House passes Pay Act (H889), advancing compensation increases for state employees

House Bill H889, the Pay Act, was presented by the committee on government operations and military affairs and adopted by the House after the body suspended rules to place the bill in all remaining stages and then voted to pass H889 on third reading.

Committee members described the bill as implementing the results of collective-bargaining agreements and setting compensation increases across executive, legislative and judicial branches: for FY2025 an average combined step and across‑the‑board increase of about 6.4 percent for classified employees; for FY2026 a combined increase of about 5.4 percent for executive-branch exempt employees. The bill also includes statutory salary details for branch officers, judges, sheriffs and state's attorneys and incorporates appropriations that were reconciled with budget estimates.

The committee on appropriations recommended the bill ought to pass after review by Joint Fiscal Office staff and legislative counsel. The House then suspended rules and passed H889; members were directed to message the action to the Senate forthwith. The measure will move to the Senate for concurrence and final enactment procedures.