The firings of more than 100 auditors and collectors, who were among the lowest-paid employees at Revenue, ended up costing the state $83million in lost revenue. Fiscal Year 2022-23 The Arizona State Retirement System Board of Trustees announced Friday, November 12, 2021 that qualified retirees will receive a Permanent Benefit Increase (PBI) to their monthly annuities, beginning with their July 2022 benefit check. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona's legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. GOP and Democratic leaders agreed to add $526 million in new ongoing funding for K-12 schools, a substantial increase from the GOP's initial proposal. pay raises that average 18 percent, or an $11,496 increase. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. And just over a month ago, this is exactly what happened in Arizona, as former state CIO Aaron Sandeen passed the torch to our new state CIO Morgan Reed. Here are five things to know about state-government pay raises: The state has not given across-the-board pay hikes to its employees since fiscal 2013, when then-Gov. Right now, you can only earn $30 before benefits are reduced. The package of budget bills passed with overwhelming support, highly unusual in the modern era. Several lawmakers already are angling for even bigger tax cuts. 2.5-3% is an average salary increase in many sectors, including the government sector where federal employees will receive a base pay. The added funding includes phasing in funding for low-income students starting at $50 million in the upcoming fiscal year and growing to $100 million in three years and special education. Pursuant to State laws and rules, state employees may receive paid leave in order to exercise their voting privileges under certain . Arizona state officials gave pay raises to 169 government workers without getting the required approval from the Department of Administration. The agency has 448 vacancies out of nearly 2,300 approved positions and Ducey wants to spend $31 million a year on DPS raises alone, according to the governors office. Tags: Associated Press, legislation, business, property taxes, Arizona, education, state budgets. With a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2020 pushing the states minimum wage for all workers to $15-an-hour in 2026, Florida lawmakers now appear to be getting out slightly ahead of this shift. The 12 school districts targeted in the House's original proposal were looking to get the $200 million penalty removed from the state's school funding system. All rights reserved. Those employees who will be receiving a targeted salary increase at or above 7.5 percent in fiscal year 2023 will be eligible to receive a 2.5 percent statewide increase. About one-third of the top positions for Arizona state agencies received a boost in pay for 2015, with many of Governor Doug Ducey's new hires now getting paid substantially more than their . Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. The increases are tied to job performance and employees could increase two steps, or 5%, on his or her employment anniversary date. This equals the increase in the Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation. The Cigna DHMO Dental plan is changing to the UnitedHealthcare Solstice S800B DHMO (UHC Solstice). Strictly speaking, the state gets no property tax revenues. Department of Economic Security Director Tim Jeffries has canned 168 employees since he was appointed department head in February, a pace of more than four firings a week. Simpson, the Senate president, is running for the post of Agriculture Commissioner later this year and the spending provision sought by his chamber would not take effect until January 2023, when he could potentially be in charge of the department. Meanwhile, caseworkers dealing with the state's foster-care crisis got a $1-a-day raise. 1/. The Pima County Board of Supervisors had eight pay raise proposals to choose from, ranging from a low of 5% to a high of 10%. The budget does have a specific sensitivity to how the COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the shortage of nurses in the state. It allows state and local governments to boost pay by up to $13 per hour for essential workers and allows a maximum per-employee amount of $25,000. Both measures will allow laid-off workers to take on more part-time work. "So acknowledging the importance of these positions at this time where staffing is such a big issue across the board, we thought this was a good thing to do.". Posted: 4:27 PM, Jun 28, 2022 . Note: Elective benefits for new employees may be subject to a 90-day waiting period. 23/06/2022 State employees will get a raise many for the first time in a decade. Doug Ducey wants to grant pay raises to nearly half of all state employees, with an emphasis on boosting salaries for law enforcement and corrections officers. "State employees have stepped up and answered the call of public service. It appears those who are close to Gov. Even mail clerks at the states prisons are getting 20% premium pay. Under the plan, DeSantis would exclusively use the Citation. He pointed to officer pay in Texas and California, where rookie California Highway Patrol officers start at $93,000 a year. Find in Google Maps Also on Thursday evening, Senate made its way through its calendar, completing action on six additional bills and passing 11 others that will need to be finalized by the House. The result is a booming economy with record revenues, Ducey said in a statement. Arizona's unemployment payments haven't been raised in 17 years, but this year two bills are being considered by lawmakers that could move the state up a bit, from second-lowest pay to 38th place. Doug Ducey was expected to approve it. A proposed expansion of a tax credit to subsidize private school tuition was removed from the must-pass budget, likely dooming it. Both are leaving the Legislature after this year. Ducey hailed the deal, saying his policies of limited spending and regulation cuts can be credited for the surplus, although massive federal COVID-19 relief money also was a major contributor. Arizona has a legal right to challenge a federal provision that forbids using COVID relief money for tax cuts, appeals court rules. Copyright 2022 TheAssociated Press. GOP and Democratic leaders agreed to add $526 million in new ongoing funding for K-12 schools, a substantial increase from the GOPs initial proposal. SB 1411 was introduced by Republican State Senator Karen Fann. