Joint CEC Committee - that’s Change in Employee Compensation - to meet today, take testimony on Thurs.

The Legislature’s joint committee on change in employee compensation – commonly known as CEC – will meet this afternoon at 2:30 in room EW 42 ( agenda here ) to review the latest state compensation report and the governor’s recommendation for 3 percent merit-based raises for state employees next year, and then again on Thursday, when it’ll hear public testimony starting at 4 p.m., also in room EW 42.

Rep. Neil Anderson, R-Blackfoot, co-chair of the joint committee, announced to the House today that the panel will hold several meetings over the next few days, including on Tuesday to make its decision. “We need to meet expeditiously – we need to finish our work so that JFAC can take action,” he said.

Thursday’s meeting also will start at 2:30, with presentations on state employee health insurance benefits and the Public Employee Retirement System, before the public testimony begins at 4 p.m. The full agenda is online here , including instructions for those wishing to testify.

The committee also is scheduled to meet Friday at 1 p.m. in room WW53 ( agenda here ) to hear presentations from the Division of Human Resources, the Division of Financial Management, and the Legislative Budget Office. On Tuesday ( agenda here ), the joint panel will meet at 4 p.m. in room WW17 for “committee discussion and consideration of the Legislature’s FY 2018 CEC recommendation.”

Jani Revier, Gov. Butch Otter’s budget director, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee this morning that Idaho’s state employee salaries fall an average of 24 percent below market rates, and trail surrounding states by an average of 14 percent. “A CEC is needed to keep from falling further behind,” she said.