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Labor Department says turnover down after pay changes; seeks resolution of long delay in online licensure rollout
Summary
Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn told the subcommittee that the agency has restructured positions to boost pay and reduce turnover without seeking additional appropriations, and urged completion of an OMS-led online licensure replacement after years of contract delays.
Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn told the subcommittee the Department of Labor has not requested additional appropriations for FY26 and has reduced staff turnover by restructuring mid‑level positions and shifting pay to retain highly trained inspectors and technical staff.
Osborn described major program areas under the department’s purview: a safety‑consultation program (state-funded safety assistance for businesses under SBA size guidelines), wage and hour administration to recover back wages, elevator and boiler inspection, amusement ride inspection, compressed natural gas pump oversight and other safety‑oriented regulatory functions.
The commissioner said an acute issue is the department’s long-running inability to complete an online licensure system through the centralized OMES procurement. She recounted prior attempts, multiple vendors and the expense of delays. "We have a million dollars basically sitting in a savings account that we have saved by pinching pennies ... and they won't allow us to sign a contract," Osborn said. She said the department is hopeful a contract with Tyler Technologies (a U.S.-based vendor) will be finalized so applicants and licensees can move away from paper forms and Big Chief tablets.
Osborn said the department has limited staff growth and has tried to match pay in specific technical roles (for example, boiler inspectors) so that the state does not train employees only to have them recruited by the private sector. She told members the agency will continue constituent services and investigator work and invited committee members to tour departmental operations.
No formal actions or votes took place during the hearing.