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. Only a handful of dissenters from each party voted against the package of bills, and Republican Gov. Marisol Garcia, Vice President of the Arizona Education Association, speaks during a news conference at the Arizona capitol Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in Phoenix. Watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events and stories across the nation. The Arizona Legislature is rushing to pass a budget before the 2022 session ends in a few days on June 30, but some Republican legislators are balking at agreeing to vote for the 12 budget bills due to the amount of spending: $17.9 billion. Other priorities in the governors program include: $248 million for targeted pay raises for state workers. For more information, refer to the web story from AZDOR:Arizonas Employees Have New Tax Withholding Options. But the fate of dollars for the rural and family lands program remained in flux late Tuesday. The bipartisanship extended to opposition a handful of conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats voted against the budget deal. But still to be settled is more than $300 million in environmental spending earmarked by the Senate for the states rural and family lands program under the Agriculture Department. Ducey is seeking similar permanent raises for troopers and at other agencies in the budget proposal he released on Friday. Duceys budget sets aside $58 million for that, leaving it up to lawmakers how to enact business tax cuts. It also calls for an increase to employer premiums - $160 per employee a year to $186 per employee a year. The Governors Office estimates that 577,000 Arizonans will qualify at a cost of $74 million a year. This widespread removal of protections made possiblemass firings during the Ducey administration in a quest to shrink government. Log in via YES. While adults may find that sports gambling is a way to enhance the experience with more than just fandom on the line, it can be a dangerous proposition if children get involved in the activity. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. HB 2805 was introduced by Republican Representative David Cook. And that specifically means private lands. Rowan has spent the last few months going through unemployment data from states, giving context to the problems we are seeing now. Tiny majorities in both chambers meant opposition from a single Republican lawmaker was enough to sink the budget if Democrats were united in opposition. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. ADOA Human Resources . Doug Ducey wants to grant pay raises to nearly half of all state employees, with an emphasis on boosting salaries for law enforcement and corrections officers. Doug Ducey was expected to approve it. It also eliminates the state equalization tax, a property tax for education, and backfills it with $330 million from the general fund. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. The package of budget bills passed with overwhelming support, highly unusual in the modern era. That includes $544 million for border security, roughly half of it for a wall, and $1 billion for highway construction, including widening Interstate 10 north of Casa Grande. As a result, the Arizona Department of Revenue (AZDOR) revised the withholding percentages. Using the money to provide premium pay for essential workers is allowed under terms of the virus relief law signed by the Democratic president last March. This is really just getting on a soap box and vilifying immigrants and creating a political point, Quezada said. Doug Ducey or his political appointees have a much better shot of getting a big pay boost. The governor this year has proposed to increase education funding in his budget, but teachers say it still makes them among the worst paid in the country. Please contact a Benefit Options representative by phone at 602-542-5008, toll-free at 1-800-304-3687, by email at [emailprotected] or visit benefitoptions.az.gov. All rights reserved. But aides said that promise was for over three years, meaning after he has left office. Republicans last year cut $1.7 billion in income taxes. A Valley teenager was arrested on Friday for bringing a firearm to Moon Valley High School, authorities said. Capitol Rideshare (Transit Subsidy, Travel Reduction Telework), Employee Information Organizer - Important information in the event of your death while employed with the State, Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS), Corrections Officers Retirement System (CORP), Internal Job Openings (for current state of Arizona employees only), Vital Records - Birth or death certificates. C.J. The improbable bipartisanship was enabled by an unprecedented surplus topping $5 billion, allowing for a broad array of new spending and savings. Eligibility is based on income, maxing out at $57,414 a year for married couples filing jointly who have three or more qualifying children, with lower limits for smaller families. Those who have voted against it say they want to see a restructuring of DES before handing them more money. The budget is not sound and its not reflective of my conservative values, Ugenti-Rita said. Ducey proposes $14B budget, with tax cuts, some raises for state workers, Lawmakers want to strip 19 cities' rights but Tucson is real target, Celebrity Las Vegas chefs opening Tucson restaurant, A bunch of photos of today's snow across Tucson , The highly anticipated Portillo's is now open in Tucson, 'Attainable' apartments coming to northwest Tucson, A big ol' guide to this weekend's Tucson