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Sunday, May 22, 2011

Pay for a few of Alabama Legislature's aides in six figures

MONTGOMERY -- All of the attention on salaries in the Alabama Legislature has been focused on lawmakers since they voted themselves a 62 percent raise in 2007, but the highest salaries are among a handful of staff -- those making six-figure incomes.
Although veteran chief committee clerks fare well, averaging more than $64,000 annually in the House and Senate, a few of the staff in the Legislature make more than the governor and some cabinet members.
The highest paid employee in the Legislature is Greg Pappas, who has been clerk of the Alabama House of Representatives since 1991. Pappas, who recently completed 35 years service in the House, earns $195,852 a year.
Pappas' counterpart in the Senate, secretary of the Senate Pat Harris, earns $181,750. Harris, an attorney, was promoted at the start of this year's session to replace McDowell Lee, who retired after holding the job since 1963. He had been assistant to Lee for 20 years.
The clerk of the House and secretary of the Senate are the official chief record keepers of both chambers, and are in charge of staff in their chambers.
After Pappas and Harris, the other top six-figured salaried employee in the Legislature is Jeff Woodard at $141,785. Woodard was the chief of staff under two former Democratic House speakers, Jimmy Clark and Seth Hammett. Woodard, who was not retained by Republican House Speaker Mike Hubbard of Auburn, has a new title in the House, assistant clerk.
Other six-figure legislative staff employees include Brian Hansen, Senate computer center supervisor, $141,785; Don Ladner, House administrative assistant, $131,633; Joyce Wright, Senate chief clerk, $110,755; Robert Dupree, Senate electrical engineer, $108,065; Mary Ward, House journal room supervisor, $102,782; Derek Hamilton, House sergeant at arms, $100,198; and Betty Jones, Senate journal and register supervisor, $100,197.
Pappas said the salaries of House staff members are competitive with those in other legislatures in surrounding states, although Harris said it's difficult to compare legislative staff jobs between states.
Compared to the private sector, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said he legislative employees in Alabama "are paid fairly."
But Hubbard said he believes over time that staff salaries "have gotten out of control."
"In fact, in many cases, they are above the private sector along with superior benefits," he said. "At times, legislative employees were given raises by the Democrat-controlled Legislative Council when other state employees weren't. This situation has happened over time and my goal is to reign it in, but it won't happen overnight."
Harris said after he was promoted, Marsh asked him not to name a new full-time assistant to fill his old role.
Dave Avant, who retired earlier this year as administrative assistant to Harris, and Lee have remained in part-time roles. Harris said Avant is paid $2,000 a month, while Lee receives $1,000.
Marsh and Hubbard said they are looking at ways to reduce staff through attrition and consolidation.
For example, one idea being considered is a consolidation of Alabama Law Institute, the Legislative Fiscal Office and the Legislative Reference Service. Those agencies, controlled by the Legislature, provide services to lawmakers such as fiscal and budget information and legal and bill-writing expertise. Among those three groups, there are fewer than 50 full-time employees. They are separate from the regular legislative staff.
Marsh said he and Hubbard are working on a plan to gradually reduce the number of regular full-time legislative staff, which now stands at 154, according to a list provided by Harris and Pappas.
"Mike and I meet once a week to discuss how can we become more efficient and save dollars," said Marsh. Among the topics discussed, he said, are combining positions.
Hubbard said he is not ruling out layoffs, adding, "Everything is on the table. We need to operate efficiently just like private employers do and keep in mind that the taxpayers pay for it all."
Marsh said the Legislature doesn't need more people on the payroll than it requires to get the job done. "I don't want to X out jobs, but we're not replacing people we don't have to have," he said.
House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, said the House needs more, not fewer, staff, adding there aren't enough people to assist with constituent services, for example.
Ford said, for example, his district can't afford a district office like the offices for most North Alabama districts that are funded largely by Tennessee Valley Authority in-lieu-of-taxes revenue.
Under state law, salaries and raises of full-time House and Senate staff are set by the joint Legislative Council, which also determines the number of staff required by both houses.
Legislative staff are not hired through the state merit system, which requires testing and rankings. In the Senate, Harris is responsible for hiring staff.
In the House, hirings are more complicated because the House Legislative Council in 2008 hired a human resources manager and adopted new procedures for hirings.
In short, that requires a posting of available jobs and a two-step interview process that ends with the House Legislative Council making the final hiring decisions.
While legislative staff don't have the protections of the merit system, they may participate in the state employees retirement system and state health insurance program, and also receive annual leave and paid sick leave.
At the outset of the 2011 session, Marsh said he slashed the pay of the previous pro tem's staff by 65 percent.
Former Senate President Pro Tem Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, had four people on his staff earning more than $100,000 each, including his chief of staff, Patricia Chatman, who made $144,355. Only Chatman remains on the Senate payroll, as Smitherman's secretary, but her salary was been reduced to $57,703.
Marsh, the most powerful member of the Senate, also has four staffers, but their earnings average only $54,375. The highest paid person on Marsh's staff is chief of staff Philip Bryan, who earns $75,000.
Like Marsh, Hubbard and Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey have staffs whose salaries are not part of the regular legislative staff salaries.
Ivey's chief of staff, Steve Pelham, earns $131,632. She has four other staff members with a payroll that totals $343,648, or an average of $68,730.
Although Hubbard increased the number of staff that former Democratic Speaker Seth Hammett had from four to six, his spokesman Todd Stacy said the average salary of Hubbard's staff is $63,750, compared to the $94,184 paid Hammett's staff. That includes Hubbard's chief of staff, Josh Blades, who earns $105,000.
In a regular session, the Legislature does business over a little more than three months, but Harris said it's a myth that legislative employees have nothing to do during the nine remaining months.
"When we're not in session, it takes two months to make sure everything is tripled checked under penalty of law," he said. "Everything in the journal has to be true and correct."
Harris conceded there is some slack time, but there is plenty to do when lawmakers aren't in Montgomery. For example, there are more than two dozen joint permanent committees that meet year-round.
At the national level, there are apparently no organizations that track legislative staff salaries on a state-by-state basis. Representatives of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, the Pew Center on the States, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees each said they do not compile that information.
Limited information provided by the Southern Legislative Conference showed the Arkansas secretary of the Senate earns $132,600; the Louisiana Senate secretary earns $202,000 and the House clerk makes $204,000, while the Virginia Senate secretary makes $141,128 and the House clerk earns $144,167.
The Louisiana Legislature has more staffers making six figures than other Southern legislatures, according to the Southern Legislative Conference. Louisiana has 41 legislative staffers making six figures, Georgia has 14, Alabama and Arkansas have 12 and Tennessee 10.
What they make
Salaries of legislative aides compared to pay for some of Alabama's top officials
Chief Justice state Supreme Court: $201, 252
House clerk Greg Pappas: $195,852
Senate secretary Pat Harris: $181,750
Attorney General: $160,008
Assisant clerk, House, Jeff Woodard: $141,785
Senate computer supervisor Brian Hansen: $141,785;
House administrative assistant, Don Ladner: $131,633;
Governor: $120,936*
Cabinet
John Harrison, banking commissioner, $157,380
Zelia Baugh, mental health commissioner, $144,996
Lee Sentell, director, tourism and travel, $90,576
David Perry, finance director, $91,020
Jim Ridling, insurance commissioner, $91,008
James Bennett, labor commissioner, $91,008
*Gov. Robert Bentley is not accepting his salary while Alabama's unemployment rate remains above 5 percent.

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