2008 STATE LEGISLATIVE ISSUES

Top Priority

CAREER SERVICE REFORM — SUPPORT 

HB 887 by Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna

SB 2202 by Sen. Charles Dean, R-Crystal River 

In light of the bad budget year, AFSCME is recommending noneconomic changes to the Career Service system that can greatly improve the working life of state employees. These changes will improve the promotion and transfer opportunities for Career Service employees and reinstate fairness in discipline and layoffs. The legislation also would require the state to develop objective and transparent rules for retaining high-quality employees during a layoff. 

STATE BUDGET

Last year, state and university employees received a one-time $1,000 bonus ($673 after taxes) instead of a cost-of-living increase to their base salaries. The rationale for no raise given by the Florida Senate was that state revenues were declining due to the downturn in the housing market. The Legislature later had to cut $1.1 billion from the budget and is poised to slash another $500,000 from 2007-08 state spending. 

This year, Gov. Charlie Crist has recommended the equivalent of 2 percent for salary increases in critical areas to be spent according to plans to be drawn up by each agency. This recommendation is not across-the-board and, if passed, likely would leave many employees with little or nothing.  

Although the state budget is deep in deficit, state employee budgets have been in deficit year after year as raises failed to keep up with inflation. The low salaries have made it impossible for the state to recruit or retain quality employees who can easily earn more in the private sector or even in local government. 

According to the 2006-07 Annual Workforce Report by the Florida Department of Management Services, Florida’s state workers on average have the lowest pay in the country. In this bad year, AFSCME’s budget priorities are

• no layoffs, Florida already has one of the country’s smallest government’s per capita;
• any raise should be across-the-board with critical pay for high turnover jobs;
• close tax loopholes to stabilize the budget; and
• use reserves to avoid damaging vital services.

Top Priority

SPECIAL RISK RETIREMENT — SUPPORT 

HB 815 by Rep. Charles Chestnut, D-Gainesville

SB 2260 by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee 

In 1999, the Legislature granted special risk retirement status to professional health care workers — registered nurses, dieticians, pharmacists — working in state mental hospitals and prisons. However, the Legislature did not grant special risk status to the nonprofessional health care employees — human services workers, psychiatric aides, rehabilitation specialists — who have the actual duty of custody and control of patients in these facilities and who are tasked with protecting those professional health professionals. This good bill will rectify a great injustice by extending special risk retirement to the workers in strenuous jobs with daily hands-on direct contact with patients in state forensic and correctional units.

Top Priority

TASK FORCE ON WORKPLACE SAFETY — SUPPORT

SB 652 by Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Daytona Beach

SB 967 by Rep. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville 

In 1999, Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature eliminated the Division of Safety in the Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security and repealed all of the safety laws covering public sector employees. Florida law currently contains no provisions regarding the general health and safety of public sector workers at any level. Public employees are not covered by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). This has had tragic consequences. On January 11, 2006, an methanol explosion and fire occurred at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (Bethune Point WWTP) in Daytona Beach, killing two employees and severely burning a third. The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) investigated and determined that the lack of federal, state, and local safety oversight and programs was a significant factor causing the fatal accident. The CSB recommended that the state enact safety laws and rules for public employees that at least meet the federal OSHA minimum. 

The safety task force bill is a first step in bringing back safety laws for Florida public employees. The 15 member task force will make a report to the governor and Legislature with recommendations for enacting workplace safety and health laws for the state’s public sector employees.

State

EXTENDING KIDCARE ELIGIBILITY TO PUBLC EMPLOYEES — SUPPORT 

HB 1275 by Rep. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee

SB 2472 by Sen. Nan Rich, D-Sunrise 

Currently, public employees are barred from eligibility in the children’s’ health program known as KidCare, because federal funds do not match state dollars used to cover these employees and because the state offers its employees Group Health Insurance. However, many public employees have salaries below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), and their health insurance premiums cost more than 5 percent of their salaries. Currently, premiums for State Group Health Insurance Family coverage are $180 per month and $2,160 annually, not including deductibles and co-payments. Sponsors of the bills have assured us that reinstating public employee eligibility for KidCare will be included this year. We are requesting a $15 million to cover public employee eligible for KidCare.

The following shows that state employees at 200% of the poverty level would be paying more than 5% for health insurance for their children. 

State

AGENCY INSPECTORS GENERAL — OPPOSE 

HB 165 by Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach

SB 498 by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton

These bills would make it more difficult for the inspectors general of state agencies to investigate wrongdoing by private contractors working for the agency. In fact, the state would have to pay up to $50,000 in legal fees and costs to the contractors if investigation findings are not upheld. The bills would also allow contractors to file complaints against inspectors investigating them. The intent of the legislation is to chill inspectors general and whistleblowers from taking action on behalf of taxpayers against privatization fraud and abuses.

State

STATE CONTRACTING/PROCUREMENT OF SERVICES — OPPOSE 

HB 1473 by Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach 

This bill would exempt contracts to outsource human services related to mental health, substance abuse, or child welfare from competitive solicitation requirements, which could make it easier to privatize more state mental hospitals. The bill also would make it more expensive to change existing human service contracts.

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