I call this meeting the House Finance Committee to order.
Let the record reflect that it's 1.32 PM, 1-33 now on Monday, February 2nd,
2026.
A present today are, I think, just about all the members.
We have representative Allard, representative Hannon,
representing Moore, representing Bynum, represent Stapp,
representing Thomas Shefsky,
representing Galvin, represented Jimmy.
Two of the co-chairs, Shroggy and myself of Co-chair Josephson.
Also present today are our House Finance Committee staff,
Committee Assistant Helen Phillips, Paige Tullulu, Lestefka.
We've been joined by the third co chair, Co Chair Foster,
Secretary Brie Wyland, Secretary Leah Frazier.
We also have our moderator, Emily Mesh,
from the Legislative Information Office.
Before we start, please mute your cell phones.
In today's meeting, the Department of Administration will give two presentations.
The first will be its department budget overview,
then they will provide an update on the 2025 statewide
salary study.
With us today from the department to present its budget
overview is Stephanie Bingham, Director for the Division
of Admin Services.
Director Bingam, please come forward.
Put yourself on record and begin your presentation.
Good afternoon, members of the House Finance Committee.
I am Stephanie Bingham, Admin and Services Director
for the Department of Administration.
Today, I will provide an overview
of The Governor's fiscal year 2027 budget for our department.
Please bear with me.
I'm new to the department,
I've been in this position for six months.
Our mission is to provide consistent and efficient support
services to state agencies so they can better
services to the public include legal and advocacy services, Alaska Public
Offices Commission, Public Communication Services and Division of Motor Vehicles.
Services to state agencies include Office of Administrative Hearings,
Administrative Services, Finance, Personnel, Office
of Administration, Information Technology, Risk Management, Retirement and Benefits,
This slide represents the budget trends for FY21 through FY2027.
The Department of Administration's proposed FY27 budget totals $350 million,
up from $340 million in FY26.
We have a question already, Director from Representative Stanton.
Yeah, thank Coach or Justin through the chair.
I just wanted to thank you and welcome you for being here.
And we all appreciate you coming here, and.
Even though you're new, we're still excited that you are here, and I think you will do a great job in your presentation today.
Thank you.
Thank You very much.
Okay, continuing on, unrestricted general funds, 99.8 million up from 96.6 million in FY26.
Designated general fund, 36.5 million, up to 35.4 million.
Other funds, 212.3 million up from 207.6 million in FY26.
Other fund primarily include interagency receipts in the Office of Information Technology Service Fund.
Federal funds 1. 3 million slightly up by 23,000.
Any questions?
Don't see any. So we'll go to slide 4.
This slide is the FY 2027's budget by fund group.
This is another perspective of slide three, if there's any questions.
Don't see any, we're going to slide five.
Slide five represents how funds are allocated across results to delivery units.
These are our appropriations in the budget bill.
The department is primarily funded by the other fund groups.
As mentioned, largely in our agency receipts in the Office of Information Technologies Information Services Fund with central administrative services at 104.4, 104,8 million, and the office of information technology at 68.2 million and risk management at 35.20 million.
As for the unrestricted general funds across the department, the largest share is in legal and advocacy services with 85.7 million and
central administrative services, with the smallest share at
11.6 million. Shared services is eliminated in the FY2027 budget.
Any questions? Yes question from represent Hannah. Thank you chair Josephson and thank you miss Bingham
For being here, and no matter what people say about house finance, we're not as vicious as they might lead us to believe.
I mean, my questions about shared services and I had an email inquiry from a state employee.
And before I answered them, I wanted to make sure, since you were coming here today and it came in on Friday, they were concerned that.
These jobs being moved from shared services back to departments.
And they said, there's hiring freeze, so how are these people going to get their jobs?
My understanding, and so I'm looking for you to affirm or correct me where I am wrong,
is that people who were, if I was at shared service, but doing payroll for
DOT, my position.
It goes to DOT, I don't have to apply for it.
I'm laterally moving and the position goes and that's where it is.
It's the same job, just how it's back at the, instead of at big admin,
it said admin in the State Department that it has been reassigned back to.
Is that correct?
Yes, through the chair representing the hand in you are partially correct. So shared services and payroll are separate payroll is under the division of finance
Shared services is its own division. That will be kind of splitting up the accounting and travel
We'll move back to the departments and as you're correct those positions that are filled
We will move with filled positions to The Department
If they are vacant, they will have, it'll be a collaborative opportunity between the agencies to hire a new candidate.
Okay.
Follow-up, follow-ups.
And so right now, no one who has a job in one of those that's going back to departments will be losing their job.
But some vacant positions will need to be reevaluated and applied for.
Or they'll frozen out until the hiring freeze is lifted.
Thank you. Through the Chair, Representative Hannon, the hiring freeze should not impact this.
We are getting a blanket waiver to still recruit for those positions.
There is one position being eliminated, which is the shared services director.
Thank You very much. That tells you something. All right, let's go to slide six.
This slide represents the FY2026 request that were not funded.
For the Office of Public Advocacy, there were three position requests for
administrative officer, a paralegal, and an attorney five.
For The Office Of Information Technology, it was Microsoft 365 co-pilot,
AI tools, And the AI projects.
and for the Division of Motor Vehicles, it was additional programming capacity with an analyst
programmer position. These requests were not re-requested in FY 2027 as the department is
prioritizing the most critical needs as state faces statewide budget constraints. Any questions?
This slide represents the FY2026 items and their status.
For the Office of Public Advocacy,
there's 450,000 of unrestricted general funds
and funds over time, eligibility for the Guardian
at Lightham in public guardian position
in the child in need of aid case work.
For public defender agency, it was 1.5 million
of statutory designated program receipts
to the municipality of Anchorage for misdemeanor cases.
For the Office of Information Technology,
there was 529,000 of other funds for the Information Services
fund, funds rising, software, and contract costs
for their increased usage and inflation.
Director Bingham, I have a question about these two slides.
On slide six, you identified these as requests made a year ago
and that those were not being re-requested on slide seven.
These are things we did fund,
and you're just telling us how the funding is going.
That's right.
Yes, through the Chair Representative Josephson,
you are correct.
Okay.
Sorry for that.
I should have clarified a little clear.
No, no, I'm not there.
Okay, any questions about six or seven?
Let's go to slide eight.
Thank you, Chair Justin through the chair to director again. Thank You for being here
On this other so I guess to you first on the fun source for the office of information technology
It says other you tell me if that's programmatic receipts or some sort of license fee first through
the Chair
Miss Bingham through The Chair Representative Josephson
Terrep stop. Yes, you are correct. That is the Office of Information Technology and
information services button.
Yes, follow-up reference staff.
