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Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. The package of budget bills passed with overwhelming support, highly unusual in the modern era. PHOENIX (AP) Arizona's legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts. There also is a separate and as of yet undefined plan to cut business property taxes. Gov. Any existing additional dollar amounts an employee had chosen to be withheld will not be changed. The firings of more than 100 auditors and collectors, who were among the lowest-paid employees at Revenue, ended up costing the state $83 million in lost revenue. You may add/drop dependents and change coverage or carriers. AZ lawmakers considering higher unemployment payments KTARs Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives. With the holidays approaching, it's important to know when your home is in need of heating and plumbing updates before more guests start to come around. Lawmakers in the House and Senate ended a months-long impasse, working through the night to approve the budget shortly before sunrise. The state hopes a new computer program will increase efficiency and allow employees across agencies to work together better. $49.1 million for an across-the-board pay . If you had logged in to Y.E.S. Its not just line DPS troopers that are getting premium pay; dispatchers, crime lab technicians, radio repair staff and many others are getting premium pay, which ends on June 30. Pass it along to the KTAR News team here. Find in Google Maps Doug Ducey was expected to approve it. You Asked: When will state employees receive pay raises? Note: Elective benefits for new employees may be subject to a 90-day waiting period. All rights reserved. July 1, 2022 Raise Information | AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) Please contact a Benefit Options representative by phone at 602-542-5008, toll-free at 1-800-304-3687, by email at [emailprotected] or visit benefitoptions.az.gov. GOP leaders decided to just take the easy road out, the path of least resistance and give up and just spend, said Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a Scottsdale Republican who voted against the budget. U of A's $2.3 billion budget earmarks $51.5 million for employee raises Jeffrey Hawkins, president of the Arizona State Troopers Association, said the premium pay is sorely needed at the agency that not only patrols state highways but does investigations, runs a crime lab and does many other law enforcement jobs. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. "So yeah, well deserved and hopefully it does what the intent was, to try to stop the high number of regrettable attrition that we have, increased retirement, guys going out earlier than they probably would have.". It also eliminates the state equalization tax, a property tax for education, and backfills it with $330 million from the general fund. Arizona Legislature Considering 'Build Back Broke' Type of Budget with With a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2020 pushing the states minimum wage for all workers to $15-an-hour in 2026, Florida lawmakers now appear to be getting out slightly ahead of this shift. HB 2805 was introduced by Republican Representative David Cook. Few events have the potential to impact technology and the government like the appointment of a new state CIO. Boyer, who started as a Senate staffer and has been a lawmaker for a decade, said this is the first bipartisan budget in at least 15 years. 40 workers fired by ex-DES chief may get jobs back In K-12 education, negotiators reached general agreement on an almost $385-per-student increase in school funding an almost 5% boost that would bring funding to an average $8,143 for each of Florida's 2.9 million school kids. Hundreds of millions are set aside for water infrastructure as the state faces prolonged drought. Session lurches into overtime as state worker pay raises approved in Bipartisan budget boosts school funding, state employee pay raises Any hours in excess of the maximum carryover limits are subject to forfeiture. With this budget, were putting those dollars to good use and investing in priorities that Republicans and Democrats alike can agree on.. The bill now heads to the Governors desk to await his signature to become law. Nursing home employees also would reach $15-an-hour minimum pay as part of a 7% increase in Medicaid rates paid nursing homes that was also agreed to Tuesday. "The pandemic has really made it apparent that what you get in terms of unemployment benefits often isn't enough to support you if you're out of work, especially when you think about a national public health crisis," said Rowan. Gov. Ducey signs state's $18 billion FY 2023 budget - KGUN The improbable bipartisanship was enabled by an unprecedented surplus topping $5 billion, allowing for a broad array of new spending and savings. For those in the middle of the pay range scale, the hike . There's no need for the biennial signature chase for lawmakers says Rep. David Cook, a Republican lawmaker from Globe, State Sen. Kelly Townsend led the effort to get the attorney general to overturn a Pima County employee vaccine mandate and continues to quest, The attorney general's office is threatening to prosecute and seek to jail Secretary of State Katie Hobbs if she follows through with plan, A Senate panel voted to allow dental patients to get their lips puffed, cheeks filled out and brow wrinkles smoothed where they now get their , For Star subscribers:Gov. But some of that money is going to erect what the Governors Office is calling physical barriers along stretches of the border where they have access. Using the money to provide premium pay for essential workers is allowed under terms of the virus relief law signed by the Democratic president last March. The Cigna DHMO Dental plan is changing to the UnitedHealthcare Solstice S800B DHMO (UHC Solstice). Ducey is seeking similar permanent raises for troopers and at other agencies in the budget proposal he released on Friday. MORE:After firing auditors, state's Revenue agency gave raises to select employees. It allows state and local governments to. Marisol Garcia, Vice President of the Arizona Education Association, speaks during a news conference at the Arizona capitol Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in Phoenix. What they envision, however, is not the style of fence the feds already built before construction was stopped by the Biden administration. