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Committee backs bill to make statewide elected-office staff at-will, moves HR positions to auditor
Summary
Lawmakers advanced House Bill 324 to make employees of the four statewide elected offices at-will; the committee amended the bill to transfer two HR vacancies to the auditor’s office and approved the measure.
The House Education Committee voted to advance House Bill 324, which would make employees of the state's four statewide elected offices subject to at-will employment rules and align those offices with other elected branches, sponsors said.
Proponents argued the change will give elected officials more flexibility to manage their agencies and respond to evolving operational needs. The committee adopted a sponsor amendment to transfer two unfilled HR positions from the affected offices to the auditor’s office to assist with payroll and staffing, then reported the bill do pass as amended.
Treasurer Curt Meier and state Auditor Christy Racine — both elected officials who testified in favor — told the committee that at-will authority would help elected officials recruit and retain staff for specialized roles such as accounting and financial reporting and reduce long onboarding delays. Meier described the need to compete with private-sector compensation for accountants and said permitting at-will hires was one step toward responsiveness.
Auditor Racine said flexibility outweighed risks for her office because she must produce the state’s consolidated financial statements and needs experienced certified public accountants; she noted existing pay and classification constraints that make recruitment difficult. The auditor’s office and the treasurer’s office discussed adding procedural language to keep payroll and a small number of HR functions centralized at the auditor’s office; the committee accepted a motion to transfer two positions to the auditor for that purpose.
Committee members discussed, but did not add, broader budget or block-grant changes that some witnesses suggested would help elected offices manage staff and compensation. Members said those broader funding and budget-process issues would be better handled in separate legislation.
After the adopted amendment, the committee reported HB 324 do pass as amended. The roll-call recorded eight ayes and one excused; the clerk announced the vote as 8 aye, 1 excused.
