TSEU/CWA

PAY RAISE <more information>

PARTIAL VICTORY: across the board raise for agency employees.
For all state agency employees: 2% or $50/month minimum (whichever is greater) on Sept. 1 2007, and 2% or $50/month minimum (whichever is greater) on Sept. 1 2008. Some small groups in Schedule C (law enforcement) got larger raises, and some individual high-ranking officials got much larger pay raises. These include the State Comptroller ($30,000) the Governor ($32,000), and the TRS commissioner ($150,000).

This raise, while not enough and problematical because it does not include university employees, is a victory because there was a very strong push to divert state employee pay raise funding into “targeted” pay raise schemes and merit pay funds to be administered by agency administrations. At one point the Senate’s draft budget bill included ONLY merit pay funding. A statewide mobilization by TSEU members – calling legislators and organizing post cards -- moved legislators away from the merit raise fund and got them to channel money into an across-the-board raise. The raise amounts to an increase of $1200 per year over the two-year biennium.

RETIREMENT

VICTORY. Higher Education employees: increase in state & employee contribution, “13th check” probably on the way. SB 1846 (PASSED) by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) may increase employee’s contribution to TRS to 6.6%, and mandates that the state contribution always match the employee contribution. State contribution will probably increase from 6.0% to 6.6%, while the employee contribution will probably increase from 6.4% to 6.6% (about $5 per month for the average employee). The increases will provide a 13th check to TRS retirees.

Agency employees: no increase in state or employee contribution, pension increase or 13th check doubtful. SB 1847 (FAILED) by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) to increase active employee’s contribution to ERS to 6.4%. An appropriations provision that would have increased the state contribution to 6.45% was dependent on SB 1847, and so the state contribution will remain at 6%. Pension increases are possible if investment income increases enough to eliminate the unfounded liability in the ERS pension fund.

HEALTH BENEFITS

VICTORY. Health Savings Accounts DEFEATED. HB 1269 by Rep. Myra Crownover (R-Lake Dallas) required the ERS to create an alternative high-deductible health savings account plan for state employees and their dependents. TSEU testified against HB 1269 in House Insurance. The bill was passed out of Committee and sent to the House floor for a vote. TSEU worked with Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) and Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) who killed the bill with a point of order on Friday, May 4. The point of order was quickly fixed and returned to the House floor on Wednesday, May 9. TSEU worked with State Representative Joe Deshotel (D-Port Arthur) to kill it again. This was a major victory in killing the actual bill. Rep. Deshotel took a major stand for our union and for all state employees. However, Rep. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) then added HB 1269 to another bill, Senate Bill 23 by Sen. Nelson (R-Flower Mound), as an amendment in the final days. SB 23 went to Conference Committee. There was a major phone call effort by TSEU members across the state and lobbying effort in the Capitol to strip this amendment from the bill. Sen. Nelson obliged, and we were able to defeat Health Savings Accounts again this session!

TSEU worked with several legislators to make this happen: Rep. Joe Deshotel, Rep. Hubert Vo, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Rep. Lon Burnam, Rep. Jim Dunnam, Rep. Garnet Coleman.

VICTORY. Funding increased for state employees’ health care: the appropriations bill will fund a 1% increase for ERS and enough additional funding to close the 13% gap between funding for higher ed. employees health Care and agency employees’ health care. The increase in funding for the ERS health care plans will probably prevent any plan changes (benefit cuts or our-of-pocket cost hikes) over the next two years.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

VICTORY. Increased State Eligibility Staffing PASSED: up to 1000 new employees possible.
The Budget returned FTEs to 2004 levels, approx. 10,500 employees, PLUS allows HHSC to increase Integrated Eligibility FTEs by 10% over allocated FTEs, roughly 1,050 additional staff.

VICTORY - TIERS BILL PASSED - HB 3575 PASSED by Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) creates goals for the enhanced Integrated Eligibility System and a Legislative Oversight Committee to monitor the Commission through the process of reaching these goals. Regular oversight and public hearings are included. TSEU appreciates the tireless work of Rep. Abel Herrero (D-Robstown) as Chair of the Subcommittee on TIERS and Integrated Eligibility, and the entire subcommittee, to assert greater legislative oversight and highlight the serious flaws of privatization and the Accenture debacle.

VICTORY - CHIP ELIGIBILITY - HB 109 PASSED by Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) extends the period of eligibility for those enrolled in the CHIP program to 12 months and eliminates the 90-day waiting period for CHIP applicants.