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. So the board chose a compromise: an 8.5-cent raise for the lowest paid workers, those making $35,000 or less. About one-third of the top positions for Arizona state agencies received a boost in pay for 2015, with many of Governor Doug Ducey's new hires now getting paid substantially more than their . The Arizona Board of Regents approved the University of Arizona's . This is really just getting on a soap box and vilifying immigrants and creating a political point, Quezada said. Lawmakers now are certain to extend the session. Be sure to review the dental information above to see if it applies to you. Nobody loves a budget once all the compromises are made, said Senate Majority Leader Rick Gray, R-Sun City. The Supreme Court has rejected appeals from Arizona and Nevada involving the rights of same-sex couples. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Note 1: Only available if the employee had no tax liability last year and does not expect to have any tax liability in the current year. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Doug Ducey wants to grant pay raises to nearly half of all state employees, with an emphasis on boosting salaries for law enforcement and corrections officers. But still to be settled is more than $300 million in environmental spending earmarked by the Senate for the states rural and family lands program under the Agriculture Department. The Arizona Legislature on Tuesday began considering a $15.6 billion state budget package that pays down more than $1.2 billion in state debt but keeps in place most of a nearly $800 budget gimmick from the Great Recession, boosts road construction, border security and other spending but falls short of what education advocates say is needed to fund K-12 public schools. You do not need to re-enroll to keep your current coverage elections for 2023. The governors aides say business tax relief is justified based on data they say show that Arizona has the 10th highest industrial property tax rates in the nation. DeSantis, Cabinet members and other state leaders also were helped by budget-writers Tuesday, who agreed to spend $31.3 million to buy two Embraer Phenom 300E executive jets, each with an 11-seat capacity, under legislation awaiting final approval. State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita (R-Scottsdale) tweeted on Monday, "Arizona's version of @JoeBiden's Build Back Broke (aka the legislature's . Records show state Parks director was investigated in 2015, then given big raise, State Parks revenue, visitation (and some staff pay) rise under director, Ducey wants state to rehire tax collectors. Using the money to provide premium pay for essential workers is allowed under terms of the virus relief law signed by the Democratic president last March. The premiums remain the same, but the provider network is different.. We will automatically move you to the UHC Solstice plan if you are enrolled in the Cigna DHMO. The cost of living, while going up, is still lower than in other areas. The larger raise for troopers came out of debate about locality pay for state troopers in competitive areas, particularly Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties. Please follow the steps below to log in: If you are not able to log in, please contact[emailprotected]or call (602) 542-4700, Option 4 for assistance. 1/. Tucson judge declares mistrial for man accused of murdering Isabel Celis, Jesse Wilson: Adoptive mother arrested in boy's death in Arizona, Family shot, killed in murder-suicide before eviction from foreclosed home: police, Phoenix condo fire leaves man and 2 kids dead; two other children in critical condition, Arrest made weeks after deadly Phoenix shooting, Police investigating shots fired incidents at Apache Junction RV resort, Suspect injured following shooting involving DPS trooper near Downtown Phoenix, Disneyland banned Rebel Wilson over selfie, actress says, Deadly I-17 crash in Phoenix caused by impaired driver, officials say, Family sues Phoenix mortuary following accidental cremation, Man shot in downtown Phoenix, no arrests made, Buckeye mom accused of killing adoptive son extradited to Arizona. For more information, refer to the web story from AZDOR:Arizonas Employees Have New Tax Withholding Options. The Associated Press learned of the moneys use when an updated report on the governors use of virus relief funds was posted by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, which provides non-partisan analysis of state finances to lawmakers. You can also choose to enroll in the Delta Dental PPO or opt-out of dental coverage. The House is adjourned until tomorrow, March 4 at 9 a.m. TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - On Friday, Jan. 15, Arizona Gov. The best states in the U.S. come from coast to coast. And that specifically means private lands. Katie Hobbs first executive order barring discrimination in hiring practices. Rep. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, is proposing a further reduction in that flat tax, to $1.5 billion. The employee pay raise bill got to the finish line with a $10,000 raise for State Troopers, up from the original $2,550 figure. But lawmakers have reduced that amount, targeting $209.5 million for housing initiatives, but limiting rental assistance efforts to about $100 million, with another $100 million establishing a hometown heroes program helping first responders, teachers and nurses with down payment assistance. Ducey proposes pay raises for nearly half of state employees in $11.4 billion budget Gov. For more information, refer to the news story from AZDOR:Arizonas Employees Have New Tax Withholding Options. Likely there will be some sort of compromise concerning the two state bills. Employees and managers can monitor annual leave balances by logging in to YES and clicking on, Agency Human Resources Contact Information, Public Safety Personnel Retirement System, Arizonas Employees Have New Tax Withholding Options. The premium pay started flowing to 17,291 of the states approximately 35,000 workers on Nov. 27. 2.5-3% is an average salary increase in many sectors, including the government sector where federal employees will receive a base pay. Doug Ducey or his political appointees have a much better shot of getting a big pay boost. PHOENIX (AP) Arizonas legislature approved a bipartisan $18 billion spending plan early Thursday that will make substantial investments in public schools, build new highways and pay down long-term debts.