0. FOX 10's Matt Galka reports. State law gives the board the autonomy to change employee classifications and pay plans. Get the Daily News Digest in your inbox each morning. GOP leaders decided to just take the easy road out, the path of least resistance and give up and just spend, said Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a Scottsdale Republican who voted against the budget. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror. KTARs Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives. We are overpaying. Private-sector employees can only dream of having that, said Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. Arizona state employees get raises without needed OKs. That paperwork sets the guidelines for how Arizona can spend its influx of cash, including a$4 billion-plus surplus to end the current year. Expanding the court will give RepublicanGov. Contents of this site are Copyright 2023 Kingman Miner and Western News&Info, Inc. All rights reserved. The Senate gave final approval Friday to a four-year package of raises for state employees that includes $3,500 in bonuses to help stem a surge in worker retirements. When the dust settled on the budget, it was education funding that persuaded Democrats. Arizonalawmakers couldnt reach agreement on the credit, which could have benefited more thana half-million residents of the Grand Canyon State, and it didnt make the budget. With single-vote Republican majorities in each chamber of the Legislature unable to come together, it took seven Senate Democrats to join in andpass the main budget legislation, while 27 of 29 Democratic members of the House voted in support. "It really was just a stopgap to start trying to stop people from leaving because all the agencies around us have received considerable pay raises and we were still so far behind," Hawkins said. Ducey hailed the deal, saying his policies of limited spending and regulation cuts can be credited for the surplus, although massive federal COVID-19 relief money also was a major contributor. "So yeah, well deserved and hopefully it does what the intent was, to try to stop the high number of regrettable attrition that we have, increased retirement, guys going out earlier than they probably would have.". It is unclear whether Gov. Using the money to provide premium pay for essential workers is allowed under terms of the virus relief law signed by the Democratic president last March. 2021. The governor in2016 signed a bill expanding the Arizona Supreme Court to seven judges from five, saying it would improve efficiency even as the chief justice at the time objected, citing more dire court needs. The budget puts another $425 million into the rainy day fund, an emergency savings account, adding to $1 billion already stashed away. The Senate gave final approval Friday to a four-year package of raises for state employees that includes $3,500 in bonuses to help stem a surge in worker retirements. That includes $544 million for border security, roughly half of it for a wall, and $1 billion for highway construction, including widening Interstate 10 north of Casa Grande. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror. The Legislature set aside $84 million for much-needed job-class-specific pay increases. Ned Lamont pitched an income tax cut in CT. Heres an overview of his proposal, Lamont, legislators heading for a battle over CT spending cap, State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. State employees have stepped up and answered the call of A Silver Alert was issued Tuesday evening for a 80-year-old man with a medical condition last seen in Queen Creek. The agency pays its starting troopers about $57,000 a year, and the new 15% stipend gets them to $65,000, Hawkins said. Bipartisan budget boosts school funding, state employee pay raises, transportation. The Senate gave final approval Friday to a four-year package of raises for state employees that includes $3,500 in bonuses to help stem a surge in worker retirements. Ironically, it was the Legislature's most conservative lawmakers who forced the hands of GOP leaders when they balked at initial, smaller spending proposals. The budget is made up of 17 pieces of legislation and amounts to hundreds of pages. December 9, 2014 Leave a comment. HB 2805 was introduced by Republican Representative David Cook. And a separate bill spends $335 million to construct a border fence along 17 miles of the states border with Mexico. Doug Ducey was expected to approve it. May 4, 2022. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. As part of House Bill 1, also known as the executive branch budget, state employees will receive an 8% across-the-board raise in the next fiscal year. I dont think we have a competitiveness problem here in Arizona, Rep. Kelli Butler, D-Paradise Valley, said, citing the, made in the state since its implementation and the states meager tax collections. Likely there will be some sort of compromise concerning the two state bills. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Republicans are widely expected to expand their majority in the 2022 election thanks to new district boundaries that appear to favor the GOP. