Legislature(2003 - 2004)
02/03/2003 01:05 PM Senate RLS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE RULES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 3, 2003
1:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator John Cowdery, Chair
Senator Ben Stevens
Senator Gene Therriault
Senator Johnny Ellis
Senator Gretchen Guess
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Longevity Pay Increment Policy
Chair's Authority to Calendar Legislation
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 03-1, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIR JOHN COWDERY called the Senate Rules Standing Committee
meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. All members were present. Chair
Cowdery announced the purpose of the meeting was to discuss two
issues, the first being a change to the longevity pay increment
policy.
MS. PAM VARNI, Executive Director of the Legislative Affairs
Agency (LAA), told members that the Senate and House employment
policy in effect since 1988 has worked well with the exception
of the longevity step provision. When a legislative staff member
is re-employed at a lower range or an employee is re-employed
after leaving a job at a high longevity step, those employees
must be rehired at a lower step. The employment policy only
allows step increases if employment is continuous.
MS. VARNI said she will be asking the House Rules Committee to
approve the same change to this policy. She noted that the
Senate and House Rules Committees would be affected, as well as
the Legislative Council, the House and Senate Finance
Committees, and the Administrative Regulation Review Committee.
The Human Resources Division has identified 10 employees who
will be affected. She estimated that the change would cost the
Senate Rules Committee about $5,000. She advised members that
this change will help retain long term employees with
institutional knowledge.
MS. VARNI explained that the entire employment policy cannot be
changed without the support of the joint Rules Committees and a
vote of the full legislature. However, the employment statute
allows the committee to decide whether to approve the longevity
policy, one section of the statute, which negates the need for
legislation.
SENATOR GENE THERRIAULT said he was aware, from serving as the
Chair of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee, that staff
who leave for a year or two cannot be hired back at the same
range because the policy requires seven continuous years. He
asked what other employees will be affected.
MR. SKIFF LOBAUGH, Director of the Human Resources Division,
explained the policy requires an employee to work seven years at
a given range so that if a person works at a range 21 for a
year, his or her continuous employment at a given range is
broken.
SENATOR THERRIAULT asked if an employee bounces back and forth
from a range 19 to a 21, he or she will never get seven years of
continuous service in either of those ranges.
MR. LOBAUGH replied there are two types of continuous service,
but the end result is that employee would not get two continuous
years at the final step, which is F.
MS. VARNI commented that the current policy is difficult for the
Human Services Division to administer.
SENATOR THERRIAULT stated:
I move that the Senate Rules Committee not adopt AS
39.27.022 - Pay increments for longevity for State
service - but instead adopt their own plan which
better applies to legislative service. This new policy
is before the members and would be effective January
16, 2003.
CHAIR COWDERY announced that without objection, the motion
carried. He then told members he served in the House as the
House Rules Committee Chair and does not believe the Rules
Committee was designed to be a committee to do the state's
business. He said if legislation comes to the Rules Committee
that needs further work, it should be sent back to another
committee. He asked members to delegate to the Senate Rules
Committee Chair the authority to calendar legislation.
SENATOR JOHNNY ELLIS objected and said the Senate has always
operated in a different fashion from the House when it comes to
the Rules Committee. He believes that calendaring bills is an
important function that should stay with the committee. He felt
such a change would be a step backward in the public process and
take the business of the Rules Committee behind closed doors.
CHAIR COWDERY said the process works well in the House and he
has never heard any complaints. He noted that any decisions the
Senate Rules Committee Chair makes would be shared with the
Senate President and the Senate Majority Leader, as is done in
the House.
SENATOR THERRIAULT moved that the Senate Rules Committee
delegate authority to calendar all measures to the Chair.
SENATOR ELLIS objected.
CHAIR COWDERY noted the motion carried with Senators Stevens,
Therriault, and Chair Cowdery in favor, and Senators Guess and
Ellis opposed.
SENATOR ELLIS asked if this issue was announced on today's
Senate Rules Committee calendar.
CHAIR COWDERY said it was not as it was not a piece of
legislation.
SENATOR ELLIS felt it is a matter of public interest and should
have been noticed.
With no further business to come before the committee, CHAIR
COWDERY adjourned the meeting at 1:15 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|