Committee passes bill capping routine state pay increases and bonuses, with exceptions

Representative Lowe presented House Bill 3024 as a transparency measure for state employee pay, saying the bill provides a structured framework for salary increases and bonuses and imposes a 10% limit on routine increases. He said agencies must establish pay structures by job category and that exceptions beyond the limits may be authorized by an overseeing cabinet secretary through OMES forms.

Members raised concerns about how the bill affects frontline employees and whether the proposal would hinder recruiting or fail to address broader pay raises; Lowe said the bill does not preclude larger raises when funds and proper exceptions exist and that the measure is intended to prevent large unexplained executive bonuses and increase public transparency.

The committee moved and seconded the bill and the chair declared it passed and will be reported to the next stage (no detailed numeric tally appears in the spoken record).