California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 98

Introduced by Assembly Member Beth Gaines

July 16, 2015

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 98—Relative to state employee merit awards.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 98, as introduced, Beth Gaines. State employee merit awards.

This measure would declare that merit award payments in specified amounts, authorized by the Department of Human Resources, are made to specified current or retired state employees whose proposals have resulted in annual savings and net revenue gains to the state.

Fiscal committee: yes.

WHEREAS, Section 19823 of the Government Code authorizes
the Department of Human Resources to make awards to current
or retired state employees who propose procedures or ideas that
are subsequently adopted and placed in effect and result in
eliminating or reducing state expenditures or improving state
operations; and

WHEREAS, Any award granted under Section 19823 of the
Government Code in excess of $5,000 must be approved by
concurrent resolution of the Legislature; and

WHEREAS, As described below, three individuals should be
awarded for their effective, cost-saving ideas; and

WHEREAS, The Case Record Unit of the Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is responsible for
calculating the release dates of convicted offenders serving prison
time. The information is recorded on a calculation form. The unit
was using the Offender Based Information System (OBIS), which
was developed in the 1970s, as a primary automated system for
storing offender data. However, OBIS was not able to automatically
factor in the new sentencing laws enacted in the 1990s; and

WHEREAS, Court decisions complicated the release date
calculations for violent and habitual offenders. Approximately
30,000 cases had to be recalculated. For each record, staff had to
manually perform 9-12 calculations and 23-31 entries using paper,
pencil, and a desk calculator. A miscalculated offender release
date was the serious consequence of any error; and

WHEREAS, Andrew Brown, a Correctional Officer and
Permanent Intermittent Correctional Case Records Analyst,
suggested that CDCR automate the Earliest Possible Release Date
and the Minimum Eligible Parole Date. Mr. Brown created an
Excel spreadsheet that simplified the process of calculating release
dates, reduced the chance of error, and created a more professional
document. This suggestion reduced the possibility of errors and
increased productivity; and

WHEREAS, The annual savings to CDCR in staff time was
$133,198. Mr. Brown’s approved award was $26,640. Mr. Brown
has received the initial $5,000 and this resolution is needed to
award Mr. Brown the $21,640 balance. This idea has not only
improved efficiency at CDCR, it also safeguards the citizens of
California from the possible erroneous release of a violent offender;
and

WHEREAS, The State Department of Health Care Services
(DHCS) mails a consumer guide monthly to Medi-Cal beneficiaries
to help them choose the best health care plan for themselves and
their families. The comparison charts in the County of Sacramento
and the County of San Diego guides were four pages and each
guide weighed two ounces; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Simpson, a Staff Information Systems
Analyst with DHCS, suggested reformatting the two guides. The
reformatting reduced the mailing weight of each guide from two
ounces to one and also reduced the printing costs. As a result of
these reductions, DHCS realized an annual cost savings of
$48,233.36. Ms. Simpson’s award was $9,646.67. Ms. Simpson
has received the initial $5,000 and this resolution is needed to
award Ms. Simpson the $4,646.67 balance for this idea; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Wayne Stalie, an Equipment Maintenance
Supervisor at CDCR, suggested two institutions, the California
State Prison, Corcoran and the California Substance Abuse
Treatment Facility, Corcoran, eliminate their contracted trash
service and instead utilize existing staff and resources to share
trash collection costs and services. CDCR recently noted that the
two institutions have continued to save money with this resourceful
idea; and

WHEREAS, The documented first year savings were $434,226.
Mr. Stalie’s approved award was $43,423. Mr. Stalie has received
the initial $5,000 and this resolution is needed to award Mr. Stalie
the $38,423 balance; and

WHEREAS, The savings generated by implementation of these
suggestions will continue to be realized on an annual basis; and

WHEREAS, As a result of actual savings generated from the
implementation of these suggestions, it is unnecessary to
appropriate additional funds for payment of awards to these
employees; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature of the State of California
hereby declares that merit award payments, authorized by the
five-member Merit Award Board and the Department of Human
Resources, are hereby made in amounts up to and including 10 or
20 percent of the first-year savings generated by each suggestion,
as follows:

(a) To Andrew Brown in the amount of $21,640.

(b) To Kathleen Simpson in the amount of $4,646.67.

(c) To Wayne Stalie in the amount of $38,423; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the Controller and to the Department of Human
Resources.