Thank you, Chair Justin, through the chair.
So just out of curiosity,
and you may not know the answer to this question,
so that's totally fine.
Regarding licensing and software costs,
this paragraph is a little confusing to me.
Increase usage and inflation through ongoing contract review,
careful service prioritization,
and long-term lifecycle planning.
All those words sound great.
what do those words mean in regards to licensing and software costs because I
love careful service prioritization and long-term life cycle planning too but I
don't know what they have to do with the thing do the chair. Director if you know
if don' t you can send us some ammo. Thank you. Tell us what you
know about that. Through the Chair Representative Johnson Josephson sorry
Representative Stop, I do believe we have Bill Smith on the line, who is our Chief Technology Officer.
He should be available to take any questions.
He is.
Thank you.
Nice handoff.
Mr. Smith, State Chief Information Officer, DOA, are you with us?
To the chair, yes, sir.
I am.
Royal Record Bill.
Smith Chief information Officer for the State and Director of the Office of Information
Technology.
What we try to convey in that statement is in terms of the licensing and software costs,
that's being driven not only by inflationary increases to the charge that we have to pay for
license in many cases, but also by increased utilization by the departments. There are several
licenses that as more employees use those services those costs go up and we're just kind of reacting
The second part of that statement was just intended to show that a couple of other ways that we're working to manage our overall operational costs.
All right, thanks.
Okay, a question from Representative Hannon for Mr. Smith or Ms. Bingham.
I think it's going to be for mr. smith.
Mr Smith.
Go ahead.
Thank you, Chair Josephson, Coach, your Joseph'sson.
I'm actually looking on page six.
One of the things we denied last year
was to motor vehicles division,
but it was expand its IT capabilities.
And I am curious whether,
because the Division of Motor Vehicles
is one of places where we actually generate revenue
back to the general fund on an annual basis.
and whether the IT improvements that we are doing
in other parts are going to help motor vehicles.
Motor vehicles has this listed as it's needing
its own IT capabilities,
not part of Office of Information Technology
and not tied to what you just described
as efficiencies that were finding.
So does the Division of Motor Vehicles benefit
in any of its technology capabilities or needs?
by the expansions we are doing in other places.
Mr. Smith.
Through the chair, Representative Hannon,
thanks for the question.
Yes and no, so they do benefit in general
for enterprise services that we're referred to
within the Office of Information Technology Bullet,
but this specific request was for a system
that is specific to departments
or division of motor vehicles.
and is not enterprise-wide, and those systems are generally managed,
resourced, provided by the divisions or by department, so that is
not within the OIT service catalog. And so, those funds,
pretty kind of detail around those bonds are the impact of that funding or non-funding
I would have to refer you to the Director of Division of Other Views.
Ms. Bingham, and do you know, I know that on page six those FY26 requests that we did
not put in the budget last year are not being resubmitted, do
you whether that was at the OMB level or whether the division of motor
vehicles again requested it and said we can improve our service to
put in the OMB budget that was delivered to us.
Do you know if motor vehicles did request it?
Ms. Bingham.
Through the chair representing to Josephson to wrap a hand in.
That just to clarify real quickly,
that is not actually for.
the IT capacity. It was actually for the position to work on the
IT Capacity. So just to clarify, that was just a position
request to my understanding. They have been able to manage that
within the existing work that they have and it was not
re-requested. Thank you.
I guess I have, and these are tricky questions
Opa and the public defender, if they're not meeting their obligation and they have a constitutional
obligation, I assume, and need more resources, those would rise rather high, that I would
hope that OMB would be responsive to that, do you know, maybe it's not something you
can report to us.
Sorry, through the chair, Representative Josephson.
I actually do have, I believe, Director James Stinson
on the line and possibly Terrence Haas.
I know that Terrance has been out for a court case this week,
so he may not be available.
But we are working with OMB on their needs
and discussing them internally as they come up.
But this budget does not represent an increase for them
other than their salary adjustments.
I think rather than making it super awkward for Mr. Stinson or Mr Haas, I'll just leave
it alone for now.
Okay, through the chair representing Josephson, I will continue at slide eight.
This is our FY26 enacted management plan, my line item, personal services accounted for
the largest share at over 70 million for the legal and advocacy services.
The smallest share was the Alaska Public Offices Commission at 1.1 million.
Services are significant for the centralized administrative services at 55.5 million, information
technology at 37.2 million and risk management at 34. 2 million.
The smallest share is the Alaska Public Offices Commission again at 89.6000.
Commodities in capital outlay remain minimal across the department.
The travel, our travel is also minimal across the department with the largest
share being for the legal and advocacy services for office of public advocacy and
the public defender agency at just over one minute. Any questions?
Yes, question from Representative Galvin.
Thank you, Culture Justice and through the chair. Miss Bingham, thank you for being here.
and my question is related to APOC I believe that's the only line item where we're seeing
fewer funds for next year and I don't know if that means we are already meeting our
mission in terms of being responsive and we just don t need to have any
We're not keeping up with any inflationary costs on this one
So I just thought I would check in to see if there was some thinking behind it or what the
Department
Has responded to you that or that particular commission
If there's a story behind that I'd like to hear it
Thank you through the chair representative Galvin
I'm actually gonna have to dive into that one a little bit more from the overview
It looks like a technical adjustment might be needed. It is slightly down, but I will respond in right
Represent valid for the director. Thank You through The chair. I don't know if you can answer it
I know you're fairly new and I appreciate you being here
Do we on here? Is there anywhere in here where we have how many employees are actually with APOC?
And the amount that we are FYI-ing them to have for their financial support,
how much that goes to their income.
Director.
Through the chair representative, I'll order that if we can get those details to you and we'll give them back to.
And would you break it down all the way of what they get and where it goes?
It might be in one of our books and then maybe you can just give it to all of us in an email.
Thank you, thank you chair.
All right, I think we're on to slide nine recent accomplishments
Okay
Continuing on with slide 9 our recent
Accomplishments which we are very proud of are our
Operational improvements and modernization
We maintained retirement and benefits operations during system outages automated payroll timesheet approvals estimating
Sorry, eliminating the manual review of 7,500 timesheets per pay period, completed the statewide
salary study and implemented the competency-based recruitment and migrated disaster recovery and
oracle systems to the cloud, reducing recovery time from days to minutes. And we stabilized the
defense services and reduced attorney vacancies. Any questions?
Let's go to slide 10.
Slide 10 is a high level of like 27 budget changes department line.
For here we have the IT class study implementation.
This is $2 million.
For salary and Alaska care rate adjustments, it is 7.7 million
For Shared Services of Alaska, there are 57 positions transferring back to agencies for
accounts payable, travel, and expense activities.
