SECOND REGULAR SESSION
House Concurrent Resolution No. 33
96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE BERNSKOETTER.
AN ACT
Relating to the Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages, with an emergency clause.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
WHEREAS, the Joint Interim Committee on State Employee Wages was established under HCR 32 in the Ninety-Sixth General Assembly, First 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 their peer states in regards 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 employees have not had a pay raise since 2008; and
WHEREAS, while state employee wages have remained the same since 2008, 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% 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 many lessons learned 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-sixth 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 through December 31, 2014, upon passage and approval of this resolution, for the purpose of further studying and developing of strategies for increasing the wages of Missouri's state employees so Missouri will become competitive with their peer states in regards 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 use moneys in the State Employee Wage Study Fund, created in this resolution, to invest in a consultant to conduct salary and total compensation surveys to more 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, 2015;
(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 there is hereby created in the state treasury the "State Employee Wage Study Fund". The State Treasurer shall deposit to the credit of such fund all moneys which may be appropriated to it by the General Assembly and any gifts, contributions, grants, bequests, or other aid received from federal, private, or other sources. The general assembly may appropriate moneys into the fund to be used by the State Office of Administration for the purpose of investing in a consultant to conduct salary and total compensation surveys to more comprehensively review and analyze the state classification and compensation structures. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080 to the contrary, moneys in the fund shall not revert to the credit of the general revenue fund at the end of the biennium; 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 Joint Contingent Fund; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be sent to the Governor for his approval or rejection pursuant to the Missouri Constitution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that because immediate action is necessary to help attract and maintain a talented and dedicated workforce in order to best serve the needs of Missouri citizens, this resolution is deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health, welfare, peace, and safety, and is hereby declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the constitution, and this resolution shall be in full force and effect upon its passage and approval.
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