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Committee accepts CEC salary recommendations including targeted increase for state troopers
Summary
JFAC accepted the Change in Employee Compensation committee's recommendations to adjust salary schedules and proposed targeted increases for certain occupations, including up to 8% for Idaho State Police troopers.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee accepted a report from the Change in Employee Compensation (CEC) committee that recommended adjustments to state employee pay schedules and benefits.
Senator Dan Foreman, CEC co-chair, presented the committee's recommendations. The CEC recommended shifting the primary compensation schedule upward by an average 3.2%, while keeping the pay-grade D minimum at $7.25 per hour. The committee recommended specialized schedule increases averaging 3.2% for public safety, 3.0% for IT and engineering, and 3.5% for nursing and health care. The CEC recommended a general salary increase funded at $1.55 per hour per FTP (per full-time position) with flexibility for agency heads and institution presidents to distribute those funds.
For Idaho State Police troopers — identified by CEC members as experiencing “critically low” staffing in parts of the state — CEC recommended the legislature fund a targeted increase up to, but not exceeding, 8% (with agency-level flexibility). The committee described trooper attrition as driven primarily by pay, not morale or work environment, and said the increase was intended to aid retention and public safety coverage.
Other recommendations included a 4.5% increase for employees on the IT and engineering salary schedule and funding assumptions that increases be applied where employees fall below new minimums. The committee recommended maintaining the current employee benefits package and increasing appropriation levels for fiscal year 2026 from $13,000 to $13,960 per FTP for health insurance funding assumptions. The committee did not vote on insurance appropriations for school districts and recommended those be addressed in district budgets.
Senator Ward Engelking and other JFAC members raised concerns about recruitment and vacancy rates, noting high turnover and market gaps in several classifications. Representative James Holsclaw (Holsclaw) thanked staff for their work; Senator Foreman and other members described the recommendations as balancing fiscal stewardship with employee retention needs.
Co-chair Horman asked for unanimous consent to accept the CEC report; Senator Woodward seconded and the committee accepted the report by unanimous consent with no objections recorded.
