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Legislative compensation panel recommends targeted salary shifts, $1.55/hr floor and up to 8% for troopers; JFAC accepts report
Summary
The Change in Employee Compensation (CEC) committee recommended several targeted salary adjustments, including a $1.55-per-hour-per-FTE general supplemental, specialized schedule shifts, a trooper increase capped at 8%, and a higher IT raise; JFAC accepted the CEC report by unanimous consent.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee accepted the CEC committee's report on employee compensation, which recommends targeted pay adjustments across state government and flexibility in distributing appropriated funds.
Senator Dan Foreman, co-chair of the CEC committee, told the panel the recommendations include shifting the primary compensation schedule upward by an average of 3.2%, with exceptions. For specialized compensation schedules, the committee recommended average shifts of 3.2% for public safety, 3.0% for IT and engineering, and 3.5% for nursing and health care. The committee recommended funding those schedule shifts only when an employee's salary falls below the minimum.
"We recommend the legislature fund a salary increase for state employees of a dollar 55 per hour per FTP with flexibility allowed for the agency heads and institution presidents to distribute those funds as they see fit," Foreman said. He also recommended a targeted increase for Idaho State Police troopers, capped at 8% for pay grade L, saying low wages were the primary driver of recent staffing losses.
James Holsclaw (spelled in the record as "James holds clock"), representing District 20, acknowledged staff efforts and framed the recommendations as balancing fiscal stewardship with workforce retention. Senator Ward Engelking objected to the scale of the proposed increases for higher-paid staff and warned many positions remain below market. "When we are hemorrhaging state employees in this state, we have over a 19% vacancy in turnover," Engelking said, urging attention to recruitment and retention.
Other specific recommendations included a 4.5% increase for IT and engineering salary schedule employees and, for nursing and health-care positions, either $1.55 per hour per FTE or 3%, whichever is greater. The committee recommended maintaining the existing employee benefit package and proposed an increase in appropriation levels per FTP for FY2026.
Co-chair Horman asked unanimous consent to accept the CEC report; Senator Woodward seconded, and the committee approved the report by unanimous consent with no objections recorded.
Why it matters: The CEC recommendations inform appropriation requests and agency-level salary decisions during the budget process. Committee members emphasized the recommendations provide flexibility to agency heads while attempting to address recruitment and retention critical to public safety and health services.
