Senate President-elect Steve Pierce and Majority Leader Andy Biggs are proposing a bill to increase the paychecks of teachers and other state employees by $20-40. Last week, they announced that they will be offering a bill in the upcoming legislative session ending the recent 53% employee/47% employer contribution rate split for state employees.
The change in the split went into effect in July, as part of the Fiscal Year 2012 budget. To meet the voters’ demands, legislators were forced to plug a $40 million hole in the budget.
“Last session we made a commitment to Arizonans to deliver a balanced budget. The 53/47 split helped that happen, but many members agreed it was one of the toughest decisions they had to make. Conditions have changed, and I am comfortable now running a bill to repeal 53/47,” says Majority Leader Biggs.
“The truth is, the economic landscape is very different from March, when these budget negotiations were taking place. Because of our fiscal discipline and an improving economy, revenues are coming in at a much higher clip, and we can reverse this contribution rate change,” says President-elect Pierce.