Legislative Update Week Ending 4-8-2022

TSEA April 8, 2022 Comments Off on Legislative Update Week Ending 4-8-2022
Legislative Update Week Ending 4-8-2022

TSEA members gathered this week in Nashville for our 2022 Lobby Day. This event concluded our 2022 Legislative Events which consisted of our regional legislative dinners, legislative breakfasts, TEAM PAC Day on the Hill, and our TSEA Lobby Day. We hope you will take a moment to view our video recap here:

TSEA also met this week with Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Haile. Earlier this Session Senator Haile made a motion in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to add an $8 million line item to the budget. This money will fund DCS a case manager series salary survey requested by DCS Commissioner Nichols. During negotiations about the final budget, Speaker Haile confirmed his intention to have this money come from the general fund and not from the market study money. (With this addition, $128 million would be available July 1 for market adjustments.) 

We also expressed the need to move ranges before applying the market adjustment to make sure employees who have reached the top of their range might be able to receive a pay-4-performance increase in January.


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

Higher Education – Grievance Procedures on website – PASSED by the legislature | On Gov. Desk

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) – PASSED by the legislature

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 – Passed H., as am., Ayes 88, Nays 3, PNV 004/04/2022
Senate – Passed Senate, Ayes 27, Nays 3 04/06/2022

Pensions and Retirement Benefits (correction to 2021 pension transfer bill) PASSED by the legislature and signed by Gov. Lee

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 and signed by Gov. Lee

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

Relative Caregiver Program – PASSED by the legislature and signed by Gov. Lee

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

State Parks Funding Act 

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

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

Status:
House: House Floor, Monday, 4/11/2022
Senate: Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 0, 3/21/2022

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, 4/13/2022
Senate: Senate Floor – TBD

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, March 29. 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.

Note on the Following two bills sponsored by Rep. Boyd: Rep. Clark Boyd (Mount Juliet), a Veteran, has been committed to finding a pathway for Veterans of recent conflicts to gain state service credit as state employees have through the Vietnam Conflict. This combination of bills would allow a Veteran to buy that service time in the TCRS legacy system and set up a fund carved out in TCRS investments to potentially offset the cost someday. We are supporting Rep. Boyd and applaud his tireless work on this potential solution to a problem that has long existed.

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: House Finance – Tuesday, 4/12/2022
Senate: Senate Finance – Tuesday, 4/12/2022

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 Finance – Tuesday, 4/12/2022

Renaming the Health Services and Development Agency

HB2500 – Boyd | SB2466 – Reeves

Summary: As introduced, renames the health services and development agency as the health facilities commission

Status:
House: House Finance – Wednesday, 4/13/2022
Senate: Senate Finance – TBD

Note: TSEA has been monitoring this legislation and it’s effect on members in the Department of Health that will be affected. We are in contact with Logan Grant, Executive Director of the Health Services and Development Agency as well as the sponsors of the bill Rep. Clark Boyd and Sen. Shane Reeves (Murfreesboro). The agency is holding informational meetings across the state, and we encourage you to attend. This year’s legislation is in conjunction with legislation that was passed last year which already establishes the new agency.

TDOC Salary Increase – Not Funded

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: This bill has not been funded by the legislature.

The fiscal note for this bill is $30M.

Essential Employee TCRS Credit for Service During Covid – Not Funded

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: This bill was taken off notice and did not receive funding. 


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