An Act To Adopt a Regional Cost Differential for State Salaries, School Funding and Contracted Services

CONCEPT DRAFT SUMMARY

This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.

This bill proposes to adopt a cost-of-living differential based on housing cost variations among the State’s 31 labor market areas, as determined by the federal Department of Labor using commuting patterns from the 2000 U.S. Census. Under this bill, this regional adjustment would then be applied to the essential programs and services school funding formula, state employee salary negotiations and contracts for services by the Department of Health and Human Services and other state agencies.