Pay raises planned for 35,000 state employees

Tuesday, April 6th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY _ More than 35,000 state employees will receive pay raises totaling $2,100 over the next two fiscal years under a bill approved Tuesday by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Under House Bill 2005, state workers will receive a $1,400 annual raise on Jan. 1, 2005, followed by a $700 pay hike on July 1, 2005. It will be the first salary increase for state employees in three years.

The bill now heads to the full Senate, where it must be approved before going to Gov. Brad Henry for a signature.

``We're very excited that we finished this phase of the process,'' said Gary Jones, executive director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, which represents about 10,000 state employees.

Henry issued a statement Tuesday afternoon indicating his willingness to sign the measure.

``I think our state employees deserve better pay for the difficult jobs they do, and this legislation will provide them with a long overdue raise,'' Henry stated.

Elected officials, cabinet officers and agency directors who are cabinet officers are not eligible for the pay increases, which will cost $23.6 million the first year and about $71 million when fully implemented.

Although the bill ultimately passed on a 95-4 vote, several Republican House members questioned the fiscal wisdom of implementing the second phase of the pay hikes in fiscal year 2006.

Rep. John Wright, R-Broken Arrow, said it is unfair to state employees to authorize a pay raise for which revenue may not be available next year.

``It's not within our authority to allocate this money,'' Wright said. ``Those of you who are term-limited are going to put us in a real pickle.''

Rep. Jack Bonny, who carried the bill on the floor, said if next year's Legislature determines the money is not available, the law can be changed to eliminate the second phase of the raise.

``Right now, we're anticipating the money will be there, and we intend to spend it,'' said Bonny, D-Burns Flat.

Rep. Odilia Dank, R-Oklahoma City, said she supports raises for low-paid state workers, like correctional officers and social workers, but said workers earning more than $50,000 per year should not be included.

``These across-the-board increases, I think, are a travesty,'' she said.

Rep. Billy Mitchell, the author of the bill and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said a fixed-dollar raise helps low-paid employees more than a percentage increase.

``You have an opportunity today to help the low end a lot more than the top end,'' said Mitchell, D-Lindsay.

Optimistic that the proposal will reach his desk, Henry encouraged legislative leaders to focus their attention on a proposed pay hike for state teachers. Henry's proposal _ Senate Bill 1272 _ would provide four-year incremental salary increases to Oklahoma teachers beginning in 2005. That bill is currently awaiting action in the House.

``In the days to come, I will be working with legislative leaders to expedite action on the teacher pay hike plan,'' Henry said.