State-Journal.com - Overtime should be the same, lawmakers say

Overtime rules for all state employees, including legislative aides, should be the same, according to local legislators.

“I think all state employees should be subject to the same policies,” Rep. Carl Rollins, D-Midway said today.

Aides to the Kentucky General Assembly’s legislative leaders have been getting paid for thousands of dollars worth of overtime in recent years.

Twenty-three aides to House and Senate leaders have collected almost $300,000 in overtime over the past four years, the LexingtonHerald-Leader reported. During that time, the legislature has slashed most government agencies’ budgets.

Sen. Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort, said he was unaware legislative aides received overtime pay – he said he thought they received “comp time” like other employees. Carroll said he hopes legislative leaders will enact stricter policies.

“If they fail to do so, we can do it with legislation,” Carroll said.

Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort, said legislators need to re-examine the demands they place on staffers. He said he’s seen instances in which aides work 23 hours a day and only go home to take a shower.

Some Kentucky House employees earned more than $10,000 per year in overtime, the newspaper reported. John Gillig, former chief of staff for to then House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, received more than $9,000 in overtime in 2006, in addition to his salary of $106,000.

Stephanie Kirtley, former chief of staff for House Republican Leader Jeff Hoover, also accumulated overtime between 2006 and 2008, in addition to her salary of $99,000.

Becky Barnes, chief of staff to then House Majority Whip Joe Barrows, D-Versailles got $25,000 in overtime between June 2006 and January 2007.

Rep. Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg who is in his first year as House speaker, says leaders will have to examine overtime policies. The Senate has different overtime rules than the House.

There are 58 aides — out of 439 total Legislative Research Commission employees — who work directly for legislative leaders. Senate President David Williams said he approves requests for overtime on a case-by-case basis. He also said overtime is only paid at the regular rate – not time and a half.

5.	Posted by jstivers2 June 1, 2009
	Trying, Maybe you should send this to Speaker Stumbo he does not understand the regs? Yes, he does . . . his regs. Wide Screen Williams is the same. Oh, it's a bit complicated. The hours you work longer are called compensatory time. You have to accumulate 240 hours to get a block 50 paid out Looks like LRC is taking advantage of a rule that you can request a block fifty or even more after 150 hours, if it's approved. The pay out is at your regular hourly rate. However, the accumulation of compensatory time works two-fold. If your workweek is only 37.5 hours, but you work 40 hours that week you get 2.5 hours in comp time. If you work, 41 hours, you get 2.5 (to reach 40) and then 1.5 for the hour past 40 (every hour past 40 is 1.5).

4.	Posted by jstivers2 June 1, 2009
	Could it be staff members do most of work for members of the assembly? And, the salary of some especially over 100 K and overtime too? Nice job! The staff members should be treated as other state workers, comp time, when you exceed the weekly hours. That kind of salary and the health benefits and other perks, one would take a job like that with the idea, boy they are paying me some top bucks, so . . . better watch the overtime! Are legislative staff members covered under the same retirement statues as the members of the General Assembly? There are only two RETIRMENT FUNDS that are fully funded. Judicial and Legislative. All others the General Assembly has borrowed the most they can and probably will not see that amount for a long , long time. Could it be: One of the benefits of working in government is the retirement system, health benefits and the merit system.

3.	Posted by trying June 1, 2009
	Oh, it's a bit complicated. The hours you work longer are called compensatory time. You have to accumulate 240 hours to get a block 50 paid out Looks like LRC is taking advantage of a rule that you can request a block fifty or even more after 150 hours, if it's approved. The pay out is at your regular hourly rate. However, the accumulation of compensatory time works two-fold. If your workweek is only 37.5 hours, but you work 40 hours that week you get 2.5 hours in comp time. If you work, 41 hours, you get 2.5 (to reach 40) and then 1.5 for the hour past 40 (every hour past 40 is 1.5). Now let's see, if they work 23 hour days for a week in LRC (I'm amazed nobody breaks down from exhaustion, lol). That's five times 23, that's 115 hours. Minus 37.5 for a regular work week, that's an extra 77.5 hours worked. 2.5 is regular comp time, 75 hours go for 1.5, which is 112.5, for a total of 115 hours of comp time. The end compensation for the week would be for a 152.5 hours (which equals about a one month salary)