Legislative Update Week Ending 4-1-2022

TSEA April 1, 2022 Comments Off on Legislative Update Week Ending 4-1-2022
Legislative Update Week Ending 4-1-2022

TSEA continues to watch to ensure the items important to state employees, higher ed, and retirees are safe. Some of those items include:

  • 4% salary pool for pay for performance
  • 4% salary pool for each of the higher education institutions
  • $120 million funding for the new market study currently being conducted
  • $300 million for TCRS funding
  • $300 million for post-retirement insurance costs
  • Temporary $100 match on the 401(k) 

This week, The Governor’s supplemental budget was released on Tuesday, March 29. The supplemental budget contains a line item that earmarks funding for pay raises for educational staff in TDOC. TSEA has worked throughout the legislative session with your legislators to advance this effort. More details are contained below under HB846/SB1599.

TSEA’s Lobby Day activities begin Monday, more details are below.


Legislation

Below are bill numbers for key legislation we are monitoring or working to advance:

As a reminder, Livestreams and videos of legislative meetings and activities are accessible on the legislative calendar page at this link: https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/schedule/ 

To view our 2022 Legislative Priorities, click here.

Burden of Proof – PASSED by the legislature and signed by Gov. Lee

HB2172 – Lamberth, Gant, Hawk, Thompson, Jernigan, Vital, Moody, Hardaway | SB2422 – Johnson, Briggs, Yager, Hensley

Status:
Signed by Gov. Lee – 3/15/2022
House: Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 0 – 2/28/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 0 – 2/28/2022

DCS caseloads – PASSED by the legislature and signed by Gov. Lee

HB2163 – Lamberth, Gant, Vital | SB2413 – Johnson, Jackson

Summary: As introduced, specifies that the average caseloads of case managers must be calculated at least monthly.

Status:
Signed by Gov. Lee – 3/18/2022
House: Passed H., Ayes 92, Nays 0, PNV 0 – 3/7/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0 – 3/7/2022

TDOC Salary Increase

HB2339 – Windle | SB2345 Yager

Summary: As introduced, increases wages and salaries of preferred service employees of the department by 15 percent.

Status:
House: Placed behind the budget
Senate: General Subcommittee of Senate State and Local Government Committee

Note: In the House, the bill was amended to add in some parole board employees and remove security correctional staff.

This bill has generated a lot of questions from not only Corrections employees but also legislators and even other departments. TSEA expects the discussion and negotiation around this bill and its potential effects throughout the state’s pay plan to continue till late in the session. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately answer any questions with concrete facts. The one thing we do know from years of working with the sponsors of this legislation is that Rep. John Mark Windle (Livingston) and Senator Ken Yager (Kingston) will continue to fight for state employees until the gavel closes session.

The fiscal note for this bill is $30M.

Higher Education – Grievance Procedures on website – PASSED by the legislature

HB2568 – Ragan | SB2666 – Bell

Summary: As introduced, requires each institution governed by the board of regents, a state university board, or the board of trustees for the University of Tennessee to make the grievance procedure for the institution’s support staff employees available on its website.

Status:
House: Passed H., Ayes 87, Nays 0, PNV 3/28/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 33, Nays 3/28/2022

Higher Education – Grievance Procedures on the website (2)

HB2249 – Vaughan | SB2392 – Stevens

Summary: As introduced, requires each institution governed by the board of regents or a state university board to make the grievance procedure for the institution’s support staff employees available on its website.

Status:
House – House Floor – Monday, 4/4/2022
Senate – Senate Floor  – Monday, 4/4/2022

State Parks Funding Act 

HB2168 – Lamberth, Gant | SB2418 – Johnson, Southerland, Walley

Summary: As introduced, enacts the “State Parks Funding Act of 2022.”

Status:
House: Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee, Tuesday, 4/5/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 0, 3/21/2022

Pensions and Retirement Benefits (correction to 2021 pension transfer bill) PASSED by the legislature | On Gov’s Desk

HB2450 – Weaver | SB2812 – Roberts

Summary: As introduced, authorizes a member of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system to purchase, instead of obtain, retirement credit for all of the member’s previous service rendered while a full-time employee and participating member of a political subdivision’s defined benefit retirement plan; authorizes the member to use funds from any source to purchase such retirement credit; makes other related revisions.

Status:
House: Passed H., Ayes 88, Nays 0, PNV 0 03/21/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0, 3/7/2022

Notes: This bill is a correction to the pension transfer bill from last year that could not be implemented due to a conflict with federal law.

TCRS administration system upgrade – PASSED by the legislature | On Gov’s Desk

HB2273 – Williams | SB2152 – Hensley

Summary: As introduced, allows the retirement system to procure goods and services for a pension administration system that may replace the system currently in existence, subject to appropriation made in the general appropriations act.

Status:
House: Passed H., Ayes 88, Nays 0, PNV 003/21/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0, 3/7/2022

Notes: This bill seeks to upgrade the states concord system for TCRS

Essential Employee TCRS Credit for Service During Covid 

HB1658 – Russell, Griffey, C. Johnson | SB1805 – Massey, Jackson, Swann, Pody

Summary: As introduced, establishes COVID-19 essential employee retirement service credit for members of the Tennessee consolidated retirement system and participants in the state’s hybrid retirement plan.