Transfer of the positions from Shared services to Division of Finance are 24 permanent full-time
positions in six non-perm positions.
And the deletion of The Director of Shared Service is due to the reorganization.
I don't see questions, we'll slide 11.
For slide eleven, this is a continuation of slide nine, but per division changes and
position transfers in more detail.
Division of Finance payroll position moving back to the agencies is 40 permanent full-time
positions.
Division of Finance, two agencies include Department of Corrections, eight, Department
of Fish and Game, six, department of law, one,
department military veteran affairs, and one and Department
of Natural Resources, four, the Department
of Public Safety, three,
and the department
of Transportation and Public Facilities will receive 17.
Transfer of the accountant, 4-5 to the office of
For the Office of Information Technology, this is a deletion of a long-term vacant position, which is
a reduction of 140,000.
Public Defender Agency is adding a holistic defense worker funded by the Alaska Mental Health Trust.
Slide 12.
This slide provides a consolidated view of the Department of Administration's FY 27 proposed budget by division and fund source.
Showing total allocations and changes from FY 26 and it highlights major shifts such as the elimination of shared services and
Significant increase for finance due to the de-consolidation of of Shared Services and the movement of procurement and print services to The Centralized Administrative Services
Any questions I don't see any slide
For slide 13, this is our vacancy trends over multiple years.
Vacancy rates have varied over time, peaking in some divisions such as finance and IT,
or IT related positions and accounting positions.
The DMV positions are experiencing high turnover rates in lower range positions such
as 10 and 12, but we are prioritizing them.
Thank you through the chair representative justice and up the top of my head. I will have to get back to you
But it sounds like folks who make a range 10 are not happy with it. There's churn is what you've said
Through the Chair representative Joseph said I would say that those are lower range positions
So when you start out in the state you're generally moving up
So there is high turnover. Those are late lowest levels of
you know, state workers.
And so there is high turnover as people move up
within state services and we re-prioritize them
for this public.
Okay, represent the hand.
Thank you, Chair Josephson.
On that same point, what would a range 10 position
at DMV be doing?
Ms. Bingham.
Through the chair representative Josephsen,
I'm actually gonna see if Kathleen Wallace is on the line.
She's the director of Division of Motor Vehicles.
Ms Wallace.
Good afternoon, yes, this is Kathleen Mullis, the Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles.
Thank you. You may have the only division that we call a department.
But go ahead. Did you hear Representative Hannon's question?
Yes, through the Chair to Representative Hannah.
Our frontline staff that helps the customers that come in, in person, over the phone, through the mail, online services.
So they process everything that you would need at a D&B short of the road scope test.
Does driver license is commercial, driver licenses be involved?
Like I said, anything you would go to DMV for, that's what arranged can process it.
Follow-up.
I guess I'm, co-chair, I am a little surprised by that because those are the people that you know, and we always talk about this.
DMV.
generates money to us and it's of course the stereotype across the country of a place where people hate to interact with, yet in general
I've always had a very positive experience going to DMV dealing with people who are very helpful and
able to problem-solve very quickly, whether it was getting a permanent idea or I got a temporary handicap license
while I had my knee surgery recovery, and the extraordinary aptitude to interact with the public and be problem solvers,
I would think we need to keep those people in those jobs, so I'm, I
would hope we would perhaps look at increasing and maybe the salary study might have
that might be one of those places where it recommends those people be a higher
range because that's the kind of job that the more you're there you've
encountered that problem again therefore the next time you can problem solve it
faster and do that service delivery to Alaskans rapidly and I think we always
want that we want our frontline delivery service people to be very good at getting
that serviced done for Alascans and back out the door whether it's voter
Car registration, changing titles, you know, there's a lot of sort of legalese there that the public may be confused by,
but we want those DMV employees to be good at that job.
So I'd hope we'd find a way to keep them there longer and not have high turnover in that frontline delivery.
Representative Allard.
Thank you.
Through the chair, I don't see it.
I know where I'm at as far as, can you tell me how much they make as a range 10 step A?
I think I yes, I don't
Oh, you did ask it. Did you say it? Oh the director of D&D may know miss Wallace. Do you know the answer? Apologies. Oh yeah
Through the chair to represent the ballot. I do know they answer to that. It's total cost for a range 10 step a is
79,820 a year their base salary that they take home is 40,599
May I do a quick follow-up? Yes reference the valor for I'm gonna back up for just a minute. Did you say that a step 10 a
Makes almost eighty thousand dollars did I miss our to to come in and?
Process our driver's license and stuff. I am sorry. Thank God my deaf and hard of hearing bill passed
It's through the chair, the representatives of Allard.
Yes, that includes all of their benefits,
health insurance, and everything to get to that 79,820.
Okay, can I back off for just a minute?
Can I do one more follow-up, please, Chair?
Yes.
Thank you.
Can you tell me their actual salary
versus their entire benefits?
I think that's what I'm looking for, too.
Yes through to the Chair.
They're based salary minus benefits.
is 40,599.
OK, that's a stinger.
That's what I wanted to to get out there in the open.
OK.
Thank you very much.
OK let's go to slide 13 slide.
13 sorry.
Representative Thomas Shefsky.
Yes, thank you, co-chair Jefferson through the chair.
So of those range 10 that you say there's high turnover,
do you know how many just go ahead and move up
into a new position?
Is there do have.
Probably don't have that off top of your head,
but if that's something that you get to,
that would be interesting to know that we're not just
losing them to go work at Pizza Hut,
where they're actually being promoted
and moving up to different positions.
Miss Bing.
All right, through the chair, we are up for Sentinel.
Tom and Chesky.
So.
that that would be a bit of a challenge for us to dive into just because it could be with
another agency and we may not have full visibility statewide on that but we can look into it
and try to provide you more details of what we
can provide. Don't spend too much time on it thank you. Okay uh slide 13 vacancies
Thank you through the chair representative Joe to send I'll continue at slide 14
This is our vacancy per summative percentages by the results delivery unit our overall vacancy rate for FY
26 is about 17 percent this data represents full-time positions only
as of 12, 15, 20, 25.
Whereas if we used the combined full-time
and non-permanent positions as
of January 15th data, the department has 13.1% vacancy rate.
Due to the seasonal nature of non permanent positions,
we elect to use the full time positions
when representing our department vacancy rates.
Additional questions?
I would think that, for example, risk management,
that those are highly skilled and educated folks.
Is that right?
And is it, what do I take home from that?
That there's that sort of disinterest
in filling those vacancies?
Through the chair representative, Joseph saying,
you are correct, there are three.
vacant positions within that division.
It is a very small division, it's a division of six,
and we are recruiting for all three of those positions
at this time.
