OFFICE OF FISCAL ANALYSIS
Legislative Office Building, Room 5200
Hartford, CT 06106 (860) 240-0200
http://www.cga.ct.gov/ofa
sHB-6382
AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATUS OF PROBATE COURT
SYSTEM EMPLOYEES.
Primary Analyst: PR 3/8/21
Contributing Analyst(s):
Reviewer: ME
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 22 $ FY 23 $
Probate Court PCAF - Cost See Below See Below
Judicial Dept. GF - Potential
Cost
See Below See Below
Note: PCAF=Probate Court Administration Fund; GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill allows probate court employees to be deemed state
employees for the purpose of collective bargaining and results in a cost
to the Probate Court Administration Fund (PCAF) and a potential cost
to the General Fund. As the bill does not indicate if this change will
result in a single or multiple bargaining units, the fiscal impact of the
bill is presented as a range.
Probate Court Administration (PCA) currently has no human
resources/labor relations staff. In the event that one collectively
bargained unit is the outcome, it is anticipated that PCA would need
three
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additional staff to oversee human resources and labor relations
for the probate courts at a PCAF cost of $429,475 ($310,000 for salaries
and other expenses and $159,107 for fringe benefits).
However, if the probate courts employees choose to create multiple
collective bargaining units, the bill would result in significant costs to
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Manager of Labor Relations, Staff Attorney, and a Personnel Officer 2021HB-06382-R000028-FN.DOCX Page 2 of 3
hire human resources/labor relations staff for the probate courts. It is
anticipated that up to an additional 11
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positions would be needed,
resulting in a cost of $1,121,291 ($810,000 for salaries and other
expenses and $414,548 for fringe benefits).
In the event that additional office space is require due to increased
number of staff, the bill may result in a cost for leasing space. This cost
is dependent on state owned office space that may be available or
other space that may need to be leased. It is estimated that lease related
costs will be approximately $50,000 - $100,000 annually.
In addition, it should be noted that the bill may result in additional
costs to the Probate Court Administration based on the negotiated
agreement with the collective bargaining unit. Cost will be dependent
on the terms of the negotiated agreement.
It should also be noted that it is likely that the fiscal impact
described above will not be incurred until FY 23 or later. It is
anticipated that a significant amount of time will be needed to hold
elections and negotiate a contract before ratification.
The Probate Court Administration Fund receives revenue through
probate court fees as well as a General Fund subsidy through an
appropriated account in the Judicial Department. These additional
costs may result in an increase to the General Fund subsidy or an
increase to probate court fees.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to inflation and the number of
collective bargaining units and collective bargaining agreements.
Sources: Core-CT Financial Accounting System
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Manager of Labor Relations, 2 Personnel Officers, Personnel Assistant, Staff
Attorney, 6 Deputy Chief Clerks to be assigned various probate courts. 2021HB-06382-R000028-FN.DOCX Page 3 of 3