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Legislative committee accepts CEC recommendations: targeted salary shifts, trooper pay boost proposed
Summary
The Change in Employee Compensation (CEC) committee recommended a package of salary schedule shifts and targeted increases for occupations including state troopers, nurses and IT staff; JFAC accepted the CEC report by unanimous consent.
The Joint Finance Appropriations Committee accepted the Change in Employee Compensation Committee's (CEC) report, which recommends several targeted salary adjustments and a one-dollar-55-per-hour pay package for state employees.
Senator Dan Foreman, CEC co-chair, told the committee the recommendations include: shifting the primary compensation schedule upward by an average of 3.2%; leaving pay-grade D minimum at $7.25 per hour; raising specialized compensation schedules by an average of 3.2% for public safety, 3.0% for IT and engineering, and 3.5% for nursing and health care. The committee also recommended the legislature fund a salary increase equivalent to $1.55 per hour per full-time position (FTP) with flexibility for agency heads and institution presidents to distribute funds.
On state troopers, Foreman said the committee recommended an increase "to meet but not exceed 8%" for Idaho State Police troopers in pay grade L to address critical staffing shortages. Foreman described the situation in parts of the state as a "serious public safety emergency," noting that some districts are operating at roughly 50% trooper manning.
For IT and engineering positions the committee recommended a 4.5% salary increase; for nursing and health care the committee recommended the greater of $1.55 per hour per FTP or 3%, again with agency-level flexibility on distribution.
Senator Ward Engelking raised concerns that the recommended increases may not be sufficient given state employee turnover and market gaps; she told the committee that many state positions are paying well below market and cited a roughly 19% vacancy/turnover figure referenced during the discussion.
Representative James Holsclaw (District 20), a CEC co-chair in the House, thanked staff for their work. Co-chair Horman moved to accept the CEC report; Senator Woodward seconded, and the committee accepted the report by unanimous consent.
The committee noted the CEC recommendations will be examined in more detail during upcoming JFAC hearings; accepting the report today is a procedural step to bring the recommendations forward into the budget process.
