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First Substitute S.B. 238

Senator Terry R. Spencer proposes to substitute the following bill:


             1     
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT ACT AMENDMENTS

             2     
2000 GENERAL SESSION

             3     
STATE OF UTAH

             4     
Sponsor: Terry R. Spencer

             5      AN ACT RELATING TO STATE OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES; OUTLINING PRINCIPLES
             6      GOVERNING THE CAREER SERVICE SYSTEM; AMENDING PROVISIONS FOR
             7      VOLUNTARY ACCEPTANCE OF LOWER POSITIONS AND DISMISSALS AND
             8      DEMOTIONS; REDEFINING MERIT STEP INCREMENTS; MODIFYING SALARY RANGE
             9      REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN PROMOTIONS AND RECLASSIFICATIONS; MAKING
             10      TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
             11      This act affects sections of Utah Code Annotated 1953 as follows:
             12      AMENDS:
             13          67-19-12, as last amended by Chapters 10, 202 and 213, Laws of Utah 1997
             14          67-19-15.7, as last amended by Chapter 213, Laws of Utah 1997
             15      ENACTS:
             16          67-19-3.1, Utah Code Annotated 1953
             17      Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
             18          Section 1. Section 67-19-3.1 is enacted to read:
             19          67-19-3.1. Principles governing interpretation of act and adoption of rules.
             20          (1) The department shall establish a career service system designed in a manner that will
             21      provide for the effective implementation, by agencies, of the following merit principles:
             22          (a) recruiting, selecting, and advancing employees on the basis of their relative ability,
             23      knowledge, and skills, including open consideration of qualified applicants for initial appointment;
             24          (b) providing for equitable and competitive compensation;
             25          (c) training employees as needed to assure high-quality performance;


             26          (d) retaining employees on the basis of the adequacy of their performance and separating
             27      employees whose inadequate performance cannot be corrected;
             28          (e) fair treatment of applicants and employees in all aspects of personnel administration
             29      without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, age, or disability,
             30      and with proper regard for their privacy and constitutional rights as citizens;
             31          (f) providing information to employees regarding their political rights and the prohibited
             32      practices under the Hatch Act; and
             33          (g) providing a formal procedure for processing the appeals and grievances of employees
             34      without discrimination, coercion, restraint, or reprisal.
             35          (2) The principles in Subsection (1) shall govern interpretation and implementation of this
             36      chapter.
             37          Section 2. Section 67-19-12 is amended to read:
             38           67-19-12. State pay plans -- Applicability of section -- Exemptions from section --
             39      Duties of director.
             40          (1) (a) This section, and the rules adopted by the department to implement this section,
             41      apply to each career and noncareer state employee not specifically exempted under Subsection (2).
             42          (b) If not exempted under Subsection (2), a state employee is considered to be in classified
             43      service.
             44          (2) The following state employees are exempt from this section:
             45          (a) members of the Legislature and legislative employees;
             46          (b) members of the judiciary and judicial employees;
             47          (c) elected members of the executive branch and their direct staff who meet career service
             48      exempt criteria as defined in Subsection 67-19-15 (1)(k);
             49          (d) certificated employees of the State Board of Education;
             50          (e) officers, faculty, and other employees of state institutions of higher education;
             51          (f) employees in any position that is determined by statute to be exempt from this
             52      Subsection (2);
             53          (g) attorneys in the Office of the Attorney General;
             54          (h) department heads and other persons appointed by the governor pursuant to statute;
             55          (i) employees of the Department of Community and Economic Development whose
             56      positions are designated as executive/professional positions by the executive director of the


             57      Department of Community and Economic Development with the concurrence of the director; and
             58          (j) employees of the Medical Education Council.
             59          (3) (a) The director shall prepare, maintain, and revise a position classification plan for
             60      each employee position not exempted under Subsection (2) to provide equal pay for equal work.
             61          (b) Classification of positions shall be based upon similarity of duties performed and
             62      responsibilities assumed, so that the same job requirements and the same salary range may be
             63      applied equitably to each position in the same class.
             64          (c) The director shall allocate or reallocate the position of each employee in classified
             65      service to one of the classes in the classification plan.
             66          (d) (i) The department shall conduct periodic studies and desk audits to provide that the
             67      classification plan remains reasonably current and reflects the duties and responsibilities assigned
             68      to and performed by employees.
             69          (ii) The director shall determine the schedule for studies and desk audits after considering
             70      factors such as changes in duties and responsibilities of positions or agency reorganizations.
             71          (4) (a) With the approval of the governor, the director shall develop and adopt pay plans
             72      for each position in classified service.
             73          (b) The director shall design each pay plan to achieve, to the degree that funds permit,
             74      comparability of state salary ranges to salary ranges used by private enterprise and other public
             75      employment for similar work.
             76          (c) The director shall adhere to the following in developing each pay plan:
             77          (i) Each pay plan shall consist of sufficient salary ranges to permit adequate salary
             78      differential among the various classes of positions in the classification plan.
             79          (ii) The director shall assign each class of positions in the classification plan to a salary
             80      range and shall set the width of the salary range to reflect the normal growth and productivity
             81      potential of employees in that class. The width of the ranges need not be uniform for all classes
             82      of positions in the plan, but each range shall contain merit steps in increments of [2.75%] 3%
             83      salary increases.
             84          (iii) The director shall issue rules for the administration of pay plans. The rules may
             85      provide for exceptional performance increases and for a program of incentive awards for
             86      cost-saving suggestions and other commendable acts of employees. The director shall issue rules
             87      providing for salary adjustments.


