Some in House GOP push for zero raises for state employees, want to override JFAC

The House Education Committee has voted to introduce two new bills seeking to override JFAC’s earlier action setting state employee raises for next year at 2 percent. Rep. Stephen Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, proposed two bills, one for 2 percent merit raises, and the other for zero raises. Both were introduced on divided votes.

Hartgen said the House Republican Caucus discussed the issue, and some members were unhappy with JFAC’s action. “It’s a situation where maybe the cart got a little bit in front of the horse,” Hartgen told the Education Committee. “I think the intent here was to put two options on the table before the germane committees.” Hargten said leadership asked him to draft the two bills, for 2 percent merit or zero, as “broad parameters.”

Rep. Brian Cronin, D-Boise, asked, “Are we stepping on the toes of the Finance & Appropriations Committee? And why are we looking at this question in isolation rather than in the context of the larger budget, which is what JFAC does, and thus better understands how much money we have available for any sort of compensation increases?” Hartgen responded, “I think it’s always been the sense that policy should drive budgets rather than having budget drive policy. … So that in itself is not a new concept, that the work of the germane committee, I think we would all agree is to discuss and shape and form the policies that we think are appropriate, and then JFAC …  is to try to get the arms around the numbers available.”

Hartgen said as far as state employee raises, some House Republicans have had “discussion of whether we shouldn’t do any this year and … (instead direct) additional revenues to other needs, whether that’s tax relief or filling reserves.” Hartgen said the two measures he introduced “represent a range of the discussion that we’ve heard in the last number of weeks around the building.”

The Legislature hasn’t funded raises for state employees for the last four years.