HB 1548 -- STATE EMPLOYEES' PAY

SPONSOR:  Crawford

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass" by the Committee on Budget by
a vote of 21 to 0.

This bill 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
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, 2006, 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
time.  State employees may retain up to 80 hours of compensatory
time.

By November of each year, every department must notify the
Commissioner of the Office of Administration, the House Budget
Chairman, and the Senate Appropriations Chairman of the amount of
overtime paid in 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 its appropriation bill.

Each department will report quarterly to the House Budget
Chairman, the Senate Appropriations Chairman, and the
Commissioner of the Office of Administration the cumulative
number of accrued overtime hours for department employees and the
corresponding dollar amount, the appropriated number of full-time
equivalent positions listing vacant positions, the amount of
funds for any vacant positions used to pay overtime compensation,
and the current balance in the department's personal service
fund.

FISCAL NOTE:  Estimated Cost on General Revenue Fund of $0 in FY
2005, Unknown in FY 2006, and Unknown in FY 2007.  Estimated Cost
of Other State Funds of $0 in FY 2005, Unknown in FY 2006, and
Unknown in FY 2007.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that state employees at the
departments of Mental Health and Corrections work a lot of
overtime because of the nature of their jobs.  The bill will give
employees more control on whether they take comp time in lieu of
payment for their overtime.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Crawford; and
Missouri Corrections Officer Association.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Marc Webb, Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:15 am