Ongoing problems with Corrections officers' overtime pay have resulted in a new law being sent to Gov. Jay Nixon.
Missouri senators voted 30-0 Monday afternoon on a House bill that allows Corrections Officers I and II to use some of their overtime hours as compensatory leave time - if the leave time is available and both the employee and supervisor agree to it.
The House passed the bill on a 153-0 vote on March 24.
"A lot of times what they have is, these people go into work on Monday and the next guy doesn't show up for the next shift, so they actually have to serve that next shift," Sen. Brian Munzlinger, R-Williamstown, told colleagues Monday. "A lot of times, what would happen too, then, would be their supervisor would say, "Take tomorrow off.'
"But they wouldn't be getting the full compensation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, because they didn't work a Monday-through-Friday."
The bill says the compensatory time "shall be considered accrued on completion of time worked in excess of (the) employee's normal assigned shift."
The employee not the department - will decide "whether to take the time off or request payment for such hours."
Munzlinger reminded the Senate that Missouri's Corrections department "has really, historically, been understaffed," and currently is about 300 to 400 short in custody staff.
The law also requires that an employee be able to keep up to 80 hours of compensatory time at any time during the year.