PAROLE

VICTORY. Parole officer career ladder PASSED
HB 1018 by Rep. Roberto Alonzo/SB 698 by Sen. John Carona (D-Dallas) (D-Dallas) was rolled into SB 909, the TDCJ Sunset Bill. It PASSED. It requires TDCJ to adopt a career ladder for parole officers to include an annual salary increase determined by the officer’s classification and years of service.

VICTORY. Parole caseloads bill PASSED
HB 3736 by Rep. Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin)/Sen. Hinojosa (D-Corpus Christi) instructs the agency to create guidelines to achieve caseload maximums for parole officers to 60:1 for regular supervision officers, 35:1 for special needs offender program caseload officers, 35:1 for substance abuse officers, and 24:1 for sex offender officers. If the agency is unable to do so, they must report to the LBB how much money they will need to reach those goals.

University Issues

VICTORY. Increased Health Care Funding-The state closed the 13% gap in university employees’ health care funding relative to funding for the agency employees’ health plan. The increase will reduce the need for increased charges to employees or for benefit cuts.

POSSIBLE VICTORY. Increased University Funding- There was a major increase in legislated funding to higher education institutions for buildings, classes, institutional growth, which could assist in pushing at the university levels for a pay raise.

TYC REFORM

PARTIAL VICTORY. SB 103 PASSED by Sen. Chuy Hinojosa (D-McAllen) and Rep. Jerry Madden (R-Plano) is a major reform bill for TYC with many provisions. TSEU supports some provisions and has questions about others. Some major provisions that would directly affect TYC staff would:

Requires juvenile correctional officers to complete 300 hours of training before working at TYC and require TYC to maintain a staffing ratio of one juvenile correctional officer to twelve youth. (TSEU SUPPORTS)

Creates a Governor appointed Executive Commissioner and Advisory Board, creates an Ombudsman to handle grievances and complaints against the Texas Youth Commission and creates an Office of Inspector General with peace officers at each facility. The 16 peace officers were added to the LECOS Retirement Fund.

Requires the executive commissioner to review the criminal history of every applicant for employment at TYC, including checking fingerprints if necessary.

Allows the agency to remove employees “at will” instead of “for cause.” (TSEU OPPOSES)

Creates a mediation process for termination issues. (TSEU SUPPORTS)

Removes misdemeanors from TYC. Ages out youth at 19 instead of 21. Attempts to separate older and younger youth on the facilities to the best of the capability of the facility. (TSEU SUPPORTS)

Marlin State School and John Shero (San Saba) will be turned over to TDCJ by March 1, 2008.

MH and MR Schools and Hospitals

VICTORY. “At will” DEFEATED. SB 1848 by Sen. Robert Duncan mostly made minor adjustments to state accounting procedures. However, on Thursday, May 17, when it went to the Senate floor, Sen. Duncan attached an amendment to it to make all MH and MR employees at facilities removable “at will” instead of “for cause.” It passed the Senate with the amendment and was referred to the House Appropriations Committee the next day. TSEU worked with Rep. Dukes and Rep. Lucio III, who spoke against it in Committee, and were prepared with amendments to kill it on the house floor. The bill died when it was left pending at adjournment of the Legislature.

FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES REFORM

VICTORY: Privatization mandate from 2005 trimmed to minimum. Senate Bill 758 by Sen. Jane Nelson and Rep. Patrick Rose was the major FPS "Reform Bill" that passed. The final version of SB 758 reverses many of the changes and initiatives made by SB 6 in 2005. Chairman Patrick Rose and Rep. Elliott Naishtat, of the House Human Services Committee, played major roles in the progressive changes to the bill:

Removes the requirement that CPS substitute care services be completely privatized by 2011, but allows the agency to decide whether or not to privatize these services.

Lowers the requirement to privatize case management services in CPS from 100% by 2011 to a maximum of 5% in one ore more geographic areas as a pilot project.

Removes the Independent Administrator from the privatization model.

Requires the development of a plan to reduce caseloads in CPS

Retains $5000 bonus for CPS investigators and investigative supervisors. (Those receiving the bonus will be included in the across-the-board pay raise)

Requires the agency to increase targeted degreed investigators and case managers from particular related backgrounds and asks the agency to report on costs for academic reimbursements and incentives for advanced degrees and schooling.

Staffing:
Staffing levels in the agency will increase by 1,700 FTEs by 2009 (1,300 in FY 08 and 400 in FY 09), bringing the total to 11,150 FTEs.