They are skilled in their work,
and I believe that we do have the risk management director
if you have additional questions.
I don't.
Representative Galvin.
Thank you, and I think the answer is probably going to be the same, but I just want to make sure we touch on it.
Again, an APOC where we didn't have any lift in the total amount of funds going
to that commission.
I'm also seeing 33% there.
I assume that this is also a small.
There's a small number and
Then just missing a few means of a very large percentage or is there a story behind that as well?
Different director Bingham through the chair representative Galvin you are correct
They are very small divisions
So when we have you know turn over in them the vacancy rate does spike quickly
We do prioritize those small division that only have limited staff
Thank you
Yeah, thank you. You're just into the chair to again director Bingham. I
Brought this up to the OMB director, but sit you're in this role, too
It might be mindful when it comes to this centralization and decentralization of stuff like payroll
The state has been back and forth on doing these things with different services
For decades many times one way or the other so as we
decentralized payroll. I think it would be helpful if perhaps you and maybe the OMB
director could work together to leave behind kind of the reasons why we decided to do that.
So the next person who comes along and tries to centralize payroll five years from now or two
years for now can know why are we did that and why were chose to decentralize again. So thank you.
Through the chair. Yes, representative sat by sat in on that and I do hear your request and we'll do our best to make sure that that's documented for you
Finally slide 15
Okay, this once again is our vacancy rate by component. This is just a little bit more of a detail for
you
for finance and personnel
they have
Notable vacancy challenges and then for recruitment and in recruitment in retention remain our priority across the department
They can see rates by division very from 4.9 percent to 33.3 percent a
Director I actually am going because we've moved speedily
To take the opportunity to ask mr. Hoss and mister stints in a question
Mr. Haas are you there?
I'm going to ask you something and I just want to lay a little context because it's relevant
to the corrections budget, the judiciary budget and the Department of Law budget.
What in your most succinct fashion and confess this may open up a number of questions?
You've read the pro-publicist stories on trial delay.
in a sense, along with affecting so many of the things, how would you solve that if you were king?
Thank you, Chair Josephson, for that small question. I'll give you a right.
Okay, so if I'm a benign dictator with unlimited resources and unlimited power,
then the answer is partially procedural and outside of my control at the public defender.
which is the way cases move through the court system.
On my side, it's the two things that we're always talking about.
It's having enough lawyers to do the job
and them having
enough experience to
do that job and I think we are working on that,
but all of us would like to
do it I'm sure a lot faster than it is possible to
do I am hiring lawyers at a quick pace.
They are coming into the agency,
but it takes time to get them trained up.
So if I had unlimited power and a magical wand, I would have a whole crop of highly experienced
lawyers ready to go and handle the most serious cases at a reasonable pace.
Given the world I actually live in, what I need is time to get folks trained up.
That's what we continue to work on.
Thank you, Chair Josephson.
Mr. Stinson, same question. What would you do about the trial backlog and the constant
So thank you, Chair Joseph, for the record.
This is James Stinson, the Director of the Office of Public
Advocacy.
And also, thank for ensuring that P.D.
Haas was in the hot seat first, because I get to sort of
ride on his coattails for this one.
I think at the end of day, when you're dealing with a
resource constrained system, what you are looking at is
what is the system's capacity to process cases, how many
cases can it process at what speed, and then how
many trials can't handle with that capacity.
a smaller amount, and so it does come down to how many bodies do you have, how experienced are they,
and then also what is the court's capacity,
how much judges in courtrooms do have to handle the trials,
and part of the issue is you had a lot of cases that have been waiting to go to trial for a long
Trials take more resources, trials take
more time when attorneys are in trial.
They're not able to resolve other cases
and talk to other clients.
And so I think everyone is feeling the pinch.
I mean, taking off my imaginary crown,
what I can tell you is I'm having good conversations
with individuals like Stephanie Bingham and OMB
about the agency challenges.
I thank you all, have overall been quite responsive,
and I the governor's office has as well.
So I do try to have
some gratitude and be thankful for the resources we have been given because I recognize that
you all wear your own crowns and we're in a resource scarce environment.
Those were succinct.
Any questions on that for PD or OPA?
Representative Ellerd.
Thank you.
And I might have asked you through the chair.
I may have ask you in the committee meeting yesterday, but would you be able to break
down how many vacancies are in each of these departments?
Through the chair rep of sub-sen we do have that coming to you. We have just finished up our memo
It's going for our internal process for finalization and we will get it over to
Just quick follow-up and that would be thank you that. Would be with
Their position their pay how long it's been vacant the whole thing
Through, the Chair representative
Yes rep allard we can try to get you as much detail as we care perfect. Okay. Thank you chair. Ok
Director, thank you for that.
I don't see any other additional questions.
We're going to take a brief head ease
and let the salary study folks set up.
We are at ease at 2.12.
We're back on record in the Al Adams room at 2.14 on the 2nd of February, 2026.
Our second presentation today is an update on
the 2025 statewide salary study with us today from the department is Amy Daveris,
Director for the Division of Personnel.
Mr. Davers has found her way to the table.
Please put yourself on
the record and begin your presentation.
Good afternoon house finance committee members. My name is Amy Daveras. I am the director of the Division of Personnel under the Department of Administration.
I thank you for the opportunity to give a status update on the salary study today.
I want to mention I'm just shy of my three month anniversary of working in state service.
I hope you'll be patient with me as I navigate the procedures and expectations here today.
We should be more nervous than what you're being, because it's-
I'm sure that's an understatement.
All right.
Thank you.
Please proceed.
Alright.
The font looks odd, so I'm a little thrown back.
The salary study was launched following
a legislative appropriation in FY 24 of about $1 million.
It was a multi-year appropriation
to account for the large scope of the project.
Primary goals of this project were
to increase applicant pools for state of Alaska positions
by making the state a more competitive employer.
and to identify potential cost savings for job classes where the state is overmarket
in its salary structure. The study conducted by Segal Company was finalized in January 2025
and released in April of 2025.
The Study provides valuable insight into how the State of Alaska base pay compares with market
The report highlights the complexities of the state's current classification and pay system,
particularly the challenges posed by the broad pay structures that group diverse occupational roles under a single pay plan.
The structure limits the states ability to make across the board changes.
in a manner that is equitable and also agile
to changing workforce conditions.
Questions through the chair?
Nope. I think we'll go to slide three.
To move the initiative forward,
the Department of Administration issued a request
for information, which was open December 18th, 2025,
through today, February 2nd, 2026,
input from qualified vendors on timelines and costs associated with implementing structural
changes to the state's classification and pay plans.
Director, a question from Representative Stapp and then I have one of my own.
Representative Staff.
Thank you, Chair Justin.
To the Chair.
