2021. 2023. And the problem has gotten worse over the past decade. Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, last year successfully pushed to bring state workers up to a minimum $13 hourly wage. Ron DeSantis spends big in $99.7 billion budget proposal. A South Florida native, he has a passion for political and accountability reporting. state_bargaining_team.png. On average, employees opting for family coverage had to pay 37 percent of their overall premiums, or $7,674. However, the 6.2% that you pay only applies to income up to the Social Security tax cap, which for 2022 is $147,000 ($160,200 for 2023). Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees . The cost of groceries rose 8.5 percent over the past year. The food organization's program was among a list of projects for what are considered "financially constrained" counties. Ron DeSantis signed Thursday is a qualified success for Tallahassee and Leon County.. But it also addresses critical worker shortages. About 9 p.m.Tuesday, Trumbull and Stargel sent a memo to fellow lawmakersacknowledging that they wouldn't make a midnight deadline in time fora constitutionally required 72-hour waiting period before lawmakerscanvote on the budget by Friday'slast scheduled day of the 2022 session. Florida State University One reason the states health insurance costs are so high is because Floridas employers are not covering as much of the costs as employers in other parts of the country, said Sara Collins, the studys lead author and a vice president for Commonwealth. Republicans have said they chose October, a month before statewide elections, because there are typically fewer tourists in the state at that time. As lawmakers craft the 2022-23 state budget, the House and Senate are pushing to boost pay for state employees, local school staffers and certain health care workers. Want more of our free, weekly newslettersinyourinbox? Weve had teachers who havent had (raises) in many years because of the downturn that we had, so we put the money in hoping we can retain quality teachers. The budget is 10.4 percent higher than last years $101.5 billion budget, which would be the largest one-year increase in at least a decade, according to data from Florida TaxWatch. Florida Gov. Half of that would be dedicated to increasing minimum teacher salaries to $47,500 a priority for DeSantis since he took office. Local lawmakers, lobbyists and labor leaders said the $109 billion state budget Gov. Florida has the smallest and least expensive state workforce per 1,000 residents among the states. 10 big issues to watch in Floridas 2023 legislative session, 5 highlights from DeSantis book, The Courage to Be Free, Florida bill would outlaw treatments for transgender youth, prevent insurance coverage, DeSantis says he supports open carry in audio recorded from gun rights group, DeSantis takes his culture war to Texas Gov. According to the Department of Management services, the average pay among Career Services employees is $37,668, while the statewideaverage is $51,000. Questions? The Legislature still has to vote on the budget and send it. Please see the attached memorandum regarding the 2022-2023 Salary Increase and Minimum Wage Pay Adjustment for In-Unit & Out-of-Unit Staff. The Legislature is set to approve the budget, and end its legislative session, on Monday. The total cost of the plan is $1 . The state has also set aside money to provide for up to $5,000 signing bonuses for new or out-of-state law enforcement officers who join policing agencies in Florida. But he, along with Ausley and Tant said the big prize was the state worker pay raise. And then median income in Florida is lower than the national average, actually significantly lower. 3 0 obj % On top of that, employees saw big cost increases in dependent health care coverage, meaning state employees actually saw their take home pay decrease. Read More February 16, 2023 Safer drinking water in Philadelphia, the nation thanks to the Biden infrastructure law . Many teachers are dedicated to their profession, but can have a difficult time purchasing a home, paying student loans, and providing for their families. I wonder how many other State retirees fall into this category. Certainly, we were not advised about this Catch 22 when he was added to my retiree health plan. 2021-2022 Base Salary Increase & Staff Bonus Memo. What were doing in the budget is making sure that were meeting the obligations, making sure were funding key priorities but also, protecting the state against what very well may be a Biden-induced recession, said DeSantis, who is running for reelection and is considered a potential frontrunner for a 2024 GOP presidential bid. The current agriculture commissioner, Democrat Nikki Fried, is running to challenge DeSantis for governor. Please see the attached memorandum regarding the 2022-2023 Salary Increase and Minimum Wage Pay Adjustment for In-Unit & Out-of-Unit Staff. It would take a pay increase of about $13,500/year or 45.8% to bring the buying power of the median state employee salary back to its 1987 level. Jim Justice has proposed 5% pay raises for state employees and public school teachers. The. All 2022 Bill Summaries for Appropriations Committee, $43.7 billion from the General Revenue Fund (GR), $2.8 billion from the Education Enhancement Trust Fund, $ 1.2 billion from the Public Education Capital Outlay Trust Fund (PECO TF), $64.3 billion from other trust funds (TF), 112,472.26 full time equivalent positions (FTE), An additional $1 billion for Inflation Fund was reserved for budget amendments necessary to counter increased costs due to inflation, which is not included in the $8.9 billion in reserves, FEFP (funding provided in overall BSA increase), Agency for Health Care Administration - Medicaid Services, Agency for Persons with Disabilities - Medicaid Waiver Services, Department of Juvenile Justice - Contracted services, Department of Veterans Affairs - Contracted services, 5.38 percent State Employee across-the-board increase to address inflation, State Law Enforcement Officers/Troopers - Increase minimum salary to $50,000 or an additional 5 percent pay increase, whichever is greater, Correctional and Probation Officers - Increase minimum salary to $41,600 ($20 per hour), and other position classifications ranging from $45,760 to $57,886, State Firefighters - Increase minimum salary to $41,600 ($20 per hour), Juvenile Justice Detention Officers - Increase minimum salary to $39,520 ($19 per hour), Juvenile Justice Probation Officers - Increase minimum salary to $41,600 ($20 per hour), Veterans Homes Nurses - $5.6 million for salary and recruitment incentives, Assistant State Attorneys and Public Defenders - $5,000 - $10,000 pay increase, Charter School Repairs and Maintenance - $195.8 million, Public School Maintenance - $11.4 million, College and University Maintenance - $843.7 million, Developmental Research School Repairs and Maintenance - $8.1 million, Small School District Special Facilities - $64.4 million, District Tech Center Projects - $13.9 million, Florida College System Projects - $216.2 million, State University System Projects - $563.9 million, School for the Deaf and Blind Maintenance and Renovation Projects - $8.5 million, Public Broadcasting - Health and Safety Issues - $5 million, Authorization for State University System (SUS) Capital Improvement Student Fee Projects - $44.7 million, Partnerships for School Readiness - $53.2 million, Early Learning Standards & Accountability - $4.9 million, Voluntary Prekindergarten Program - $553.4 million, Decrease of 2,645 fewer students ($6.4 million), Voluntary Prekindergarten Program Additional Base Student Allocation (BSA) Payments - $151.3 million; these additional payments are provided to ensure all VPK instructors are paid a minimum wage of at least $15 per hour, FEFP Total Funds increase is $1.69 billion or 7.5 percent, FEFP increases in Total Funds per Student is $384.55, a 4.96 percent increase [from $7,758.3 to $8,142.8], Base Student Allocation (BSA) increase by $214.49 or 4.9 percent, FEFP Base Funds (flexible $) increase of $1 billion or 7.15 percent, Required Local Effort (RLE) increase of $633.2 million; RLE millage maintained at prior year level of 3.606 mills, Teacher Salary Increase Allocation - $250 million increase for a total of $800 million that school districts must use to increase the minimum salaries of classroom teachers to at least $47,500, Safe Schools Allocation - $30 million increase for a total of $210 million for School Safety Officers and school safety initiatives, Mental Health Assistance Allocation - $20 million increase for a total of $140 million to help school districts and charter schools address youth mental health issues, Reading Instruction Allocation - $40 million increase for a total of $170 million to provide comprehensive reading instruction, Turnaround School Supplemental Services Allocation - $24.4 million - funds for services designed to improve the overall academic and community welfare of students and their families at designated lower performing schools, Funding Compression & Hold Harmless Allocation - $68.2 million - compression funds for districts with total funds per FTE that are less than the statewide average and hold harmless funds for districts that have a reduction in the District Cost Differential, FEFP increases are provided to school districts to ensure all employees are paid a minimum wage of at least $15 per hour beginning in the 2022-23 school year, Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program - $6.5 million, School Recognition Program - $200 million, Community School Grant Program - $7.6 million, Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources Centers - $8.7 million, Transition Support Funding for Jefferson County School District - $5 million, Computer