MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday passed a Republican-sponsored proposal overhauling the state’s 110-year-old civil service system making it easier to hire and fire state workers, even though a conflict in the Senate will delay its final approval until at least next year.
Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, the bill’s main sponsor, said he was confident a compromise could be reached to pass the measure early next year and send it to Gov. Scott Walker, who supports it.
“We’re not going to let a single provision spell the death of this bill,” Steineke said at a news conference.
The Assembly passed the bill just 20 days after it was introduced, leading to complaints from Democrats that it was being rushed through.
Senate and Assembly Republicans disagree on whether applicants for state jobs should be required to check a box indicating whether they have prior criminal convictions. The Assembly proposal passed Tuesday would do away with the requirement, a move opposed by some Senate Republicans that is not in their version of the bill.
Walker has been outspoken in his support of the measure, making it one of the first issues he championed after dropping out of the Republican presidential race last month.
The changes affect the rules governing about 30,000 state workers, including how they are disciplined or fired, and the process for hiring new employees.
Under the bill, the required civil service exam would be eliminated and hiring decisions would be based on the strength of a person’s resume. Hiring decisions would be centralized within the state Department of Administration, the executive arm of Walker’s administration, taking away state agencies’ sole discretion. The process would be sped up with a goal of filling vacancies within 60 days.
The measure would eliminate bumping rights that protected more experienced workers from losing their jobs, create merit bonuses and put new hires on probation for a full year, rather than the current six months.
It would also define what constitutes “just cause” for discipline and list infractions that would result in immediate firing, such as stealing and viewing pornography at work.
Layoff determinations would also be based primarily on an employee’s job performance, not seniority. Currently, layoffs can be determined by seniority, job performance or a combination of the two.
State workers and unions representing them testified against the measure at a public hearing earlier this month. Democrats oppose the measure but don’t have the votes to stop it. They argue the changes will weaken workers’ rights and make it easier for partisan politics to play a role in hiring decisions, leading to more cronyism and patronage in state government.
Democrats are willing to update the civil service law, but changes should be discussed in a bipartisan way along with unions, said Rep. Robb Kahl, D-Monona. He said the changes as envisioned under the bill are bad, whether the governor is Republican or Democrat.
“By and large the civil service system has delivered the best,” said Democratic Rep. Andy Jorgensen, of Milton. “Today you’re scrapping the whole thing, throwing it away. … You’re exchanging knowledge for cronies.”
Republican backers say the changes will bring state government hiring decisions in line with the private sector and improve the state’s ability to cope with an aging workforce that will be retiring in high numbers in coming years.
“The truth is the bill is about getting the best and brightest to work for the state,” Steineke said during debate.
The only groups registering in support are Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state chamber of commerce, and Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group founded by billionaires Charles and David Koch.
The Assembly passed the bill on a 57-35 vote, with all Republicans in support and Democrats against.
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