Status:
House: Placed behind the budget
Senate: Senate Finance, Ways & Means Committee – TBD

Note: To attempt to lower the fiscal note, an amendment was recently added by the sponsors to only cover employees in law enforcement and emergency medical services. The amendment eliminated the vast majority of state employees we had hoped to cover. The Council on Pension recently gave the bill a negative recommendation despite the amendment, which will make it very hard to pass and fund.

Paid Leave (5 days) to care for minor child due to COVID-19 sickness or school closure

HB2723 – Miller, Parkinson, Camper | SB2672 – Kyle

Summary: As introduced, grants state employees up to five days of leave to care for a minor child that is required to stay home as the result of a COVID-19 infection or school closure; prohibits counting such leave from against the employee’s accumulated sick or annual leave.

Status:
House: Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee – Wednesday, 4/6/2022
Senate: Senate State and Local Government Committee – Tuesday, 4/5/2022

Note: If passed this bill will not be retroactive and will await a lengthy policy, procedure, and rule making process before taking effect.

Correctional Teacher Pay

HB0846 – Sherrell, Cooper | SB1599 – Bailey, Yager

Summary: As introduced, requires the board of control of the Tennessee corrections institute to maintain a list of correctional teachers that includes their academic background and qualifications to teach.

Status (as of last year):
House – Taken Off Notice for calendar in Subcomm. of FW&M Comm. (5/2021)
Senate – General Subcomm. of FW&M Comm. (5/2021)

Note: Gov. Lee released his supplemental budget on Tuesday. For this legislation, he earmarked $1.4M from the FY23 Market Salary Funding for a 12% increase. There are no guarantees with items in the budget until the budget passes, but this is certainly a good sign. TSEA has worked to advance this legislation all session and is grateful to Senators Bailey and Yager and Representatives Sherrell and Cooper for the work they have done with this bill.

TCRS Credit for Veterans who have served in conflict since the Vietnam War

HB1852 – Boyd, Griffey | SB2057 – Haile

Summary: As introduced, allows TCRS members who served in the armed forces during certain periods of armed conflict to establish retirement credit for the military service under certain conditions.

Status:
House: Finance, Ways, and Means Subcommittee – Wednesday, 4/6/2022
Senate: Senate State and Local Government Committee – Tuesday, 4/5/2022

Funding for expanded TCRS military service credit

HB2382 – Boyd | SB2326 – Haile

Summary: As introduced, for purposes of determining which members receive payment of retirement service credit, defines the term “legacy plan” as the Tennessee consolidated retirement system established in the present law, but excluding the Hybrid Retirement Plan for State Employees and Teachers.

Status:
House: Placed behind the budget
Senate: Senate State and Local Government Committee – Tuesday, 4/5/2022

Relative Caregiver Program – PASSED by the legislature | On Gov’s Desk

HB2145 – Lamberth, Gant, Littleton, Crawford, Bricken, Keisling, Hardaway, Hawk, Hazlewood, Carr, Eldridge, Carringer, Ragan, Miller | SB2398 – Johnson, Walley, Briggs, Crowe, Reeves

Summary: As introduced, outlines a relative caregiver program for foster care; authorizes the department to implement an extension of the foster care program to provide services to youth transitioning from state custody to adulthood.

Status:
House: Passed H., Ayes 89, Nays 0, PNV 1, 3/24/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 31, Nays 0, 3/03/2022


TSEA Lobby Day

We look forward to seeing everyone who is able to attend our 2022 Lobby Day in Nashville next week!

If you are unable to attend Lobby Day, we would still like to encourage you to contact your State Senator and Representative and thank them for supporting state employees.

Remember, the legislature controls what is funded in the budget. They can approve or remove funding for state and higher education employee raises and other initiatives such as market studies, pension funding, the 401(k) match, 80 percent of your health insurance premiums, and more. That is why it is important to be positive and let them know how much you appreciate and depend on pay raises and other funding in the state budget for state and higher education employees.

On your call, we encourage you to thank your legislators for the following:

  1. Thank your legislators for the pay increases and performance bonuses they approved last year. Raises approved last year included 2% raises which were retroactive to Jan 2021, and 2% raises paid in July. Bonuses paid in Jan. 2022 were 1.5% (meets expectations), 2.5% (exceeds expectations), and 4% (exceptional).
  2. Urge your legislators to support funding the 4% state and higher ed employee salary increases as well as market adjustments, all of which are included in Gov. Lee’s proposed FY2022-2023 budget.
  3. Thank your legislators for already voting to pass the following bills this session; both are significant parts of TSEA’s legislative agenda:

Burden of Proof (House Sponsors: Lamberth, Gant, Hawk, Thompson, Jernigan, Vital, Moody, Hardaway. Senate Sponsors: Johnson, Briggs, Yager, Hensley)

This bill, which we’ve worked to advance for several years, is one of the more significant pieces of legislation in recent TSEA history. The bill clarifies the section of the TEAM Act concerning the appeals process.

DCS caseloads (House Sponsors: Lamberth, Gant, Vital, Williams. Senate Sponsors: Johnson, Jackson)

This bill, which we worked closely with legislators to advance, specifies that the average caseloads of case managers must be calculated at least monthly.

Don’t know who your legislators are? No problem, CLICK HERE for the Find My Legislator section of the TN General Assembly website.


Thank you for being a member of TSEA and for your dedication and commitment to serving Tennessee. Please continue to monitor your email for the latest updates.

Not a member? Join TSEA today at http://tseaonline.org/jointsea/