Science and Teacher Bonuses - $10 million, School District Foundation Matching Grants - $6 million, Florida Association of District School Superintendents Training - $750,000, School and Instructional Enhancement Grants - $46.4 million, Florida School for the Deaf & Blind - $53.2 million, Assessment and Evaluation - $134.7 million, VPK and Student Literacy Program Monitoring Systems - $15.5 million, Just Read Florida Early Literacy Professional Development - $1 million, ACT and SAT Exam Administration - $8 million, Workforce Development for career and technical education and adult education - $390.4 million, Perkins Career and Technical Education grants and Adult Education and Literacy funds - $123.3 million, CAPE Incentive Funds for students who earn Industry Certifications - $6.5 million, School and Instructional Enhancement Grants - $4.4 million, Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program for apprenticeships - $15 million, Workers Compensation Insurance Premiums for apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship students - $2 million, Nursing Education Initiatives - $20 million, Adults with Disability Funds - $11.6 million, Inclusive Transition and Employment Management Program - $1.5 million, CAPE Incentive Funds for students who earn Industry Certifications - $14 million GR, Nursing Education Initiatives - $59 million, System Wide Base Funding Increases - $55 million, Student Open Access Resources (SOAR) - $5.4 million, Student Success Incentive Funds - $30 million GR, 2+2 Student Success Incentive Funds - $20 million GR, Work Florida Incentive Funds - $10 million GR, Moffitt Cancer Center Workload - $10 million in additional funds, Johnson Matching Grant Program Workload - $20,000 in additional funds, Nursing Education Initiatives - $46 million, Cybersecurity Resiliency - $20.5 million, HBCUs - $680 thousand in additional funds, Nursing and Health related education initiatives - $2 million, Engineering and Technology initiatives - $29 million, Benacquisto Scholarship Program - $36.4 million, Children/Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans - $13.5 million, Dual Enrollment Scholarship - $18.05 million, Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship - $5 million, Medicaid Price Level and Workload - $2,207.5 billion, KidCare Workload (Due to Caseload Shift to Medicaid) - ($58.8) million, Minimum Wage for Medicaid Providers - $273.6 million, Minimum Wage for Nursing Homes - $212.8 million, Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) Reimbursement Rates - $29.6 million, Maternal Fetal Medicine Provider Rate Increase - $2.5 million, Organ Transplant Rate Increase - $6.3 million, Specialty Childrens Hospitals - $84.9 million, Hospital Outlier Payments - $50.2 million, Florida Cancer Hospitals - $156.2 million, Florida Medicaid Management Information System (FMMIS) - $112 million, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) - $82.7 million, Establish Recurring Dental Services Program for the Developmentally Disabled - $8.5 million, Direct Service Provider Rate Increases to Address Minimum Wage - $403 million, Waiver Rates for Behavior Services - $14.2 million, Home and Community Based Services Waiver Waitlist - $59.6 million, Community Based Care Funding Increase - $158.4 million, Mitigate Title IV-E Earnings Shortfall - $32.6 million, Foster Care Child Daycare Subsidy - $24.9 million, Foster Care Board Rate Parity - $19.1 million, Fatherhood Engagement and Family Involvement Programs - $31.8 million, Increased Subsidy for Foster Youth Attending Postsecondary Education - $16.9 million, Maintenance Adoption Subsidies - $10.1 million, Guardianship Assistance Program - $8.7 million, Foster Care Board Rate Adjustment - $3.3 million, Expand Adoption Incentive Benefits to Law Enforcement Officers - $4 million, Community Based Behavioral Health Services - $211.1 million, State Mental Health Treatment Facilities Forensic Beds - $20 million, Legal Settlement Funds for Opioid Epidemic Abatement - $11.3 million, Florida Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) Team Funding - $7 million, Florida System and Florida Safe Families Network Technology Modernization - $31.5 million, Alzheimers Disease Initiative - $12 million, Community Care for the Elderly - $9 million, Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program - $37.7 million, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute - $20 million, Leon Haley, Jr., MD Trauma Center - $80 million, Fatherhood Grants - Home Visiting Program - $4.4 million, Primary Care Health Professional Loan Repayment Program - $6.6 million and 3 positions, Dental Student Loan Repayment Program - $1.8 million, Hormonal Long-acting Reversible Contraception Program - $2 million, State Veterans Nursing Homes - Nurses Salary and Recruitment Incentives - $5.6 million, State Veterans Nursing Homes - Contracted Services Increase to Increase Wages