State Employee Total Compensation Philosophy

Current law specifies that it is the policy of the state to provide prevailing total compensation to officers and employees in the state personnel system to ensure the recruitment, motivation, and retention of a qualified and competent workforce. Current law also directs the state personnel director to prescribe procedures for leave benefits that are typically consistent with prevailing practices. Current law has prevented the state personnel director from providing certain benefits to state employees that are not typically consistent with prevailing practices.

The bill eliminates references to "prevailing" total compensation and "prevailing practices" in connection with state employee benefits. The bill also modifies the total compensation philosophy to specify that it is the policy of the state to provide innovative total compensation that meets or exceeds total compensation provided by public or private sector employers to officers and employees in the state personnel system to ensure the recruitment, motivation, and retention of a qualified and competent workforce.

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)