This bill addresses the chronic understaffing of positions in State Government through several measures. The bill:
1. Requires the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Human Resources to submit an annual report to the Legislature regarding job vacancies within the executive branch;
2. Amends the laws governing executive department recruitment and retention adjustments by clarifying when payment of a recruitment and retention adjustment may be authorized and requiring the use of a neutral 3rd party for a final decision and report on an adjustment when the committee formed to evaluate the request for an adjustment cannot reach an agreement;
3. Requires the bureau to work with public and private sector bargaining agents to establish recruitment programs for state agencies and to develop a plan to improve the State Government hiring process; and
4. Requires the State Controller to transfer $165,000,000 from the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund to a newly established Executive Branch - Salary Adjustment, Other Special Revenue Funds account within the Salary Plan program in the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to fund a new classification and compensation system for employees of State Government, as initiated by the memorandum of agreement with the Maine Service Employees Association, SEIU Local 1989 on June 25, 2019, to take effect July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 2121, HP 1345: 5.7065