BILL ANALYSIS
ACR 178
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Date of Hearing: August 10, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL
SECURITY
Alberto Torrico, Chair
ACR 178 (Niello) - As Introduced: June 28, 2010
SUBJECT : State employee merit awards.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the payment of State Merit Awards approved
by the Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) to five
individuals whose proposals resulted in eliminating or reducing
state expenditures or improving state operations. Specifically,
this bill authorizes awards as follows:
1)A payment of $2,662 to Lorraine Plummer, an employee of the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR), for designing an electronic medical billing system to
automatically calculate discounts for standardized health
services as allocated by the California Medical Fee Schedule,
which resulted in a first year savings of $76,615.07.
2)A payment of $7,547 to Randy Villareal, an employee of the
California Department of Food and Agriculture, for suggesting
that all marketed cotton in the San Joaquin Quality Cotton
District carry the State Seed Code in lieu of bale and module
tags. Eliminating bale and module tags saved printing costs
of the tags and the need for a state vehicle, and also saved
salaries and benefits for a Biologist, an Agricultural
Technician II and tow Agricultural Aides, which resulted in
first year savings of $126,547.
3)A payment of $8,947 to Shirley Pertle, an employee of the
Employment Development Department, for suggesting automating
the mailing process at the Work Opportunity Tax Credit
processing center, resulting in reduced postage rates and
decreased overtime which resulted in first years savings of
$139,468.
4)A payment of $11,433 to be shared equally between John Yessen
and Eric Zimmerman, employees of CDCR, for using a
folding/inserting machine to prepare outgoing correspondence
mail from the Office of Selection and Standards which
processes Correctional Officer applications and secured a
state surplus machine, at no cost to the department, as an
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alternative to purchasing a new machine, resulting in reduced
workload volume, reduced staff hours, and elimination of the
need to hire and outside agency for mass mailings, which
resulting in first year savings of $164,433.
EXISTING LAW : Establishes the State Merit Award Program which
provides cash awards and honorary awards to active and retired
state employees who propose ideas that are implemented and
result in savings to the state, an improvement in state
operations, or improvements in the safety of a state program.
The program is administered by DPA.
FISCAL EFFECT : Authorizes the payment of $30,589 to three
individuals.
COMMENTS : According to the sponsor, DPA, "The State Merit
Award Program has provided tremendous value to taxpayers through
innovative suggestions made by State employees which have
resulted in millions of dollars in savings. ACR 178 would
recognize three individuals whose combined suggestions have
resulted in a first year savings to the State of $507,063."
The state employees specified in this resolution have already
received awards of $5,000 from their respective departments, as
authorized under the Government Code, for suggesting procedures
or ideas that have been implemented and resulted in savings or
improved efficiencies. This resolution authorizes awards to
these individuals in excess of the $5,000.
DPA states, "This resolution will not create budgetary
increases. Per Merit Award Program regulations, awards to
employees for adopted suggestions are paid from the funds or
appropriations available to the state agencies benefiting from
the adopted suggestions unless payment from another source is
authorized by the Department of Finance. The affected
departments have achieved significant savings from the
suggestions. A portion of these savings may be used to fund the
awards."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Department of Personnel Administration (Sponsor)
ACR 178
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Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Karon Green / P.E., R. & S.S. / (916)
319-3957