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Lawmakers press state agencies on failures to notify job applicants
Summary
Members pressed agency officials about inconsistent applicant-notification practices across state departments, calling for clearer accountability and a more uniform hiring process; agency staff said the state uses a common applicant tracking system but agency-level follow-up is decentralized and must be enforced by agency heads.
Lawmakers opened the session by criticizing uneven practices across state agencies for notifying job applicants who were not selected, and they urged stronger accountability from agency leaders.
Representative Wright (speaker 2) told the committee he was "baffled" that applicants routinely do not receive basic closure notices. An agency official (speaker 3) said the state provides a centralized applicant tracking system that generates notifications and that the office audits hiring activity and reports audit results to agency heads; the official said agency heads must ensure their staff complete notification steps.
Representative Fornham (speaker 5) pushed for a uniform hiring process across departments so applicants are handled consistently and agencies cannot argue they use different systems or standards. "We need to drive to a point to where we're doing a uniform way that the civil service isn't doing it different than the way DOTD does it," Fornham said.
Representative Bridal (speaker 6) pressed the consequences for taxpayers and questioned whether the entire system needs an overhaul; the agency witness said the office has been "recognized nationally" for programs and will continue to evolve while working with agency leadership to improve accountability.
The agency said it can produce reports for agency heads identifying where notifications have not been completed and will raise the issue with undersecretaries responsible for management and finance. Committee members said they expected follow-up and better enforcement rather than additional funding to resolve the problem.
No formal vote was taken on the hiring-notification discussion; staff said they would bring the members' concerns to agency leaders and continue audits and outreach.
