The current version of the state employee pay plan may be pared down compared to the original proposal, but local lawmakers are still enthusiastic about its progress through the Legislature.
HB 3014, an emergency supplemental budget bill, would establish a $15 an hour minimum wage for front-line care workers and agencies, while the rest of state government would see a $12 an hour minimum wage. Employees would receive their respective minimum wage or a 5.5 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA), whichever is greater.
A $12 an hour minimum wage is set to go into effect for the state of Missouri as a whole in 2023 after incremental increases over the past few years.
The bill cut around $7 million from Gov. Mike Parson's original plan for a COLA and a $15 minimum wage for all state employees, a change that led to conflict in committee and on the House floor throughout the week. Despite an attempt from lawmakers to reverse the change, the bill was ultimately perfected without reverting to the original plan and passed along to the Senate for its consideration Thursday.
Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Wardsville, Rep. Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, and Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, have been vocal supporters of a pay increase since the proposal was unveiled, noting state government is the largest employer in their districts. The trio identified the increase as a priority of this session before the business community and sent a letter to House colleagues calling on them to take care of "our workers, OUR PEOPLE" amid a rising cost of living and stagnated state worker wages.
Despite an initial shared enthusiasm for the $15 an hour minimum, opinions and votes differ now that the plan has been altered by the Legislature.
Rep. Dave Griffith, chairman of the House Veterans Committee, said his focus was on the benefit for workers in Missouri's veterans homes, which aren't able to compete in the current market but are encompassed under the direct care umbrella. He said the director of the Warrensburg Veterans Home reported staffing in his facility had dropped from 92 percent to 40 percent over the past four years due to pay rates.
He said he didn't speak in favor of the bill on the floor or vote for the attempt to reinstate the blanket $15 an hour minimum because he wanted to ensure the bill made it through a Legislature occupied mostly by fiscal conservatives. He voted for the bill itself when it came time to perfect and pass it, saying it was an essential change for the workers it would benefit.
"I was actually fine with the change; my main concern was that we would have to negotiate down the 5.5 percent," Griffith said. "Compromises are made in this process, and I have to trust that the bill the budget committee sent to us is what they believe is best for the state after hours of testimony and debate. We rely on their knowledge and expertise."
Griffith said he hadn't heard pushback from the community on his stance, noting many state employees had previously thanked him and the coalition of local legislators leading the charge for their support of a pay increase.
He also sponsored a bill that would allow state workers to be paid biweekly rather than on the same date at the beginning and middle of each month, a proposal that is awaiting action on the House floor. He said this session's focus on addressing shortfalls for state employees was a unique opportunity to get major quality of life improvements across the finish line, no matter what form they ultimately take, and said he was glad state employees were included in the governor's priorities this year.
Veit was one of many voices sounding off on the bill while it was on the floor Wednesday, and was the only local delegate to speak on it. He also voted in favor of the amendment that would have restored the original proposal, despite its unpopularity among his fellow Republicans.
"I'm disappointed the bill went through without the $15 an hour minimum wage, but I can understand the political environment and the need to move it forward," Veit said. "I hope the Senate adds it back in, and we can vote it across the finish line when it comes back to the House. The governor thought this out thoroughly and is fully aware of the dire situation we're in in terms of state employees, and I think the House would go along with it if the Senate were to make that change.
"I believe in what I voted on," Veit continued. "I know it was not 100 percent along with my party, but sometimes you have to try and do the right thing. I don't know a single state employee who isn't worth $15 an hour."
Veit also said Republican leadership's assertion state agencies would be able to enact pay increases if need be came with its own set of problems, including varying increases from one department to another and the limits of their authority. He said he hoped to see his colleagues come to a consensus on that side of the issue and reinstate the governor's original request quickly.
Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, could not be reached for comment, though he voted for the amendment to reinstate the $15 an hour minimum and to perfect and pass the bill.
Looking ahead, the bill is en route to the Senate for its consideration. While he has been occupied with a week of redistricting filibusters on the other side of the building, Bernskoetter said he would work with the Senate Appropriations Committee and other lawmakers to reinstate the original pay plan once the Senate moves on from its deadlock.
He pointed to changes in his own business and a high inflation rate that outpaces even the original proposed wage increase.
"State workers are underpaid and overworked in most instances, and staff is being lost all over the place," Bernskoetter said. "I've had to increase salaries in my own business. I can't imagine being able to hire anyone for $12 an hour, and the state would likely have trouble with that too. I'm going to fight for our state workers to make sure they get the pay that they deserve."
Bernskoetter, who also chairs the Senate Redistricting Committee, said conversations had yet to begin on the altered pay plan in the upper chamber as the bill had been altered in committee, perfected and passed in the time since redistricting took over the Senate's activity, but he would pursue the issue once the upper chamber ends its deadlock.
A local member of the executive branch sounded off on state worker pay just before the House Budget Committee went into session on the dual minimum wage proposal Monday. Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe told lawmakers some state employees had to use food stamps to get by and said something had to be done to change that.
"(I'm a) small-business guy, I hate taxes, I hate throwing money at things just to solve problems, but our state employees need to have an adjustment," Kehoe said.
The original plan would have cost an estimated $91 million, with $52 million set to come from general revenue. The version headed to the Senate cut the recommended amount by around 7 percent, lawmakers said.
A spokeswoman for Parson did not respond to a request for comment on his reaction to the pared-back version of the bill.
Around 20 percent of the state's workforce makes less than $15 an hour, according to the Office of Administration.
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