The Personnel System Reform Act (PSRA) provides for collective bargaining of wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment with classified employees of state agencies and higher education institutions.  Employees covered by the PSRA include all state civil service employees, unless an exemption applies.  Members and employees of the Legislature are excluded from state civil service laws and, as a result, are not covered by the PSRA and do not have the right to collectively bargain. 

Employees of the Legislature are granted collective bargaining rights under the PSRA, including employees of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, Statute Law Committee, Legislative Ethics Board, Legislative Evaluation and Accountability Program Committee, Office of the State Actuary, Legislative Service Center, Legislative Support Services, Joint Transportation Committee, and the Redistricting Commission. 

The following employees and types of employees are excluded from collective bargaining:

• elected members of the Legislature;
• the chief clerk, deputy chief clerk, secretary of the Senate, and deputy secretary of the Senate;
• directors and assistant directors of legislative staff work groups, and administrators and directors of committees, boards, and commissions;
• chiefs of staff and counsel for the House of Representatives and the Senate;
• supervisors, including committee coordinators; 
• employees hired on a temporary or seasonal basis, except for legislative and committee assistants and session aides hired for the legislative session.

Matters subject to bargaining are wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment, and the negotiation of any questions arising under a collective bargaining agreement.  The employer is not required to bargain over matters pertaining to retirement benefits, health care benefits, or other employee insurance benefits.  The employer and exclusive bargaining representative are prohibited from bargaining over management rights.  If a conflict exists between resolutions or policies adopted by the Legislature related to matters subject to bargaining, the collective bargaining agreement prevails.  A provision of a collective bargaining agreement that conflicts with the terms of a statute is invalid and unenforceable. 

For the purposes of negotiating agreements, the secretary of the Senate, the chief clerk of the House of Representatives, the Senate Facilities and Operations Committee, the House Executive Rules Committee, and, if applicable, the directors or heads of the relevant legislative agency, commission, or committee must coordinate with each other to: 

• select negotiators to negotiate on behalf of the legislative branch;
• create a streamlined process for approving negotiated collective bargaining agreements; and
• create procedures for timely submitting requests for funding to the appropriate legislative committees if appropriations are necessary to implement provisions of an agreement. 

Collective bargaining negotiations must commence no later than July 1st of each even-numbered year and the duration of any agreements may not exceed one fiscal biennium, except that the duration of  any agreement negotiated prior to October 1, 2023, may not exceed the 2023-2025 biennium.  After the expiration of an agreement, the terms and conditions remain in effect until the effective date of a new agreement, not to exceed one year from the expiration of the agreement. After one year, the employer may unilaterally implement according to law. 

If, after the compensation and fringe benefit provisions of an agreement are approved by the Legislature, a significant revenue shortfall occurs resulting in reduced appropriations, as declared by proclamation of the Governor or by resolution of the Legislature, all parties must immediately enter into collective bargaining for a mutually agreed upon modification of the agreement.

Changes are made to existing provisions of the PSRA to conform with the changes made in the bill.