1. March 23, 2009 Welcome to the Mississippi State Personnel Board

2. Opening Remarks Overview and Highlights Policy Memorandum #10 Request for Exemption Procedures Questions and Answers

3. Passage of House Bill 681 Effective March 13, 2009 through June 30, 2009 Strategic partnership with agencies Minimize impact on agencies

4. Transfer of funds between budget categories Suspension of certain personnel actions Exemption of certain personnel actions Reporting of retirees on contract

5. Allows transfer from and to any budget category Requires corresponding offset Request must be submitted by 15 th of month

6. Promotions Upward Reallocations Upward Reclassifications Realignment Career Ladder Educational Benchmarks Additional / Special Compensation New Hire Flex / Promotional Flex Agency Head Flex Recruitment Flex

7. New Hires at start and/or transfers at current salary or start, whichever is greater Replacement of a departing employee up to salary of departing employee Appointment of nurses, pharmacists, or other healthcare professionals Existing legal commitments

8. Integrity and sound principles of personnel management Federal and State employment laws remain applicable Fairness Consistency Documentation Minimize exposure to grievances and appeals

9. Log in to SPB Website Query Complete Exemption Form Submit Request in SPAHRS

10.  Go to www.spb.state.ms.uswww.spb.state.ms.us  Click on the button “House Bill 681”  Click on “Exemption Request Form”  Enter your user name and password  Click on the “Agency House Bill 681” button  Fill out form with appropriate information, including the type of action and the requested exemption  Click the submit button  A summary page will appear. Ensure all information is correct and click the “Done” button. If information is not correct, click the button “Return to Previous Screen” and correct the information.  Once you click “Done”, you will have the option of returning to the SPB Home Page or entering a new transaction.  Once you have entered all transactions online, enter the transactions in SPAHRS

11. Current Employee SPAHRS Intra/Inter Agency Transfer At Current Salary or Start SPAHRS Change Comp RELA code SPAHRS New Hire at Start New Hire

12. Q: What is a “healthcare professional?” A healthcare professional is anyone whose job function is directly related to the total healthcare delivery system of the agency.

13. Q: When the suspension is over, can actions be approved retroactively? No. After the suspension, actions will be approved during the month they are submitted.

14. Q: Is there a time limit in the definition of a departing employee? No. A departing employee is anyone who has left the position and/or the agency, regardless of when he/she left.

15. Q: How long does an agency have to award the maximum dollars from replacement? Replacement dollars can be awarded up to June 30, 2009.

16. Q: Will additional compensation currently authorized be suspended? No. If employees are currently receiving additional compensation they will continue to receive such. However, new additional compensation will not be certified.

17. Q: Will the agency be able to award special compensation increases? Yes, if the special compensation increase is a salary commitment made by the agency to the employee.

18. Q: The agency has extended and received acceptance of job offers. Can these offers be honored? Yes. Commitments of future employment will be honored.

19. Q: Can an agency rehire an employee at the salary he/she left? Yes. Rehiring an employee would be comparable to replacement of a departing employee.

20. Q: Are upward reallocations / reclassifications of vacant positions allowed? No. The language specifically prohibits the increase in salaries of employees OR positions.

21. Q: Are Educational Benchmarks earned prior to the passage of HB 681 allowed? No. HB 681 prohibits Educational Benchmarks. However, they may be awarded once the restrictions are lifted.

22. Q: Based on the transfer of funds allowed in HB 681, can money be transferred into “Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits?” Yes. Monies can be increased in any category, as long as there is a corresponding offset.

23. Q: How will transfer authority help the agency when the right side of the compliance report cannot be adjusted? Transfer authority is intended for agencies who would otherwise experience a shortage of funds, not for the increase in salaries of employees or positions.

24. Q: Will the agency be prevented from hiring retirees on contract? No. HB 681 only requires that the appointing authority report to the House and Senate Appropriations those retirees who have returned on contract for more than $20,000 per year.