Assigned to PS & APPROP FOR COMMITTEE *Pending committee assignment ARIZONA STATE SENATE Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session FACT SHEET FOR H.B. 2386 pay parity; law enforcement; benchmarks Purpose Requires the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to establish benchmarks based on the average compensation of law enforcement personnel compared to the compensation of personnel from peer law enforcement agencies, includes the benchmarks in the annual report on state personnel and the state personnel system and modifies the Parity Compensation Fund (Fund). Background By September 1 of each year, the Director of the Arizona Department of Administration (ADOA) must present to the Governor and the Legislature a report on state personnel and the operation of the state personnel system that includes: 1) information concerning all state employees, including executive, legislative and judicial branch agencies; 2) information concerning turnover, including the number of employees separating from state employment and the reasons for separation; 3) information concerning the compensation of state employees during the preceding year and the coming year and the compensation of other public employees and private employees; 4) an advisory recommendation on state employees' salaries; 5) the overtime pay of all state agencies; and 6) other information as determined by the Director (A.R.S. § 41-751). The Fund consists of monies appropriated by the Legislature and 1.51 percent of the portion of vehicle license tax revenues that otherwise would be deposited in the State Highway Fund. DPS administers the Fund and, considering state revenues and state employee pay adjustments, must spend Fund monies for salary and benefit adjustments for law enforcement personnel. Fund monies do not revert to the state General Fund (state GF), are exempt from lapsing and are subject to legislative appropriation (A.R.S. § 41-1720). There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state GF associated with this legislation. Provisions 1. Requires DPS, in determining the amount of expenditures from the Fund, to annually establish and consider benchmarks based on the average total compensation for each comparable law enforcement personnel rank of the DPS's three largest county or municipal peer law enforcement agencies in Arizona. 2. Specifies that DPS must spend monies in the Fund for salaries and benefits for law enforcement personnel that DPS determines will enhance the ability of DPS to successfully recruit and retain qualified law enforcement personnel. 3. Removes the requirement that DPS consider state revenues and state employee pay adjustments when spending Fund monies as prescribed. FACT SHEET H.B. 2386 Page 2 4. Includes, in the ADOA Director's annual report on state personnel, the most recent benchmarks established by DPS in the information concerning the compensation of state employees and the compensation of other public and private employees. 5. Removes the stipulation that Fund monies revert to the state GF and are subject to legislative appropriation. 6. Specifies that Fund monies are continuously appropriated. 7. Defines total compensation as including the base salary, educational incentive pay, physical performance pay, longevity pay and retirement contributions made by an employer on behalf of an employee. 8. Becomes effective on the general effective date. House Action PSLE 2/3/25 DP 13-0-2-0 3 rd Read 2/13/25 53-0-7 Prepared by Senate Research March 3, 2025 KJA/slp