JFAC deadlocks on statewide pay options; four CEC proposals tabled for later consideration

BOISE — Lawmakers on the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee debated four competing proposals for statewide change‑in‑employee‑compensation (CEC) for fiscal 2026 on Jan. 31 but failed to adopt any of them, leaving the subject for a future meeting.

Analysts presented four motions in the committee packet. One proposal would have provided a flat $1.55 per hour per permanent employee (with totals in committee materials of about $177.4 million in all funds). Another proposal combined a $1.55 per hour floor with a minimum 3% increase up to a salary threshold and produced a slightly higher total in staff calculations. A third proposal would have provided merit‑based increases of up to 4% distributed by agency leadership. The governor’s recommendation, included as a fourth option in the packet, was framed as a 5% merit increase contingent on distribution by merit and included supplemental adjustments for specific classifications in…