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Committee votes to return WSI FTEs to general pool; HB1021 hearing also reviews IT rates and enhancement projects
Summary
During a hearing on House Bill 1021, the Appropriations - Education and Environment Division reviewed Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) rates and one‑time enhancement projects and voted to remove an exemption that had kept WSI FTEs outside the general state FTE pool.
The Appropriations - Education and Environment Division reviewed House Bill 1021, covering Workforce Safety & Insurance (WSI) budget requests, information technology rate increases and one‑time projects, and took a formal vote to return WSI positions to the state’s general FTE pool.
Representative Hansen, who leads WSI’s presentation in committee, outlined the agency’s IT and modernization items, including a $315,000 IT rate increase tied to the statewide NDIT formula and several one‑time projects such as a claims and policy replacement project (listed at $520,000) and a WSI enhancement project shown around $1.3 million. Staff said much of WSI’s technology work is self‑funded through the WSI fund and noted an ongoing schedule for phasing projects online; the enhancement and replacement projects were presented as multi‑year work that had been brought forward in 1‑time funding lines.
On personnel and FTE handling, committee leadership proposed removing an earlier amendment that exempted WSI’s FTEs from the state‑level FTE pool and instead returning those positions to the pool for consistency with other special‑funded agencies. Representative Martinson made the motion to remove the exemption and Representative Swiatek seconded. The committee took a recorded voice vote; the motion passed 5 ayes to 2 nays. Committee minutes record Vice Chair Swandeck voting yes and Representative Parson and Hauser among the no votes; committee leadership confirmed the motion passed by the 5–2 margin.
Why it matters: returning WSI positions to the general FTE pool changes how those positions are counted and managed against statewide FTE limits and reflects a policy choice about consistency across agencies that generate special‑fund revenue.
Ending: The committee deferred final passage of HB1021 pending additional review, but members said the FTE‑pool status change will be included in further drafting as the bill moves forward.
