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Merit Award Board kept active with small appropriation; future funding not recommended in agency request
Summary
The Merit Award Board received small appropriations in the prior session and has processed a suggestion backlog; the Administration did not recommend additional funding in its current budget request.
The Division of Human Resource Management told the subcommittee that the Merit Award Board, moved into consultation and accountability in 2024, cleared a backlog of suggestions and issued a $750 award this fiscal year but is not included for continued funding in the department’s current budget request.
Beshara Washington, administrator for the division of human resource management, said the board had “a large number of unaddressed suggestions and no substantial activity for approximately 1 year” when the division took responsibility and that it has moved from paper to an electronic tracking system and created a dedicated submission email. Joy Grimmer added that the current slide reflects funding appropriated in AB239 during the 2023 legislative session: $25,000 for merit awards and $3,000 for administrative funding, and that she is not aware of any current legislation that would appropriate further funding this biennium.
Why it matters: The Merit Award Board is intended to recognize employee suggestions that improve government operations. Committee members sought to understand whether the small administrative appropriation allocated in the prior session was sufficient and why the department did not include continued funding in its budget recommendation.
Assembly member Bacchus asked if the $3,000 administrative funding was sufficient; Grimmer said it had been sufficient and that the board met on Feb. 9, 2025. Bacchus also asked for a summary of suggestions reviewed this fiscal year; Beshara Washington said staff would provide that information to the committee. Washington confirmed one $750 award had been made during the period presented.
Less-critical details and next steps: Grimmer said limited appropriations constrained the department’s ranked decision units during the budget build and that the Merit Award program was not given an additional appropriation in the current request. Staff committed to provide the committee with a report summarizing the types of suggestions and the board’s award criteria.
