and concise mission statement to guide actions of the Joint Interim Committee;
(2) Request the State Office of Administration to invest in a consultant to conduct salary and total compensation surveys to comprehensively review and analyze the state classification and compensation structures, similar to what other states have done;
(3) Request the State Office of Administration, with the advice and consent of the Joint Interim Committee, to use the data from the comprehensive study to produce a long-term strategic plan for increasing state employee wages and to present such plan to the Governor, the House Budget Committee, and the Senate Appropriations Committee by January 31, 2017; and
(4) Such other matters as the Joint Interim Committee may deem necessary in order to determine the proper course of future legislative and budgetary action regarding these issues; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Interim Committee be composed of the following members:
(1) Two majority party members and one minority party member of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House;
(2) Two majority party members and one minority party member of the Senate to be appointed by the President Pro Tem and Minority Leader of the Senate;
(3) One representative from the Governor's Office;
(4) One representative from the State Personnel Advisory Board; and
(5) Two members of the public, with one to be appointed by the Speaker of the House and one to be appointed by the President Pro Tem of the Senate; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Joint Interim Committee may solicit input and information necessary to fulfill its obligations including, but not limited to, soliciting input and information from any state department or agency the Joint Interim Committee deems relevant and the general public; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the staff of House Appropriations, Senate Appropriations, House Research, Senate Research, and the Joint Committee on Legislative Research shall provide such legal, research, clerical, technical, and bill drafting services as the Joint Interim Committee may require in the performance of its duties; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the actual and necessary expenses of the Joint Interim Committee, its members, and any staff assigned to the Joint Interim Committee incurred by the Joint Interim Committee shall be paid by the Senate's Joint Contingent Expenses appropriation.
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