Raise

Neither the Senate nor the House budget proposal currently includes any pay raise for state employees, although the issue could surface as the two chambers continue to work on the spending plans.

Both proposed spending bills would cut the state work force, with the Senate proposing to trim it by about 2,500 jobs and the House cutting 3,000 positions. Some of that could be achieved by attrition, and House leaders have said even their larger cut shouldn't lead to major layoffs.

It would be the second straight year without a raise for state employees, if the budgets stay as they are. Last year, lawmakers did give government workers a $1,000 bonus, rather than a pay hike.

A recent study by the Pew Center on the States and Governing found that Florida spends less per capita on its work force than any other in the nation.

If all the state employee unions got together and pushed for a constitutional amendment that would allow one legislature to encumber a subsequent one for the express purposes for contractual salary agreements, think of the voting block it would represent; all the employees, their families... If the public knew how many troopers were on, say roads in Broward County, in 1988 versus how few there are in 2008, they'd be appalled. We've just got to craft the story better and get it out. Who'd go against cops and teachers?

BTW, the Pew Center study robbed us of our last bragging point - "At least we ain't Mississippi!"

Someone enlighten me if you will. I was told about a process/report that the legislature and/or dms is suppose to put together every year to show salary comparisons to other states. I was also told this hadn't been done since the early 90's. Any truth to this? If there is....WHY ISN'T THE PBA DOING SOMETHING!!??

The below article came from the Capitol News:
__________________________________________________ ___________

House leaders rolled out a $65.1 billion budget with no pay raises for state employees Monday, along with a stop-gap plan to let Gov. Charlie Crist use reserves and trust funds if Florida's tax collections continue to fall short.

"We're not going to hit the panic button. We're not complaining," Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, the House budget chairman, said at a news conference. "We're going to embrace what the economy has given us."

Sansom and Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, said the proposal is a 9.6 percent reduction from the budget initially passed by the Legislature a year ago. Lawmakers last week came up with a long list of severe cuts in social services for the start of House-Senate budget negotiations that will dominate the second half of the 2008 session.
"I'm proud of the starting point we have. I'm not excited about it, in terms of the difficult decisions we have to make," said Rubio. "It's the kind of budget the people need at this time."

He and Sansom said not raising taxes and limiting use of one-time money for ongoing expenses will put the state in a better position for economic recovery.

Without conceding any political retreat, the House leaders made a key concession on use of trust funds. Sansom proposed to let Crist tap the $1.3 billion Budget Stabilization Fund, the state's rainy-day reserve, and the Lawton Chiles Endowment, which uses the state's tobacco settlement money for a variety of health programs.

Under Sansom's planned budget amendment, the governor could ask the Legislative Budget Commission to use half of the stabilization fund — about $700 million — if the state's reserve fund fell below $200 million. If that wasn't enough, he could ask the LBC to move $1 billion from the Chiles Endowment.

"I don't anticipate that we will get to the $200 million in the working capital, or the buffer as we call it, but if we do, it would give the discretion to the governor," said Sansom.

Under the House budget, state job rolls would be trimmed by about 3,000 positions but the leaders said they do not expect major layoffs. The Senate is not planning raises in its version of the budget, which envisions eliminating 2,549 job slots.

Rubio said the only new salary money in the budget will be some longevity-retention money for Florida Highway Patrol troopers, to prevent losing officers to city and county police agencies.

"The only pay issue in the budget is for the Highway Patrol ... whether or not that survives the budget process, I don't know," said Rubio. "We are dangerously close to not having a highway patrol." [/b]

You all deserve a huge raise. I give you credit for sticking with an organization that isn't coming through with a competitive wage.

I hope you keep the good people you have.

The below article came from the Capitol News:
__________________________________________________ ___________

House leaders rolled out a $65.1 billion budget with no pay raises for state employees Monday, along with a stop-gap plan to let Gov. Charlie Crist use reserves and trust funds if Florida's tax collections continue to fall short.

"We're not going to hit the panic button. We're not complaining," Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, the House budget chairman, said at a news conference. "We're going to embrace what the economy has given us."

Sansom and Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, said the proposal is a 9.6 percent reduction from the budget initially passed by the Legislature a year ago. Lawmakers last week came up with a long list of severe cuts in social services for the start of House-Senate budget negotiations that will dominate the second half of the 2008 session.
"I'm proud of the starting point we have. I'm not excited about it, in terms of the difficult decisions we have to make," said Rubio. "It's the kind of budget the people need at this time."

He and Sansom said not raising taxes and limiting use of one-time money for ongoing expenses will put the state in a better position for economic recovery.

Without conceding any political retreat, the House leaders made a key concession on use of trust funds. Sansom proposed to let Crist tap the $1.3 billion Budget Stabilization Fund, the state's rainy-day reserve, and the Lawton Chiles Endowment, which uses the state's tobacco settlement money for a variety of health programs.

Under Sansom's planned budget amendment, the governor could ask the Legislative Budget Commission to use half of the stabilization fund — about $700 million — if the state's reserve fund fell below $200 million. If that wasn't enough, he could ask the LBC to move $1 billion from the Chiles Endowment.

"I don't anticipate that we will get to the $200 million in the working capital, or the buffer as we call it, but if we do, it would give the discretion to the governor," said Sansom.

Under the House budget, state job rolls would be trimmed by about 3,000 positions but the leaders said they do not expect major layoffs. The Senate is not planning raises in its version of the budget, which envisions eliminating 2,549 job slots.

Rubio said the only new salary money in the budget will be some longevity-retention money for Florida Highway Patrol troopers, to prevent losing officers to city and county police agencies.

"The only pay issue in the budget is for the Highway Patrol ... whether or not that survives the budget process, I don't know," said Rubio. "We are dangerously close to not having a highway patrol." [/b]

Well this isnt the year FHP could go to the locals anyway because they are all going in hiring freeze mode with their budget tax cuts. They deserve a raise like the rest of us but their will be some major friction when FHP are getting $ 10,000 raises while the fund -bill for FDLE and other state officers comes out to like $ 50 per officer.