To The Director.
Okay.
So we paid for a study.
We got information from the study and now we are asking.
for another study to tell us how to implement the last study
we paid for. Is that correct through the chair?
Director Devers.
Through the Chair, thank you for the question.
We did learn a lot from the salary study and the report that we received from that.
Because we are looking at the potential for making
structural changes to the state's classification system.
Which will be a very complicated project. We did
put out this RFI to
To receive refined information that would help us to create plans for that scope the cost scope
the scope different
phases potentially for
That type of implementation
Our fault miscoform
Yeah, I think what you're just into the chair
When do you expect this?
follow-on implementation study to be completed and implemented through the chair.
So I'll pick your pardon through
the Chair. Thank you for the question representative staff.
What we will be receiving, you know, as the RFI closes today is information from qualified
vendors that will help us create a plan or a strategy for moving forward.
So it's not another salary study, it is simply the information that we would need in order
a comprehensive project to essentially revamp
the state's classification system.
A faultless coach here.
Follow-up troops and staff.
Sorry, a coach or just in through the chair.
No, I understand that, Director.
I'm saying like, so we request you information
based off the study that we funded
that took a long time to get out.
So now we're saying that this is the implementation.
So it's materially different.
And that closes February 2nd.
So then what happens?
A finality to this lengthy process is that this year is
that next year, is it 15 years from now that will be done
with our salary study through the chair.
Do we have any kind of force of the trees thing here?
Director Devers.
Through the Chair, thank you, representative staff
for the question, I understand the reason for asking it.
It will take some amount of time to establish a plan,
establish anticipated costs of that work with OMB,
and the governor's office to determine a timeline forward.
There is nothing in the FY27 proposed budget, for example,
for this, so I think we would be looking at it
at least a year to develop those plans.
Director, how many iterations of reports were provided by Siegel to the department?
And what I mean by that is I see you've got this publishing date that spans, well, I guess
it's a month and a half, actually it was a year ago today, but previous, parts were
Can you tell us how many times the state went back to Seagull and said we want you to make an adjustment to your report?
Through the chair, I do not have that information. I've very recently joined the State of Alaska and I just don't have
that Information.
Do you know whether there were instances where the
How you've done your report through the chair I since joining the state of Alaska in November. I have been focused on
what the salary study report says and
It was I think on my second or third day of employment that I drafted the RFI to move this process forward
So I'm picking it up from where it is today.
I don't have the information that you're asking for
I guess my last question because I know you're new to the vision is and I'm capable of looking at the report and trying to figure it out
But does the reported include anything about geographic differentials?
Through the chair, thank you for the question. No, the Report does not. Geographic differentials are a separate
compensation element negotiated with the unions and so those are not included in the salary study
I guess my last question is, and I think I know the answer, but does the state take a
position that its communications with Siegel are proprietary?
That if the public is curious about whether the report was swung in one way or another
Through the chair, I apologize. I just don't have that information. All right representative Galvin then bind him
Thank You co-chair Josephson, and this is kind of a following along the same lines
I if we as I understand it there's not to be changes
made for 2027
But we because and we're just getting an update now with the deadline of today
so
I guess what I'm wondering is are we going to expect that we may need another update since now the data will not be fresh
If we're looking at 2028
It do you anticipate that the date will be afresh enough that it will. Be applicable for the following year?
Director de veris
Through the chair
Representative Galvin, thank you for that question
What we intend to receive through the request for information is not updated salary specific
information about job classes.
It's really more in the realm of how might we approach an overhaul to our pay and classification
system.
So, you know, I would imagine there will be some refining of data as we pursue those
changes.
I do not believe the information we have in the 2025 salary study would would not be useful. It'll be very useful
Okay, thank you and
Can you share with uh
what the cost is of these updates that we've
Been receiving is there an additional cost or is it all inclusive of that first initial fee of a hundred of one million?
Director to various
Through the chair. Thank you representative Galvin for the question. This was just a request for information
It was not there was no cost associated with that
Okay, thank you, and if I may one final ask
Thank You, so to your knowledge
three-year-old data on on salaries
would be
appropriate enough to use then for a salary structure change that we may be
Looking to put in place not until 2028. That's that's where we are right now
directory
Through the chair. Thank you representative Gavin for the question
Yeah, these are really two different things
I'm the salary study gave us information so that
We would understand how our salaries generally compared with market
you know, those were based on benchmark jobs and what we are looking at doing now is considering
how we might make structural changes to the classification system.
If we were to if we we're you know, I guess the other thing to mention is I have a slide on the
The IT job class study which we are getting ready to implement when we do these things for specific
Job families or occupational
Series we, are looking then at at more current data
Thank you. We're gonna go to representatives binum then hannon. Thank You co-chairs
Co-chair Joseph Sinon through the chair.
Thank you for being here, just for,
I'm sorry if I missed it,
just good for the director for clarification.
So you're new here in the department
and I am sorry, the division.
And I was just, I've missed the part,
are you brand new to the Division?
Like you've come from outside,
or you have been in Division
and you been promoted in this position?
Director.
Through the chair, thank you representative bynum for the question
colleges, I am brand new to state service. I I recently
Retired from federal service after a 31 year career. Congratulations on that. Thank you follow-up. Yes follow up represent Bynam. So
coming in
We obviously have this salary study that there's been a lot of conversation about questions
from the legislature about when we were going to see this, what are the parameters and the
information that actually went into getting the information we now have.
As far as you're aware, was there a strategy or is there strategy on how we're going
I think back to Representative Stapp's question is like he's wanting to just get my understanding
is get an expectation about what is it that we can see coming forward.
I have that same question and what it is that expectation so instead of trying to pin you
down to like a timeline my question would be ultimately is there an overall strategy
Director.
Through the chair, thank you for the question, Representative Bynum.
I think the easy way to say that is being very new to this position and joining the division
of personnel and the department when I have, you know, this is among a set of very high-priority
there will be a very collaborative approach to developing a strategy for pursuing the
results of the salary study as would be necessary if we do in fact take on comprehensive changes
plan and, you know, the pay scales would follow that.
So this planning will have to happen in partnership with OMB in the governor's office.
This information will be reviewed by the legislature.
The unions will also be quite a comprehensive project.
So a quick follow-up.
Follow-ups.
Representative Bynum.
Thank you, Coach.
from the division will be an overall goal or strategy
that you're laying out and the vision about where is it
that we actually want to go?
Is that what I'm hearing?
Or let me, I guess I'll clarify, or is this something
that is actually coming from, the administration saying
that this is kind of our goals and what we want
to do and you've been asked to carry those out?
Because I think those are two very different things.
Through the chair, I
Thank you again
Representative Bynum for the question. It's not a question that I've that. I have posed myself.