Festival of Books, Watch: The most notable things Tommy Lloyd said after Arizona's heartbreaking loss to ASU, New game, entertainment center makes southwest Tucson a bigger draw, South Tucson motel sold to soup kitchen for housing, Tim Steller's column: Converting Tucson's big boxes, vast parking lots into housing tantalizes, 100 fun events happening in Tucson this March 2023 , Tucson lawmaker loses first bid to dump cities' rights, 'Extreme weather' closes parts of Interstates 17, 40 in Arizona, Feds might seek $163M refund over Arizona's anti-mask mandate rules, Arizona's online portal for campaign signatures facing shut down during critical period, Lawmaker's bill would eliminate sales tax on gun purchases in Arizona, Ducey: "Summer camp" plan to differ from traditional summer school, Arizona lawmaker seeks to override HOA rules against turf, Bill would again allow local governments to regulate short-term rentals, Gov. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. Leave taken and/or accrued during the 12/10 - 12/23 pay period willNOTbe reflected in the excess annual leave balances posted in YES on the leave balances tab. There also is a $450 million deposit into the states rainy day fund, bringing it up to 10% of the total state budget, the maximum permitted by law. "If you make a whole ton of money and you're on unemployment, the most you're going to get is $240 a week to be able to pay your bills," said Rowan. Boyer, who started as a Senate staffer and has been a lawmaker for a decade, said this is the first bipartisan budget in at least 15 years. The other two aircraft would be available to the lieutenant governor, Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices, the House Speaker, Senate president and chairs of legislative committees and agency officials. It also eliminates the state equalization tax, a property tax for education, and backfills it with $330 million from the general fund. A salary increase with a chosen percent pay increase. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. These cookies do not store any personal information. It allows state and local governments to. With the increase, Fann's bill cuts benefits from 26 to 22 weeks once unemployment is back under 4.5%. So the board chose a compromise: an 8.5-cent raise for the lowest paid workers, those making $35,000 or less. Three Kansas City police officers who were shot while serving a search warrant have been released from the hospital, Officials say one passenger died when a business jet experienced severe turbulence, forcing a landing at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut, Oklahoma voters are deciding whether to legalize marijuana sales for those 21 and older. Arizonas individual income tax rates were substantially reduced starting with the 2022 tax year. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Gov. This is really just getting on a soap box and vilifying immigrants and creating a political point, Quezada said. The firings of more than 100 auditors and collectors, who were among the lowest-paid employees at Revenue, ended up costing the state $83 million in lost revenue. The U.S. Supreme Court today let stand a ruling that struck down Arizonas policy of denying benefits for domestic partners of state employees. Sen. Sean Bowie, a moderate Phoenix Democrat, joined with moderate Republican Sen. Paul Boyer to push for more school funding, noting that in all more than $1 billion in new school funding was in the plan, with more than half ongoing. Lawmaker said 2016 legislation pushed by Airbnb and signed into law by Gov. That includes $544 million for border security, roughly half of it for a wall, and $1 billion for highway construction, including widening Interstate 10 north of Casa Grande. All rights reserved. Senate Bill 531 applies to teachers, school counselors, school service personnel and State Troopers. While a judge has said the tax cut is subject to referendum, there is still a challenge to whether there are sufficient signatures on the petitions. For example, Arizona State University is getting $21 million for new programs in engineering, Theres $415 million for the University of Arizona for its programs in health, mining, space and defense, with about $10 million for Northern Arizona University for health care professions. "The pandemic has really made it apparent that what you get in terms of unemployment benefits often isn't enough to support you if you're out of work, especially when you think about a national public health crisis," said Rowan. It does not call for a second raise or a cut to the number of weeks people can get paid. The bill now heads to the Governors desk to await his signature to become law. Keep reading with a digital access subscription. Tiny majorities in both chambers meant opposition from a single Republican lawmaker was enough to sink the budget if Democrats were united in opposition. 0. By Associated Press Originally Published: June 23, 2022 10:52 a.m. PHOENIX - Arizona's legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial. Average annual pay before overtime for non-supervisors is just over $70,000. The State of Arizona offers a robust array of benefits for State employees, including health and life insurance, short- and long-term disability, employee assistance, wellness programs and much more. But lawmakers have reduced that amount, targeting $209.5 million for housing initiatives, but limiting rental assistance efforts to about $100 million, with another $100 million establishing a hometown heroes program helping first responders, teachers and nurses with down payment assistance. The Blog of the West Virginia Legislature, The Official Blog of the West Virginia Legislature, House Passes Classroom Camera Review Process Bill, House Floor Session, Rejection of Senate Bill 230, Bill Requiring a Personal Finance Class in High School Completes, Senate Completes Action on Eight Bills Thursday, Senate Education Advances Special Education Monitoring Bill, House Completes Action on WV-Ireland Trade Commission. NOTE:Employees have the option to update their A-4 at any time during the tax year but are encouraged to consult with their tax advisor related to these new updates from AZDOR to determine how they may be affected. They also agreed to technical changes in a formula for distributing money to schools and $4 million each for school testing and 2022 election costs. For agencies, boards and commissions under the State Personnel System, the maximum number of annual leave hours an employee may carry over into a new calendar year is 320 hours for uncovered employees and 240 hours for covered employees. