Committee accepts corrected CEC recommendation letter clarifying salary action

Frances Lippett, a budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, presented corrected language for the committee’s CEC (committee on employee compensation) recommendation letter on Jan. 13 and the Joint Finance‑Appropriations Committee accepted the edits by unanimous consent.

Lippett told the committee the first correction was removal of flexibility language that had been incorrectly included. She said the committee’s motion "was to fund a salary increase for state employees of a dollar 55 per hour per FTP" and that the motion that passed did not include the previously drafted flexibility language. She also clarified that the committee had voted to recommend a 4.5% market‑based increase for IT and engineering employees "in addition to that dollar 55 per hour per FTP."

After the presentation, Lippett asked for unanimous consent to accept the corrected letter. "I ask for unanimous consent that we accept these technical revisions to the letter from the CEC committee," she said. With no objection, the chair ordered the corrected letter accepted.

Representative Petzke asked one clarification during the exchange to confirm that the IT and engineering market‑based increase applied to employees on the IT and engineering salary schedule and not necessarily to non‑classified IT staff who work for constitutional officers; Lippett said the motion covered employees in the IT and engineering salary schedule and noted the committee could choose whether to expand coverage to non‑classified staff.

The correction will be reflected in the committee’s recommendation letter sent forward as part of ongoing budget work.