Legislation to reduce Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin's spending authority by $62,491, to $340,677, in the fiscal year starting July 1 sailed through the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee on Tuesday.
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Senate Bill 88, sponsored by the committee, also would increase the maximum authorized salary for the Little Rock Republican's chief of staff and legal counsel position from $77,689 to $95,000 a year. The job is held by Scott Burton, now paid $77,689. The bill would also increase the maximum pay for his communications director-deputy legal counsel post from $59,524 to $70,000 a year. Katie Grygar holds that job and is paid $59,524.
After the meeting, Griffin said that if the bill is approved, he plans to pay Burton and Grygar the new maximums effective July 1.
Under the bill, the office would lose its now-vacant government relations and constituent relations post, which pays up to a $53,319 salary. The maximum salary for a vacant executive assistant and scheduler position would be reduced from $53,319 to $40,000. The measure also would scrap three temporary or "extra help" positions with spending authority of $10,000. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Griffin said last month that his goal is to reduce spending in his office by more than 15 percent, but he would rather have a few employees make more money so he can hire and retain people with more experience.
Burton has worked for Griffin since October. He previously was an attorney at Wright, Lindsey & Jennings in Little Rock and a 2008 presidential campaign operative for U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Grygar started last week. She replaced Kelsi Daniell, who went to work for Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman's campaign. She previously was an attorney at Jackson Walker LLP in Dallas, served as a staff assistant to former Republican U.S. Rep. Kenny Mulshof of Missouri and worked in the press office for McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.
The lieutenant governor's office spent $372,841.79 in state funds in fiscal 2011; $312,516.46 in fiscal 2012; $354,433.94 in fiscal 2013; $324,430.48 in fiscal 2014; and $116,122.33 in fiscal 2015, according to Jake Bleed, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration. These figures exclude the lieutenant governor's $42,314 salary, which is paid out of the state auditor's appropriation, Bleed said.
Griffin's predecessor, Springdale Republican Mark Darr, resigned effective Feb. 1, 2014. Darr's four employees resigned by June 30, 2014, the end of fiscal 2014. Griffin was sworn in on Jan. 13, 2015.
The lieutenant governor's duties include presiding over the Senate when it's in session and serving as acting governor when the governor leaves the state. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has assigned Griffin to lead a review of the state's Common Core education standards and review the state Department of Human Services' organization.
In other business Tuesday, the Joint Budget Committee directed its staff to draft a bill to increase the annual salary of the state Department of Human Services' director from $162,647 to $280,000 and provide a supplemental appropriation of $146,276 for the rest of fiscal 2016, which ends June 30.
The department's new director, Cynthia Gillespie, who worked for then-Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has been working under a consulting contract with the department since March 1. The contract is for $49,000 and expires April 30. Gillespie's Human Services predecessor was John Selig, who worked from July 2005 until March 2016.
Metro on 04/20/2016