HCS HB 134 & 52 -- STATE EMPLOYEES' PAY

SPONSOR:  Bearden (Crawford)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Budget by
a vote of 24 to 0.

This substitute requires that state employees be paid at a rate
of one and one half times their standard hourly rate for all time
worked in excess of 40 hours per week.  Overtime will be paid
unless the employee chooses to use accrued overtime hours as
compensatory leave time if leave time is available and the
employee's supervisor agrees.  Any employee who works a state
holiday will have the option of receiving either equal
compensatory time off or payment at the straight hourly rate.
This applies only to employees who are otherwise eligible for
compensatory time.

Any state employee requesting cash payment for at least 20 hours
of accrued overtime is to be compensated within 30 calendar days
of the request.

Beginning on January 1, 2005, and annually thereafter, each
department must pay all state employees who are paid at an hourly
rate in full for any overtime hours accrued during the previous
calendar year not yet paid or used in the form of compensatory
leave time.  State employees may retain up to 80 hours of
compensatory leave time.

Effective July 1, 2004, by November of each year each department
is to notify the Commissioner of Administration, the House Budget
Chairman, and the Senate Appropriations Chairman of the amount of
overtime paid the previous year and an estimate of the overtime
to be paid in the current fiscal year.  The fiscal year estimate
is to be a separate line item appropriation for each department
in that department's appropriation bill.

FISCAL NOTE:  Not available at time of printing.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that employees of the Department of
Corrections are required to work or take comp time based upon the
staffing needs of the moment.  Irregular work hours make it
difficult to maintain a second job and nearly impossible to
retain child care.  Unfilled positions cause additional job
stress for the remaining employees.  Employees are often
uncompensated for overtime worked.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Crawford; American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and Missouri
Correctional Officers.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Roland Tackett, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated July 25, 2003 at 10:10 am