             88          (iv) Merit step increases shall be granted, if funds are available, to employees who receive
             89      a rating of "successful" or higher in an annual evaluation of their productivity and performance.
             90          (v) By October 15 of each year, the director shall submit market comparability adjustments
             91      to the state budget officer for consideration to be included as part of the affected agency's base
             92      budgets.
             93          (vi) By October 31 of each year, the director shall recommend a compensation package
             94      to the governor.
             95          (vii) Adjustments shall incorporate the results of a total compensation market survey of
             96      salary ranges and benefits of a reasonable cross section of comparable benchmark positions in
             97      private and public employment in the state. The survey may also study comparable unusual
             98      positions requiring recruitment outside Utah in the surrounding western states. The director may
             99      cooperate with other public and private employers in conducting the survey.
             100          (viii) The director shall establish criteria to assure the adequacy and accuracy of the survey
             101      and shall use methods and techniques similar to and consistent with those used in private sector
             102      surveys. Except as provided under Section 67-19-12.3 , the survey shall include a reasonable cross
             103      section of employers. The director may cooperate with or participate in any survey conducted by
             104      other public and private employers.
             105          (ix) The establishing of a salary range is a nondelegable activity subject to Subsection
             106      67-19-8 (1) and is not appealable under the grievance procedures of Sections 67-19-30 through
             107      67-19-32 , Title 67, Chapter 19a, Grievance and Appeal Procedures, or otherwise.
             108          (x) The governor shall:
             109          (A) consider salary adjustments recommended under Subsection (4)(c)(vi) in preparing
             110      the executive budget and shall recommend the method of distributing the adjustments;
             111          (B) submit compensation recommendations to the Legislature; and
             112          (C) support the recommendation with schedules indicating the cost to individual
             113      departments and the source of funds.
             114          (xi) If funding is approved by the Legislature in a general appropriations act, the
             115      adjustments take effect on the July 1 following the enactment.
             116          (5) (a) The director shall regularly evaluate the total compensation program of state
             117      employees in the classified service.
             118          (b) The department shall determine if employee benefits are comparable to those offered


             119      by other private and public employers using information from:
             120          (i) the most recent edition of the Employee Benefits Survey Data conducted by the U.S.
             121      Chamber of Commerce Research Center; or
             122          (ii) the most recent edition of a nationally recognized benefits survey.
             123          (6) (a) The director shall submit proposals for a state employee compensation plan to the
             124      governor by October 31 of each year, setting forth findings and recommendations affecting state
             125      employee compensation.
             126          (b) The governor shall consider the director's proposals in preparing budget
             127      recommendations for the Legislature.
             128          (c) The governor's budget proposals to the Legislature shall include a specific
             129      recommendation on state employee compensation.
             130          Section 3. Section 67-19-15.7 is amended to read:
             131           67-19-15.7. Promotion -- Reclassification -- Market adjustment.
             132          (1) (a) Each employee who is promoted or whose position is reclassified to the next higher
             133      salary range shall be placed at the merit step within the new range corresponding to a salary
             134      increase of between [2.75%] 3% and [11%] 12%.
             135          (b) The employee may not be placed higher than the highest merit step in the new salary
             136      range.
             137          (2) (a) Each employee who is promoted or whose position is reclassified to a salary range
             138      higher than the next higher range shall be placed at the merit step within the new range
             139      corresponding to a salary increase of between [5.5%] 6% and [11%] 12%.
             140          (b) The employee may not be placed lower than the lowest merit step in the new salary
             141      range.
             142          [(3) Each employee who voluntarily accepts a position in the next lower salary range shall
             143      be placed at the merit step within the new range corresponding to a salary decrease of 2.75% or
             144      as close to 2.75% as possible. The employee may not be placed lower than the lowest merit step
             145      in the new salary range.]
             146          [(4) Each employee who voluntarily accepts a position in a salary range lower than the
             147      next lower range shall be placed at the merit step within the new range corresponding to a salary
             148      decrease of 5.5% or as close to 5.5% as possible. The employee may not be placed higher than the
             149      highest merit step in the new salary range.]


             150          [(5)] (3) (a) Each employee whose salary range is approved by the Legislature for a
             151      selective salary adjustment consistent with Subsection 67-19-12 (4)(c)(viii) shall be adjusted to the
             152      new range at the beginning of the next fiscal year.
             153          (b) Employees shall be placed at the step value on the new range consistent with the
             154      appropriation authorized by the Legislature.
             155          [(6)] (4) (a) Department-initiated revisions in the state classification system that result in
             156      consolidation or reduction of class titles or broadening of pay ranges may not be regarded as a
             157      reclassification of the position or promotion of the employee.
             158          (b) These revisions are exempt from the provisions of Subsections (1) and (2).
             159          Section 4. Effective date.
             160          This act takes effect on July 1, 2001.


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