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. As of April 8, 2021, both bills have passed where they were introduced and are awaiting full-floor discussions in the other. Tiny majorities in both chambers meant opposition from a single Republican lawmaker was enough to sink the budget if Democrats were united in opposition. The budget also includes a bigger write-off for people who donate to qualified charities and foster care organizations. Now, this budget isnt perfect. This is really just getting on a soap box and vilifying immigrants and creating a political point, Quezada said. The increases are tied to job performance and employees could increase two steps, or 5%, on his or her employment anniversary date. Cities and counties in Arizona are also struggling to fill positions because of low pay, and Ducey said in his state of the state address last week that his 15% pay hike would make troopers the best paid officers in the state. Additionally, the States workforce has declined by more than 1,500 employees in the last two years. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror. That will save property owners a collective $300 million. GOP minority says taxpayers got a raw deal, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). Bipartisan budget boosts school funding, state employee pay raises, transportation. Its not just line DPS troopers that are getting premium pay; dispatchers, crime lab technicians, radio repair staff and many others are getting premium pay, which ends on June 30. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Prior to joining CT Mirror Keith was State Capitol bureau chief for The Journal Inquirer of Manchester, a reporter for the Day of New London, and a former contributing writer to The New York Times. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The Senate is adjourned until tomorrow, March 11, at 11 a.m. Their agreement adds $80 million in combined additional funding for Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University, bringing their funding boosts in line with additional money already allocated to University of Arizona. December 9, 2014 Leave a comment. The cost of living in each state; She says Arizona normally offers 26 weeks of payments; about the same as other states. Doug Ducey is expected to sign the $18 billion budget approved by the Legislature this week. Doug Ducey, who appoints judges, a chance to further shape a conservative bench just ahead of his departure from office. WebFY 2022 Appropriations Report - General Fund Salary Adjustments for State Employees Since FY 2012 and Salary Adjustments for Elected Officials Created Date 8/4/2021 4:55:37 PM WebThe Arizona State Retirement System Board of Trustees announced Friday, November 12, 2021 that qualified retirees will receive a Permanent Benefit Increase (PBI) to their monthly annuities, beginning with their July 2022 benefit check. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. A starting correctional officer earns just over $35,000 a year before the 20% premium pay. $160 per employee a year to $186 per employee a year. Arizona state officials gave pay raises to 169 government workers without getting the required approval from the Department of The employee pay raise bill got to the finish line with a $10,000 raise for State Troopers, up from the original $2,550 figure. Those tax credits will be adjusted for inflation, increasing the savings to donors. Updated: 6:21 AM MST June 23, 2022 State employees will get a raise, many for the first time in a decade. TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - On Friday, Jan. 15, Arizona Gov. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. While annual retirements usually range from 2,000 to 2,500 per calendar year, more than 3,400 state employees have either retired or filed their written intentions to do so between January and March 31, 2022 alone. The merit raises are separate from cost of living increases sometimes approved by the Legislature. Agencies are not required to give the increases. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. The improbable bipartisanship was enabled by an unprecedented surplus topping $5 billion, allowing for a broad array of new spending and savings. PHOENIX (AP) Arizonas legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. Doug Ducey quietly tapped $95 million in federal coronavirus relief money in November to boost pay for state troopers, prison guards and workers in several other state departments deemed essential. Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) Each of the 3.6 million residents in Connecticut rely on the critical public services state workers provide whether you are standing in line at the DMV, attending a technical school, community college or state university, getting treatment at UConn Health, driving on our roads and bridges, enjoying a state park or beach, or any of the other ubiquitous public services you will be uplifted by these fair and honorable contracts, the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition wrote in a statement after the Senate vote. Last year, Graham told ADN agencies were struggling to find employees and her department was reviewing ways to keep them. "Weve got some quite a few critical positions that are vital to public safety," Karamargin said. 2305. Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Deputy Chief Investment Officer. $225,000.05. The larger raise for troopers came out of debate about locality pay for state troopers in competitive areas, particularly Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties. She says it's the actual payment amounts that put Arizona at the bottom of her list. $225,000.05. The six new judges will cost the state $4.5 million a year, but about half that in the upcoming year because terms begin in January 2023, according a budget summary from the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. Tax cuts are a staple of the annual budget. Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) Tiny majorities in both chambers meant opposition from a single Republican lawmaker was enough to sink the budget if Democrats were united in opposition. A north Phoenix church with ties in Turkey are rallying for earthquake survivors in the transcontinental country and also Syria. With this budget, were putting those dollars to good use and investing in priorities that Republicans and Democrats alike can agree on.. $225,000.05. He has been the state finances reporter at CT Mirror since it launched in 2010. Arizona Department of Administration. "Arizona came in second to last. Republicans last year cut $1.7 billion in income taxes. The agency has 448 vacancies out of nearly 2,300 approved positions and Ducey wants to spend $31 million a year on DPS raises alone, according to the governors office. This is what our state, where voters are nearly evenly divided by party affiliation, has long asked of us to work together, said Rep. Reginald Bolding of Laveen, the top Democrat in the House. Please reload the page and try again. After losing support on the right, House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann had to look elsewhere for votes, and they found them across the aisle. There's another $1 billion dedicated to 53road projects, from a sound wall along the Loop 101 near 16th Streetin north Phoenix to an interchange where Loop 303 meets Interstate 17 to roundabout improvements in Prescott Valley. The Legislature plans to return Thursday afternoon to take up legislation directing how the new water cash will be spent and other remaining bills, with an eye to adjourning for the year once those are completed. Ducey is seeking a permanent 15% raise for state troopers, 20% for juvenile and adult corrections employees and pay boosts for several other agencies that total nearly $250 million a year. Arizona state officials gave pay raises to 169 government workers without getting the required approval from the Department of Their agreement adds $80 million in combined additional funding for Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University, bringing their funding boosts in line with additional money already allocated to University of Arizona. Thirty states have state versions of the credit. Arizona's legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. I was told the choice is that bill or more investment in K-12 schools, and I chose our K-12 public schools.. State employees will get a raise, many for the first time in a decade. Arizona Gov. It is unclear whether Gov. For 2023, lawmakers approved a 4% raise for state employees. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. These class-specific raises are in addition to the 3.25% raise and lump-sum payments and will also go into effect July 1, 2022 and be reflected on the July 25 paycheck. News Release. Theres plenty in the budget Ducey can brag about as accomplishments for his final year in office: The deposit into the rainy day fund, over $200 million for border security, raises for state employees and public safety workers. That includes $544 million for border security, roughly half of it for a wall, and $1 billion for highway construction, including widening Interstate 10 north of Casa Grande. The final budget adds about 20 staff members to his Border Strike Force within the Department of Public Safety, and the $200 million-plus for border security includes: $20 million for a jail in Cochise County, $10 million for the Arizona National Guard, $53 million to retain and hire sheriffs officers, $15 million to transport asylum seekers outside of Arizona, as well as other priorities. Arizona State Retirement System (employees) Ghaddar Samer. In the budget deal, Democrats also were able to change how money given to schools for for capital costs like transportation, technology and textbooks. As part of House Bill 1, also known as the executive branch budget, state employees will receive an 8% across-the-board raise in the next fiscal year. State employees will get a raise, many for the first time in a decade. The Senate completed action on a bill Thursday evening that will provide pay raises for state employees whose wages are outlined in state code. Sen. Martin Quezada, a Glendale Democrat, spoke out against plans to spend $335 million for a wall on the southern border, which he said would be useless in stopping people from crossing. Some Republicans have said the hefty bonuses are only an election-year stunt from Lamont, a Democrat, to shore up his standing with his labor base. It is unclear whether Gov. And Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to the. Kingman Miner and Western News & Info, Inc. All rights reserved the 20 % premium pay was an and. A staple of the annual budget the cost of living increases sometimes approved by the Legislature week. Karamargin said doug Ducey is expected to expand their majority in the and. Made up of 17 pieces of legislation and amounts to hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure the! Employees can only dream of having that, said Sen. Henri Martin, R-Bristol property owners collective... 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