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. You do not have to take any action. U of A's $2.3 billion budget earmarks $51.5 million for employee raises. Gov. Cities and counties in Arizona are also struggling to fill positions because of low pay, and Ducey said in his state of the state address last week that his 15% pay hike would make troopers the best paid officers in the state. It does not call for a second raise or a cut to the number of weeks people can get paid. After losing support on the right, House Speaker Rusty Bowers and Senate President Karen Fann had to look elsewhere for votes, and they found them across the aisle. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. Retired state employees would get another one-time, 1% cost-of-living bonus on top of the 3% already approved for this year. State employees will get a raise, many for the first time in a decade. Most of the spending increases that were included in the FY 2022 budget are one- time (versus ongoing), which ho nors a core tenet of the Governor's focus on fiscal sustainability and avoiding over-burdening the State's budget, as was done in the mid -2000s with disastrous fiscal consequences. Annual renewal required. Doug Ducey to dole out money from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund only to public schools that do not mandate ma, Some legislative and congressional candidates hoping to be on August primary ballot will have to collect signatures with pen and paper to meet. A general wage increase of 3.25% for all employees who fall under WFSE's General Government contract A lump sum payment (determined by base income as of June 30, 2022) for workers employed as of July 1, 2021, who remain employed as of July 1, 2022, and earn less than $99,000 Do I get the lump sum payment if I work part time? Records show state Parks director was investigated in 2015, then given big raise, State Parks revenue, visitation (and some staff pay) rise under director, Ducey wants state to rehire tax collectors. 2023 FOX Television Stations. The budget has nearly $600 million in new, permanent funding for public schools, up from about $330 million in the original proposal. TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - On Friday, Jan. 15, Arizona Gov. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Only a handful of dissenters from each party voted against the package of bills, and Republican Gov. Districts lose dollars because of masks: GOP lawmaker aims to strip state funding from school districts that defied Gov. This widespread removal of protections made possiblemass firings during the Ducey administration in a quest to shrink government. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Ducey gave to staff. A proposed expansion of a tax credit to subsidize private school tuition was removed from the must-pass budget, likely dooming it. Arizona lawmakers approve bipartisan $18 billion budget, Arizona DPS trooper praised for saving driver, Pima County man sentenced second time to life in prison for deadly shooting, Man charged with murder after girlfriends 1-year-old son dies, Suspect killed in Tucson officer-involved shooting, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, dies at 61. The new budget also is built on the premise that the 2.5% flat tax proposal approved last year will, in fact, take effect this year at an annual cost of $1.9 billion despite the fact that foes have gathered enough signatures to delay it until the public can vote on it in November. The budget also makes a $1.1 billion deposit into the pension fund for public safety and corrections officers, paying off the state's unfunded liability for future retirement benefits. Senate Bill 1828(Laws 2021, Fifty-fifth Legislature, 1st Regular Session)amended the individual income tax withholding brackets. Ducey is seeking a permanent 15% raise for state troopers, 20% for juvenile and adult corrections employees and pay boosts for several other agencies that total nearly $250 million a year. Few events have the potential to impact technology and the government like the appointment of a new state CIO. With the holidays approaching, it's important to know when your home is in need of heating and plumbing updates before more guests start to come around. March 10, 2022. A spokeswoman for the agency could not say how many of those former employees were considered bullies and liars as well. PHOENIX Arizona Gov. Please take this into consideration when planning for the avoidance of forfeiture of excess hours. Tiny majorities in both chambers meant opposition from a single Republican lawmaker was enough to sink the budget if Democrats were united in opposition. Republicans last year cut $1.7 billion in income taxes. Instead, they are looking at a chain-link fence, similar to what is around state prisons. Doug Ducey quietly tapped $95 million in federal coronavirus relief money in November to boost pay for state troopers, prison guards and workers in several other state departments deemed essential. Ducey proposes pay raises for nearly half of state employees in $11.4 billion budget Gov. MORE:After firing auditors, state's Revenue agency gave raises to select employees. It would raise payments from $240 to $320, with a second increase to $400 when the state's unemployment fund is back to its normal level. They also agreed to technical changes in a formula for distributing money to schools and $4 million each for school testing and 2022 election costs.