	TSEU Legislative Updates Email TSEU Legislative Organizer Derrick Osobase
		PAY RAISE <more information> PARTIAL VICTORY: across the board raise for agency employees. For all state agency employees: 2% or $50/month minimum (whichever is greater) on Sept. 1 2007, and 2% or $50/month minimum (whichever is greater) on Sept. 1 2008. Some small groups in Schedule C (law enforcement) got larger raises, and some individual high-ranking officials got much larger pay raises. These include the State Comptroller ($30,000) the Governor ($32,000), and the TRS commissioner ($150,000). This raise, while not enough and problematical because it does not include university employees, is a victory because there was a very strong push to divert state employee pay raise funding into “targeted” pay raise schemes and merit pay funds to be administered by agency administrations. At one point the Senate’s draft budget bill included ONLY merit pay funding. A statewide mobilization by TSEU members – calling legislators and organizing post cards -- moved legislators away from the merit raise fund and got them to channel money into an across-the-board raise. The raise amounts to an increase of $1200 per year over the two-year biennium. RETIREMENT VICTORY. Higher Education employees: increase in state & employee contribution, “13th check” probably on the way. SB 1846 (PASSED) by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) may increase employee’s contribution to TRS to 6.6%, and mandates that the state contribution always match the employee contribution. State contribution will probably increase from 6.0% to 6.6%, while the employee contribution will probably increase from 6.4% to 6.6% (about $5 per month for the average employee). The increases will provide a 13th check to TRS retirees. Agency employees: no increase in state or employee contribution, pension increase or 13th check doubtful. SB 1847 (FAILED) by Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) to increase active employee’s contribution to ERS to 6.4%. An appropriations provision that would have increased the state contribution to 6.45% was dependent on SB 1847, and so the state contribution will remain at 6%. Pension increases are possible if investment income increases enough to eliminate the unfounded liability in the ERS pension fund. HEALTH BENEFITS VICTORY. Health Savings Accounts DEFEATED. HB 1269 by Rep. Myra Crownover (R-Lake Dallas) required the ERS to create an alternative high-deductible health savings account plan for state employees and their dependents. TSEU testified against HB 1269 in House Insurance. The bill was passed out of Committee and sent to the House floor for a vote. TSEU worked with Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) and Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) who killed the bill with a point of order on Friday, May 4. The point of order was quickly fixed and returned to the House floor on Wednesday, May 9. TSEU worked with State Representative Joe Deshotel (D-Port Arthur) to kill it again. This was a major victory in killing the actual bill. Rep. Deshotel took a major stand for our union and for all state employees. However, Rep. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) then added HB 1269 to another bill, Senate Bill 23 by Sen. Nelson (R-Flower Mound), as an amendment in the final days. SB 23 went to Conference Committee. There was a major phone call effort by TSEU members across the state and lobbying effort in the Capitol to strip this amendment from the bill. Sen. Nelson obliged, and we were able to defeat Health Savings Accounts again this session! TSEU worked with several legislators to make this happen: Rep. Joe Deshotel, Rep. Hubert Vo, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Rep. Lon Burnam, Rep. Jim Dunnam, Rep. Garnet Coleman. VICTORY. Funding increased for state employees’ health care: the appropriations bill will fund a 1% increase for ERS and enough additional funding to close the 13% gap between funding for higher ed. employees health Care and agency employees’ health care. The increase in funding for the ERS health care plans will probably prevent any plan changes (benefit cuts or our-of-pocket cost hikes) over the next two years. HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES VICTORY. Increased State Eligibility Staffing PASSED: up to 1000 new employees possible. The Budget returned FTEs to 2004 levels, approx. 10,500 employees, PLUS allows HHSC to increase Integrated Eligibility FTEs by 10% over allocated FTEs, roughly 1,050 additional staff. VICTORY - TIERS BILL PASSED - HB 3575 PASSED by Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) creates goals for the enhanced Integrated Eligibility System and a Legislative Oversight Committee to monitor the Commission through the process of reaching these goals. Regular oversight and public hearings are included. TSEU appreciates the tireless work of Rep. Abel Herrero (D-Robstown) as Chair of the Subcommittee on TIERS and Integrated Eligibility, and the entire subcommittee, to assert greater legislative oversight and highlight the serious flaws of privatization and the Accenture debacle. VICTORY - CHIP ELIGIBILITY - HB 109 PASSED by Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) extends the period of eligibility for those enrolled in the CHIP program to 12 months and eliminates the 90-day waiting period for CHIP applicants. PAROLE VICTORY. Parole officer career ladder PASSED HB 1018 by Rep. Roberto Alonzo/SB 698 by Sen. John Carona (D-Dallas) (D-Dallas) was rolled into SB 909, the TDCJ Sunset Bill. It PASSED. It requires TDCJ to adopt a career ladder for parole officers to include an annual salary increase determined by the officer’s classification and years of service. VICTORY. Parole caseloads bill PASSED HB 3736 by Rep. Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin)/Sen. Hinojosa (D-Corpus Christi) instructs the agency to create guidelines to achieve caseload maximums for parole officers to 60:1 for regular supervision officers, 35:1 for special needs offender program caseload officers, 35:1 for substance abuse officers, and 24:1 for sex offender officers. If the agency is unable to do so, they must report to the LBB how much money they will need to reach those goals. University Issues VICTORY. Increased Health Care Funding-The state closed the 13% gap in university employees’ health care funding relative to funding for the agency employees’ health plan. The increase will reduce the need for increased charges to employees or for benefit cuts. POSSIBLE VICTORY. Increased University Funding- There was a major increase in legislated funding to higher education institutions for buildings, classes, institutional growth, which could assist in pushing at the university levels for a pay raise. TYC REFORM PARTIAL VICTORY. SB 103 PASSED by Sen. Chuy Hinojosa (D-McAllen) and Rep. Jerry Madden (R-Plano) is a major reform bill for TYC with many provisions. TSEU supports some provisions and has questions about others. Some major provisions that would directly affect TYC staff would: Requires juvenile correctional officers to complete 300 hours of training before working at TYC and require TYC to maintain a staffing ratio of one juvenile correctional officer to twelve youth. (TSEU SUPPORTS) Creates a Governor appointed Executive Commissioner and Advisory Board, creates an Ombudsman to handle grievances and complaints against the Texas Youth Commission and creates an Office of Inspector General with peace officers at each facility. The 16 peace officers were added to the LECOS Retirement Fund. Requires the executive commissioner to review the criminal history of every applicant for employment at TYC, including checking fingerprints if necessary. Allows the agency to remove employees “at will” instead of “for cause.” (TSEU OPPOSES) Creates a mediation process for termination issues. (TSEU SUPPORTS) Removes misdemeanors from TYC. Ages out youth at 19 instead of 21. Attempts to separate older and younger youth on the facilities to the best of the capability of the facility. (TSEU SUPPORTS) Marlin State School and John Shero (San Saba) will be turned over to TDCJ by March 1, 2008. MH and MR Schools and Hospitals VICTORY. “At will” DEFEATED. SB 1848 by Sen. Robert Duncan mostly made minor adjustments to state accounting procedures. However, on Thursday, May 17, when it went to the Senate floor, Sen. Duncan attached an amendment to it to make all MH and MR employees at facilities removable “at will” instead of “for cause.” It passed the Senate with the amendment and was referred to the House Appropriations Committee the next day. TSEU worked with Rep. Dukes and Rep. Lucio III, who spoke against it in Committee, and were prepared with amendments to kill it on the house floor. The bill died when it was left pending at adjournment of the Legislature. FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES REFORM VICTORY: Privatization mandate from 2005 trimmed to minimum. Senate Bill 758 by Sen. Jane Nelson and Rep. Patrick Rose was the major FPS "Reform Bill" that passed. The final version of SB 758 reverses many of the changes and initiatives made by SB 6 in 2005. Chairman Patrick Rose and Rep. Elliott Naishtat, of the House Human Services Committee, played major roles in the progressive changes to the bill: Removes the requirement that CPS substitute care services be completely privatized by 2011, but allows the agency to decide whether or not to privatize these services. Lowers the requirement to privatize case management services in CPS from 100% by 2011 to a maximum of 5% in one ore more geographic areas as a pilot project. Removes the Independent Administrator from the privatization model. Requires the development of a plan to reduce caseloads in CPS Retains $5000 bonus for CPS investigators and investigative supervisors. (Those receiving the bonus will be included in the across-the-board pay raise) Requires the agency to increase targeted degreed investigators and case managers from particular related backgrounds and asks the agency to report on costs for academic reimbursements and incentives for advanced degrees and schooling. Staffing: Staffing levels in the agency will increase by 1,700 FTEs by 2009 (1,300 in FY 08 and 400 in FY 09), bringing the total to 11,150 FTEs.	Who Represents Me? Find your elected officials by your home address. If you know your elected officials <click here> for a listing indexed by district and send them a message today!