I will be taking the lead in in
reviewing the results of the RFI and and coming up with a
suite of options potentially for for what we might do next I
Consider that to be my responsibility. Thank You very much
Representative Hannon.
Thank you, co-chair Josephson.
And Mr. Vraz, you may not have known, since you weren't there, that there was a lot of
tension and expectation about what the salary study would tell us.
I'm looking for a very narrow scope, and that is...
And if OMB ran calculations on what implementing the benchmark jobs that they evaluated would cost us to implement it both the 50th and 65th percentile, because those were the things in the job.
So instead of new data, I am looking to see the salary and wages because I understand benefits would change based on percentages.
What would it cost to implement this at the 50th percentile at?
The 65th percentile so I'd like to know and I know that you're not going to go off top your head
Were those calculations done by omb and can we have them?
Director
Through the chair. Thank you
Representative hannon. I don't have those numbers in front of me.
I I think that's something that we'll have to follow up and get back to you on
Representative Hannah. Thank you coach here, Josephson, and I guess I would like that and the message be that
It's a little bit
Shocking to me that your commissioner is not with you today
That she sent the lambs to the fire
Knowing they were going to be questions about something we spent a lot of time asking about last year and so
You're doing great jobs that you've been sent to do, but we did have sort of an expectation
of some specificity that we've spent a year trying to get.
And it's not, it doesn't bind us to anything, because maybe it is a billion dollar price
tag and we know we don't have a million dollars to implement it, we at least need to know
that the calculations that paid a $1 million to have would tell us it would cost this to
implement.
knowing that we are unlikely to do it all at once.
So I'd like your commissioner to bring us that information.
Director, we appreciate you being here very much.
There's been some concern that commissioners won't make
themselves available.
I haven't found that to be true until today.
So, I'm not a huge critic on this point,
Representative Ballard. Thank you, and I'm going to through the chair do a quick follow-up to representative
Hannon's comments
I appreciate both of you guys being here and combined. I guess you have the time it takes for our baby to be born
Coming of federal service, which I came from before to to state is very different very
Different and especially testifying in front of us. IIm concerned
And I am just going ask you a question and hopefully the
the chair will just let me ask this question is your commissioner maybe you know
in Juneau or do we know why the commissioner didn't show up?
Director. Through the Chair of Representative Allard I do not believe the commissioners in town
today. I'm not sure when our plans are for coming I believe she's coming this week.
And the reason she asked me to be here today is I think we all interpreted this as being
a short update and anticipating that we would be called to talk in more detail once we had
the time to evaluate the results of the RFI.
So I I, I thank,
I assume this would more of a quick update.
Thank you.
And I'm just going to make a comment on record that generally when we have these briefs the
commissioners are here.
Thank You.
Let's go to slide four.
All right.
Okay.
While the broader effort to advance on the statewide salary study is under way,
the state is implementing its completed IT job class study.
and the implementation is the culmination of a multi-year effort to modernize the structure
of state government IT job classes. Modernized IT Job classes will support recruitment, retention,
and career progression for IT professionals by aligning job architecture with current workforce
needs. The implementation underway with the first phase rollout scheduled for April 13th,
the modernization impacts over 600 positions through all 15 state agencies.
In addition to the IT job class modernization, we have nine job-class studies actively underway
at the request of state agency to address recruitment and retention issues that they have identified.
The state is also continuing to advance on AO 343 to modernize our hiring practices
by redefining the minimum qualifications for over 350 job classes.
This means using competency-based standards rather than, for example, just college degrees
to reduce barriers to candidates for entering state service.
and it's aimed at strengthening recruitment for the state's workforce.
Questions?
Thank you, I appreciate this report.
I think initially you said there were 600 positions in 15 agencies and then at the end
differences, or if there's some explanation around that.
Director.
Through the chair, yeah, thank you,
Representative Galvin for the question.
These are two different things that we have on this slide,
discussing how we're making improvements to the system.
Indeed, there are over 600 IT job classes that are being impacted by the implementation
of the study and then our work to advance A0343 is about the competency-based minimum
qualifications for jobs which is broader that that touches on now ten agencies.
the IT job class study, these other nine sort of
all-acart studies, are these, one is complete,
one, nine are pending,
are they moving at a different schedule
than the large seagull schedule or study which is
weighting implementation because of special urgency or
How did that, how did it evolve where they, they are getting treated differently than the, the big study?
Yes, Chair, thank you for the question.
So, there, you know, we have staff in our classification program that receive requests from agencies to do job class studies.
For usually for reasons of slow recruitment or high turnover or you know something like that
And so that is something that that as part of just the maintenance of the state's
Classification plan which the division of personnel the personnel director is is statutory
Statutorily responsible for doing
the
The seagull study the the statewide salary study
with something done at an entirely different scale to do, you know, the
benchmarking exercise to help the state to understand how we might make
improvements to the overall system. So we're really looking at two very
different things. But do I interpret the IT study to mean this is just urgent, we
need these people,
we've got to pay them more,
we are going to
do it right now. Is that how I should interpret that?
Yes, Chair, thank you for the question.
This is admittedly well before, you know,
my tenure with the state or any act of knowledge I have
about how this came about.
But my understanding as we've talked about it
is that it became,
you a well-known issue to update the State's IT job classes
because they were.
very much out of date, you know, positions that were described to represent work that
is not currently being done anymore and is making it very difficult to recruit and retain
IT professionals in the state today. So that was a much bigger study than we typically do.
We'll typically a study of, say, five or ten positions. Obviously, this is an order of magnitude
We're going to go to represent hand and then co-chair shawty, represent handy.
Thank you, and I guess I'll just do my little teacher bit for a second.
So my understanding is, the salary study is just taking the job and
saying how does nurse one compared to nurse 1 and other places.
But the classification study, is.
You've got a nurse who's doing medications
and complex intravenous activities, et cetera.
So is that really a Nurse 1 or is it a NERS-4?
Now, with IT, we've completed that, and that my understanding
is also that that IT study started.
long before the salary study, that's why it's ready for implementation and it is taking
a job and saying really your skills that we had you at level one, you're really doing
a level three job.
Could you tell us what the other nine job classification studies that are actively underway
are?
Are they all in one area?
Are there all biologists or accountants or one of each?
Director I had the same questions, so we're certainly eager to know that all right
Yes through through the chair. I think you were representative Hanan for the question
I don't have my reading glasses on me, but I do actually have the list of of
studies that are underway
so
There's a park ranger study. There is a study on Alaska State Commission for human rights. So asher
there's
community care licensing specialists, vocational rehabilitation, public assistance fields, services
study, forest and fire management, emergency services, dispatcher, and emergency service supervisor.