to $15 per hour - $6.9 million, Nonrecurring Trust Fund Shift to General Revenue Due to Trust Fund Deficit as a result of the New Homes Delayed Opening, and Decreased Occupancy Rates Due to COVID-19 - $41.3 million, Florida is For Veterans Increase for Administration and Programs - $2.06 million. Just as in state agencies, adequate salaries are needed to recruit and retain qualified staff to meet the educational needs of our state. Thecelebration over a historic 5.3% across-the-board pay raise for state employees and a new $15 minimum wage for state workers was partlyovershadowed Friday morning by the vetoes of $1 million earmarked to the Second Harvest of the Big Bend and a $50,000 appropriation for the Leon Works Expo and Junior Apprenticeship Program. The Leon Works Expo connects youth with employment opportunities. While lawmakers have been mired in grueling, emotional fights over abortion and other hot-button topics during this years legislative session, their proposed budget received little criticism. The Senates proposal excluded current Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a Democrat and candidate for governor, from having access to the funds. Floridas health insurance deductibles or the amount an employee has to pay before the insurance kicks in averaged $2,147, placing it among the 14th highest in the nation. Districts lose dollars because of masks: GOP lawmaker aims to strip state funding from school districts that defied Gov. However, some hospitals were spared. No state workers will make less than $15 per hour. I am constantly thinking of things to help teach them and it is nice to be appreciated and be respected., There is a nationwide teacher shortage, as fewer students enter the college of education programs with the goal of becoming an educator, said David Broskie, Superintendent, School District of Clay County. Though the longtime lobbyist was quick to add that the pay raise "is huge" for the region. Letsgetstarted. The governor also vetoed $3.1 billion in spending from the budget, cutting various line items including $1 million for a food harvesting program for low-income or unemployed people, $20 million for new state aircrafts and millions for college renovations and remodels, among other things. Over the last three years, we have worked hard to increase teacher pay, said Governor Ron DeSantis. Ron DeSantis signed Thursday isa qualified success for Tallahassee and Leon County. State employees could see a 4% pay bump. Questions or Comments, Privacy Policy The Consumer Price Index rose by 7.9 percent through February, the fastest pace of annual inflation in 40 years. ATTN: UT Regents, University Worker Pay Raise PETION. Insurance premiums for both of us under the family plan is deducted from my FRS Pension. Employees of the Florida Department of Management Services are granted the same holiday schedule as all state of . Protecting state health insurance is not such an accomplishment when a couple of retirees have to pay nearly $1000/month for a supplemental to Medicare policy. Prepared by: The project will restore wildlife habitat, rehydrate wetlands, and improve discharge into the Floridan Aquifer and directly benefit the Wakulla Springs. Its unfortunate that despite having record cash to work with, we couldnt do more for Floridians struggling with a housing crisis and global inflation, said Rep. Fentrice Driskell, the incoming leader of the House Democrats. Skip to Navigation | Skip to Main Content | Skip to Site Map. By this initiative happening, it is not about having a salary, it is about can a teacher pay their light bill, can a teacher pay their water bill, can a teacher give a kid who doesnt have food at home an extra snack, or an extra bag of chips to put in their backpack and not at the expense of their own home., I dont think people always understand the countless hours we put into our work, said Loren Temes, 2nd Grade Teacher, Renaissance Charter School at Wellington. Rick Scott, a multi-millionaire, who had sold the states former air fleet and paid for and used his own jet for state travel. By, Move to take the wood stork off a federal endangered list is putting environmental groups at odds, Environmentalists object to bills they say undercut development, conservation goals, Bill Before Florida Senate Would Put Local Ordinances on Hold if Challenged, Legislation would make it illegal for doctors to provide gender-affirming care to transgender youths, Barbara Bryant, the first woman to head the U.S. census, has died at 96, Scientists find signs of horse riding in ancient human remains, A man dies of a brain-eating amoeba, possibly from rinsing his sinuses with tap water, Garland supports effort to hold Russia accountable for war crimes, A report from the Commonwealth Fund highlights racial inequities in Florida's health care system, Biden's plan to stop surprise medical bills faces bipartisan pushback in Congress.