house✓ Signed
Appropriates $14,245,000 to the Office of Species Conservation for fiscal year 2019; and limits the number of authorized full-time equivalent positions to 14.00.
This is the FY 2019 original appropriation bill for the Office of Species Conservation. It appropriates $14,245,000 and caps the number of authorized full-time equivalent positions at 14.00. For benefit costs, the bill removes $1,450 per eligible FTP to bring the annual employer contribution for health insurance down to $11,650 by including a two-month employee and employer premium holiday, adds a 6.8% increase for life insurance, and adjusts funding for workers' compensation in amounts that vary by agency. For statewide cost allocation, a net of $0 is provided, as fees for Legislative Audits will decrease by $400, risk management costs will decrease by $100, and State Controller fees will increase by $500. The bill also provides funding for a 3% ongoing merit-based salary increase for permanent employees, to be distributed at the discretion of the agency administrator. The bill funds five line items, which provide 1.00 FTP and $82,000 to hire a financial officer for the agency; 0.37 FTP to increase a federally funded employee to full-time for salmon and steelhead work; a net-zero object transfer of $75,000 from operating expenditures to personnel costs to adjust for decreasing federal grants; $6,000 for IT and telecommunications related items; and $15,000 for wildlife policy work.