And then we've just added forensic scientists and forensic lab manager. So as you can see,
I'm trying to just wrap my head around all this.
Is there any reason that you couldn't implement the salary study without the classification study
to go hand in hand with it?
Director.
Through the chair, thank you, Representative Schruggi, for the question.
The scope of the salary study, you know, was to provide data on how state of Alaska base pay,
you Know, compares to the external market. The report was really never intended to prescribe
pay adjustments to certain job classes. They used benchmarks to help inform,
you
know
where the state was broadly at but but really the reason we did the RFI is to get down to a more
specific level of implementation planning in order to determine the next steps.
Okay thank you follow-up follow up through the chair so it is never the intent to actually be
able to implement the salary adjustments based on the salary study you always knew that you would
need a classification study as well to go with that director. Through the Chair.
Thank you, Representative Schruggi, for the question.
I mean, I can't speak to what may have been intended at the time.
That definitely predates me.
But coming into this position and seeing what the results of the salary study are,
I believe it's necessary to take an additional step to create, you know,
a strategy as someone phrased it.
you know a plan for how we may move forward with with the state's classification plan.
Okay follow-up follow up co-chair shorgie. Thank you for that
present some of the challenges in having very green directors no offense to you all. We're very
glad that you stepped into state service but it makes implementing any of this and
understanding the facts very challenging. I guess my concern is you you
Now is dependent on a classification study, which is going to take I think from what we've heard today at least a year and
we're going hand this off to
Who?
while vacancy rates are
Out of control and so we have a
From I'm just opining here now. I am not asking a question
But we had a hollowed-out government where we all recognize that salaries are uncompetitive
And we don't have a cost estimate on what that would take to address, and we can't address
any of it until we have any governor, because none of this will be done until this current
administration is out of office.
And it just is very challenging for me at least, sitting at the finance table, to understand
how we address these challenges when it seems like everything is set up to be delayed until
If you want to comment on any of that, you're welcome to.
But I see we have another member with a hand up if you wish, if not.
Through the chair, I think all I'll say is that we're not talking
about doing another study.
I mean, the department believes that the best path forward is
making structural changes to our classification system because it is extremely complex.
And if we're able to do that, it will be much easier to deal with these things in the future.
It doesn't mean that we are not addressing some of these issues as they come to us.
And that's why we have job class studies actively underway.
to handle, you know, those areas where we know we have a recruitment problem or a high
turnover problem, or where the responsibilities are just out of alignment with reality.
Representative, stephen Galvin.
Yeah, thank you, co-share, Justin, through the chair to the directors.
So I'm going to end this with a question, but I've always wondered what the word Byzantine
This issue has been going on a long time.
I don't think in all the meetings that we had
on the salary study, it was ever mentioned
that would ever have required a classification study.
So I do feel like this is basically being stuck
in a bureaucratic malaise that is slowly grinding my soul
into powder, but my question regarding.
like what we can do here is I know you get a lot of experience at the federal level.
Is there any way in your I
know it's a short time as director but going forward is there do you have any
suggestions how in dealing with the department of
administration which you're now director of and we
can perhaps maybe not have such a bureaucratic
system that doesn't produce the kind of desired results until
tricker I had please respond as best you can
Through the chair. Thank you representative staff for the question. I
This is precisely why I'm here the salary study was one of the questions that was
Brought to me in in my job interview and I did a bit of research to understand, you know what?
what had been happening, what the state system looked like,
what changes were being considered.
I'm very excited about this.
I do think there are some improvements we can make.
And the RFI closes today.
I can't wait to see what's in it.
And it will be very gratifying to work on this project.
It is one of the reasons why I took this job.
You made me feel a lot better already. Thank you, Director. Representative Galvin then bind him.
Thank You
Through the through the chair Josephson. I appreciate again
You're taking all of these questions and doing your best to explain to us where
Where we are with all this I have a couple of questions firstly
Can we put on record how much the classification?
Study this particular one the IT one it costs
to to put together director or other director right through the chair representative Joseph
send to rep Galvin I believe the entire budget is laid out for you just for D.O.A. that's
seven million dollars or sorry I actually mean my bond believe it's two million and
Yes. And just to clarify, ours is just a portion of that, so OMB actually elected to
implement it across all agencies. The IT classification for DOA is 2 million, and we'd have to get
to stay.
Thank you.
I believe it was much more than that, but I really do appreciate you sharing that it
was at least two million, and I think my recollection was around nine.
And I just want to put that on record because we're hanging on this information and we are
And similar to what I experienced a few years ago
when we were going over our frustration
around not being able to get SNAP checks out.
So we we're all dealing with, well, how can we help you?
We were all trying to help our state deliver these services
better, and we knew that one of the big holes
was vacancy rate in.
the Department of Health in this case, and so we were trying to articulate how we could
help.
What we got back was we need a new computer system at 59 million, which we delivered.
Gosh, we're kind of hung up on all these salary study pieces, but they had taken out
100 workers a year or two prior, so they knew they hadn't even bigger hole, still had these
And just I was frustrated because I just got the thinking gosh if we just put that money into
paying more, and I do understand that you want to be able to
be more accurate around all of this, but my not being able
to a pass through for federal money so that Alaskans can eat
was really frustrating.
And these services that IT is doing is also really important.
So I, I appreciate that we have a conundrum.
I appreciated what we heard from Representative Stapp that it
almost creating a desk spiral, if you will, of being able to get to solutions.
I don't understand why we're waiting.
We wait until November for an RFI, why not June,
so that we can actually implement it in the budget.
To me, that makes sense.
If we could help work together in partnership.
I guess I think that would perhaps be the most obvious way toward getting us to a solution
quickly and I know that I speak for all of us, we're ready to support, but we need to
be moving these wheels a little bit faster and people are suffering for it.
We're not delivering as much as we should be as quickly to Alaskans who are expecting
putting it out there that I encourage us to think
about the timing, especially of what we're doing.
And if you have any comments on that,
I would really appreciate hearing that.
And I'm now reading that the IT class study implementation
was 7.66 million.
So I am happy to have that on the record again
because I want us have a scope of how much we've invested
in this and yet we are not able to get something done.
Represented by them
Thank You co-chair
Josephson just for clarity. You said the the could I ask the study was
7.7 million
7 point six six million to do the steady to
Let's let director Bingham
comment through the chair representative josephson to rep bynum
That's the implementation cost of the it classification study across all agencies
Our department is receiving 2.2 million of that and just to clarify one thing on record
When we talk about the salary study, as Amy mentioned,
the job classification study is not something
that we're doing to pick apart the salaries study.
That is a routine maintenance item
that will do all the time continually
where there are areas of service needed.
