Legislative Update - April 2007

Salary supplement – We are asking for a salary supplement so that our compensation does not come at the expense of agency budgets and of our quality of life. The Senate has included a 3.25% salary supplement in agency budgets. It has been stipulated that these funds are to be used specifically for salaries and not for insurance or other benefits. We are requesting a supplement that is larger than the 2% in the House. We believe House members and Leadership can do better than what was allocated in the Governor’s budget.

You’ve heard for years that a 10% increase in insurance is equivalent to a 1% salary increase for all MAPE employees. Using the cost of all MAPE salaries and insurance provided to us by DOER for fiscal year 2006 and the newly projected increase in insurance of 12% each year of the biennium, health care costs will exceed the 2% salary supplement proposed by Governor Pawlenty and the House. In fact, we would likely need a 2.25% salary supplement for 2009 just to keep up with health care costs. This is unacceptable. 

It is possible that the House will simply match the governor’s 2% proposal, instead of matching the Senate’s dedicated 3.25% proposal. Please take the time to encourage your House members to pass on the message to their leadership: We are calling upon the House to match the Senate’s 3.25% proposal.

Outsourcing and privatization – MAPE is pushing legislation that would prevent outsourcing and privatization of state workers by requiring agencies to certify that no state employees on recall lists are able to perform specified job duties before contracting out. These bills have been amended into the State Government Finance Omnibus bills (HF953 and SF1997). Each bill received numerous hearings, has been passed by Finance committees in both chambers and will be heard in Ways and Means in the near future.

Keep the Lights on - Both the House and the Senate have continuing appropriation bills in the State Government Finance Omnibus bills listed above that would deter the potential of any future government shutdown and the effect it could have on the MAPE membership.  One major change has occurred on the House side that now keeps existing appropriations in effect at the base level for one month.  These bills have significant support and will generate discussions from both houses on what can be agreed upon for the length of time appropriations should continue. 

Health Care – MAPE supports universal health care and efforts to make our health care system more efficient and cost effective. Each year, the cost of health care costs eats up a large percentage of our total compensation. The Senate has introduced a bill that MAPE strongly supports SF2 introduced by Senator Berglin. It is a large extensive bill that in part requires a plan for universal health care and numerous other reforms.

• MAPE opposes the “independent mandate” portion of the recently announced “Healthy Minnesota” initiative. This is similar to the Massachusetts law that forces all citizens to purchase health insurance, but provides no funding to make insurance affordable for low wage workers.
• MAPE supports HF1588 and SF1662, which would establish a pilot project to create consumer owned electronic health records in MnSCU.  MAPE would like to see this program established for all state employees enrolled in the SEGIP program.  Both bills are heavily supported.  The Senate bill will be heard in Senate Finance this week and the House bill will be heard in Higher Ed. and Workforce Development Policy Finance Division this week.

Domestic partner benefits - These bills require that health insurance benefits be made available to domestic partners of state employees if they are also made available to spouses. This item was included in the State Government Finance omnibus bill in both chambers.

• The Senate Chief Author was Sen. Sandy Pappas; in the House, it was Rep. Phyllis Kahn.
• One of our members, Lori Lippert has done a great job testifying. She was quoted in the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press and on MPR.
• The Senate passed the measure; however, it was amended to provide domestic partnership benefits at full cost to the enrollee. In other words, domestic partners of state employees will now have the ability to access health care through the state but they would be responsible for the full cost, similar to the cost of a COBRA benefit.   In the House, this provision is included in the State Government Finance Omnibus bill.  Both bodies also have provisions requiring employers to permit sick leave to be used to care for your domestic partner.  That provision is included in both State Government Finance Omnibus bills.  In the House version, the measure was amended to include both same sex and opposite sex domestic couples.

Compensation for Partial Government Shutdown – Representative Leon Lillie, our MAPE Legislator of the Year, has taken the initiative to author legislation that would “make whole” members impacted by the 2005 government shutdown. His bill was H.F. 333.  In the House, this measure was included in the State Government Finance Omnibus bill, H.F. 953. However, the bill no longer includes employees who left state service.  It also removes any option the employee may have had.  Under the current language, an employee would be paid an additional amount equal to the previous payment if the payment was made in cash, or have hours credited to the employee’s vacation bank in the same amount as the previous credit.  This language was likely amended in response to DOER’s complaint that making employees whole would be an accounting nightmare.  In the Senate SF329 is currently being held up in Senator Cohen’s Finance Committee.

Voluntary Unpaid Leave of Absence – Both bodies have language in the State Government Finance bills that renew employees ability to be approved for unpaid leaves of absence for up to 1040 hours in the biennium while continuing to accrue vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, seniority and insurance benefits.  This language previously had a sunset date that was removed.

Cards, Emails, Letters and Phone Calls - We urge every member to take a few minutes out of their day to visit MAPE.org and Legislative Action.  We will continue to update the website with legislation supported by MAPE in conjunction with MAPE’s Legislative Positions.  The key message at this point involves the salary supplement. Ask your legislators to urge House leadership to match the Senate’s 3.25% supplement. Please ask your legislators what response they received from House leadership when they inquired about this issue.