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Change-in-employee-compensation panel recommends pay increases; JFAC accepts report
Summary
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee accepted the Change in Employee Compensation (CEC) committee report, which recommends pay-schedule shifts, targeted increases for troopers, IT, nursing and a general hourly increase; JFAC accepted the report by unanimous consent.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Friday accepted the report from the Change in Employee Compensation committee, which recommends a set of targeted salary and benefit adjustments for state employees and asked that JFAC consider those recommendations during budget deliberations.
Why it matters: The CEC report proposes across-the-board schedule shifts and targeted pay increases intended to address recruitment and retention problems in state government. JFAC accepted the report by unanimous consent, placing the recommendations into the legislative budget process.
Key recommendations: Cochair Senator Dan Foreman and committee staff outlined the committeerecommendations: shift the primary compensation schedule upward by an average of 3.2 percent (with an exception that pay grade D minimum remain at $7.25 per hour); shift specialized schedules by an average of 3.2 percent for public safety, 3 percent for IT and engineering, and 3.5 percent for nursing and health care.
The committee recommended funding a general salary increase of $1.55 per hour per FTE for state employees, with flexibility for agency heads and institution presidents to allocate funds. For Idaho State Police troopers (pay grade L), the CEC recommended funding an increase up to, but not exceeding, eight percent to address low staffing levels. The CEC recommended a 4.5 percent increase for employees on the IT and engineering salary schedule. For nursing and health-care positions the committee recommended either $1.55 per hour per FTE or 3 percent, whichever is greater. The committee also recommended maintaining the current employee benefits package and increasing the per-FTE appropriation level for FY26 from $13,000 to $13,960.
Discussion and concern: Senator Ward Engelking registered concerns in debate, noting that many state positions are below market and that the state faces a roughly 19 percent vacancy/turnover rate in some areas. Engelking cautioned that employees making about $64,000 annually would not see a full 5 percent raise under the recommendations and said the state is "hemorrhaging" employees in areas where pay is not competitive.
Representative James Holsclaw, a CEC cochair, and committee members emphasized that the recommendations are designed to balance fiscal responsibility with retention needs. The CEC report was accepted by unanimous consent after a motion and a second by Senator Woodward.
What happens next: JFAC members will consider these compensation adjustments as part of program maintenance and enhancement hearings next week and may vote to adopt, modify or reject specific funding requests as the budget is developed.