Those were before the Soleries Study.
The IT job class study has been suffering for years.
And this has ben going before
the Salerie Study was completed.
That's a higher level overview
state to state nationally for our job markets the job class study is looking
at very specific areas of work that we need to continually to have a way to
elevate those job classes to the division of personnel so that they can look at
the recruitment and intention issues and work at one specific area at a time.
That's routine maintenance and we are not doing a job-class study.
for the salary study in conjunction.
They are separate bodies once routine work.
I appreciate it.
Co-chair, I just misunderstood what the comment was.
I was just really surprised by that number.
It makes a lot more sense now
that that's full implementation.
I'm thinking I might be in the wrong line of business
if that was the case.
So, but my question, Co chair, if I may ask it,
Representative Bonham.
So.
There's, I'm new to this job as well, you know I've been in this
job for now just over a year and I came in here and we know that
there's tremendous challenges that we face in the state and
I know your department, your division isn't going to be able to
solve all of those problems but you are providing some good
information to us today. One of the things that
that I heard last year was that we have real challenges
with these vacancies that have all throughout
the state agencies, and those vacancies
are impeding our ability to execute.
To do the things that Alaskans are asking us to do.
And they told me when I came in here,
my number two job, I have two jobs.
Number one is to care for those statutes that are right there and
We make laws to update those and repeal those number two appropriate money
so that the state can execute and provide services to the citizens and
Then we sit here and we hear about vacancies and
we here about the inability to execute
And I can probably point out department after department that we are lacking
and failing to execute. I'm not going to do that, but we can do
that. We hear about this in the media, we hear
about these in our finance committees. And one of
the major problems that we were being told was, is that
we are being
told that
we're unable to
execute because we don't have the personal necessary.
And the reason we
don t have
the personnel necessary is because
we
are failing
to compensate and attract those people.
And so we have this
Job the statewide salary report in front of us that we waited for a very long time to get I heard about it
When I first got here when we weighed it and waited
So my question is this
Are we executing anything that's in here or are we waiting?
And that may not be something that you can fully answer for the all of our
divisions and departments, but I'm very frustrated because I have
Alaskans back home that are not getting the services that they're that we are putting money for
forward to get
so
If personnel is the problem on execution or part of the
Problem and pay is why we don't have them has this been implemented
That's my question director diverse
Through the chair
I'm not sure how to address that question, frankly, there was a lot to that.
I think that, you know, from my perspective, we're looking at how
to develop a plan to implement the results of this salary study.
It's going to be a complex project, and it's gonna take a bit of time to
you know, to work through all of that.
We do have other mechanisms for addressing the job classes
as we've discussed where we do
have retention or recruitment challenges.
You know part of
that was implementing the competency-based standards
to make it easier for people to apply.
I mean there can be a lot of reasons why.
why we have vacancies in certain areas.
You know, sometimes it's the compensation,
sometimes the work itself, you know.
Sometimes it is barriers to recruitment.
There are a lot, so we're approaching this
from a number of different perspectives.
That's probably the best I can say at this time
with what I know
Coach, your Joseph said.
Yes.
I really appreciate that and I understand,
you're just walking into this three months in
the divisions and the departments to what I'm asking and you're coming in
trying to solve the problem, so I really appreciate that.
Coach, your justice and
the frustration that I have is that we will have divisions
and departments come here and they will tell us that they're
under executing because they don't have the personnel,
and that you don t have
the personal because
they dont have competitive wages.
We heard that from auditors last year.
we're asking about auditing and they're way behind or not able to do it because they are not
competitive in the market to bring them in here and I'm almost almost certain that when we ask
that question again this year we will be given the same exact answer and so we I guess we got a
real challenge uh co-chair Josephson uh on how we get beyond that because we are
not delivering the services that we need to be delivering to Alaska. Thank you for that comment.
Let's go to slide five.
Thank you.
So this is the final slide just discussing next steps.
As I think, I've probably already hit all of these points, but just to summarize,
the division of personnel will assess the results of the RFI, which we will receive shortly.
to it closes today to determine the viability of a large scale project to update the state's
classification plan.
The state will continue to prioritize job class studies to meet the immediate maintenance
needs for the current classification plans while we determine whether the State can undertake
Finally, you know, the state will build longer-term implementation plans accordingly with the benefit of the RFI.
Mr. Deveris, we're, or director Daveris we are almost at the end of our hearing. This second bullet is puzzling to me because
the three words immediate maintenance needs, it sounds like IT positions. That's how I read that.
But this sentence comes down to
Do we have the will to fund increases? I mean, that's sort of how I read that
By whether large-scale updates are viable
What would determine viability in that bullet?
Director thank you chair, so what we're referring to there is
the state is statutorily required to maintain internal alignment under the State Personnel
Act, which establishes that the pay plans will provide fair and reasonable compensation,
principle of like pay for like work.
And so when we talk about prioritizing immediate maintenance needs for the current classification
that is when we are receiving requests for salary studies
because agencies feel something is out of alignment.
And so we're taking those and moving those forward.
The statewide salary study was an entirely different scale
and different approach to looking at the entire system.
So, I mean, this is not speaking to,
to
to funding necessarily, it's really speaking more to the scale of the project of updating
the entire classification system or significant portions of it or taking on more sort of occupational
studies versus the way we're doing it now, which is with individual job classes.
Okay, let me do just a little bit of housekeeping. If these notes are correct,
job classes on slide four, one of them I wrote down was forensic scientists, there's some
type of worker named a forensic lab technician, those salaries were, the studies apparently
were completed two years ago, and they received range increases.
So I don't know, it could be that there is a difference between a forensics lab, technician
and a scientist, but I'm just giving that to you to think about.
These nine classes used to be published publicly
with spreadsheets and now they require a log in to view.
I have no knowledge of that one way or the other.
But that's another thing for you to think about.
And see if there's some accuracy to that,
you might want to remedy that if that is allowed.
I know this hasn't been easy, Director.
The
The sensitivity was well-expressed by representative vitamin the the concern is with inflation
Outmigration churn all of those things we think that the state is a great place to come work
We have incredible staff here the best
But it used to be even more competitive to get a staff job here in June and that was Well-known
Many of us think that the defined benefit route
under House Bill 78 will help remedy a lot of this.
I don't have any other final comments.
Anything for the good of the order?
I won't see anything.
I want to thank you directors for presenting today.
This concludes our business.
for this day. Our next House Finance Committee meetings scheduled for tomorrow, February 3,
2026 at 1.30. At that meeting, the Department of Administration will return to give a presentation
on the funding status of the Apropos Public Employees Retirement System and Teachers Retirement
System. Will that will adjourn this meeting at 3.05 on Monday the 2nd?