SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6546

BYSenator Lee

Changing provisions relating to employment policies.

Senate Committee on Economic Development & Labor

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 31, 1990; February 2, 1990

Majority Report:     Do pass and refer to Committee on Ways & Means.

     Signed by Senators Lee, Chairman; Anderson, Vice Chairman; McDonald, McMullen, Matson, Murray, Saling, Smitherman, Williams.

Senate Staff:Traci Anderson (786-7452)

                February 2, 1990

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Senate Hearing Date(s):February 6, 1990

Majority Report:     That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6546 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

     Signed by Senators McDonald, Chairman; Craswell, Vice Chairman; Amondson, Bailey, Bauer, Bluechel, Cantu, Gaspard, Hayner, Johnson, Lee, Newhouse, Niemi, Smith, Talmadge, Wojahn.

Senate Staff:Terry Wilson (786-7715)

                February 7, 1990

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS, FEBRUARY 6, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Current law requires the State Personnel Board and Higher Education Personnel Board to do periodic surveys of the salary levels of state employees.  These surveys are done in an attempt to identify any significant salary disparities that may exist between state job classes and other comparable private sector and public sector job classes.  However, current law does not provide the respective personnel boards with the authority or funding required to guarantee that ongoing steps will be taken to correct the most severe disparities identified by the salary surveys.

SUMMARY:

Beginning in January 1991, at least 25 percent of any appropriation made for general salary increases to classified employees is allocated to provide increases to those job classes which lag farthest behind prevailing rates, as identified by the most recent state salary surveys.

The State Personnel Board and State Higher Education Personnel Board are given the authority to develop priority schedules which identify those job classifications that are to receive salary increases.  Funds will be allocated to the job classifications identified on the priority schedules established by the respective personnel boards.

The Director of the Office of Financial Management is prohibited from:  modifying the priority schedules established by the respective personnel boards; and preventing the allocation of funds to those job classifications identified by the priority schedules as most deserving salary increases.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

The percentage to be allocated to those job classes that lag the farthest behind prevailing rates is set in the appropriation.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:   none

Fiscal Note:    available

Senate Committee - Testified:   ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & LABOR:  Eugene St. John, Washington Public Employees Association; Dee Henderson, Department of Personnel; Gary Moore, Washington Federation of State Employees; Joe Daniels, Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers; Becky Bogard, Washington State Corrections Employees Association; Susan Johnson, Service Employees International Union

Senate Committee - Testified:   WAYS & MEANS:  No one