MSPBA Legislative Update - Febuary 2012

Feb 20, 2012

LEGISLATIVE ALERT  
Senate Bill 2380
STATE EMPLOYEES WILL LOSE APPEAL RIGHTS
If YOU DON’T ACT NOW THIS BILL WILL PASS!

Act now by sending the Chairman of the committee this bill is assigned to an email message opposing the bill

Senator Nancy Collins ncollins@senate.ms.gov

A COPY OF Senate Bill 2380 (SB-2380) is also attached for your review. The language below which is underlined is the proposed change to the current statute that will be made if this bill passes the legislature and is signed into law by the Governor.  This will essentially make state employees “at will” without the ability to appeal disciplinary actions taken against them. The underlined language states:

“For a period of two (2) years from and after the effective date of this act, the provisions of subsection (1) shall not apply to the personnel actions of any agency subject to the rules and regulations of the State Personnel Board, and all employees of such agencies shall be classified as non-state service during that period. However, any employee hired after the effective date of this act by an aforementioned agency shall meet the criteria of the State Personnel Board as presently exists for employment. Whenever an employee at any such agency is dismissed or involuntarily terminated under the authority of this section during that period of time, the employee's position and PIN number shall be eliminated. The administrative head of each agency shall consult with the Office of Attorney General before taking personnel actions authorized by this section to review those actions for compliance with applicable state and federal law.”

Subsection (1) which this amendment states shall not apply, is the section of the current statue which states that permanent state employees can only be disciplined for cause and that they have the right to appeal an adverse disciplinary action to the State Personnel Board. This bill will make all state employees now covered under the purview of the State Personnel Board essentially “AT WILL” employees in that the state will no longer be required by statute to show cause for a disciplinary action or termination and the employee will no longer have the right to appeal the states action against them.

YOU MUST ACT NOW, by sending a message of opposition to Senator Nancy Collins at Ncollins@senate.ms.gov  and to the senator for your home district. If you need information on how to contact your state Senator or Representative about this issue contact Tommy Simpson at 663-397-2888 or tsimpson@sspba.org