OPM-97-40
TO: All Appointing Authorities
DATE: 6-10-97
FROM: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr. Administrator and Cabinet Secretary for Human Resources
RE: Merit Rules and OPM Office Hours Change effective July 15, 1997
A
number of permanent changes in the Merit System of Personnel
Administration Rules in OAC 530:1- become effective July, 15, 1997.
Many of the changes will affect both classified and unclassified
employees.
There
will be a briefing on the amended rules Tuesday, June 17, 1997, 1:00
p.m. -4:00p.m. at the Tom Steed Center at Rose State College, 6191
Tinker Diagonal, Midwest City (Northwest corner of Interstate 40 at the
Hudiburg Exit).
We
have combined all of the rule changes made by the Administrator of the
Office of Personnel Management into one Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) supplement to the Merit Rules for Employment issued January 1,
1996. Discard your July 1996 OPM Supplement to the Merit Rules for
Employment. We are enclosing a copy of the new July 1997 OPM
Supplement to the Merit Rules for Employment. The enclosed copy is
printed on one side of the paper to make it easier to copy. Please copy and distribute it to your employees.
We
also plan to have the Merit Rules-emergency as well as
permanent-adopted by the OPM Administrator available in Word for
Windows 6.0 on a floppy disk within the next month. We also plan to
print a complete a new copy of the Rules on a floppy disk.
Special Note: Effective July 15, 1997, OPM’s office hours will change to 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Enclosures: OPM July 1997 Supplement to the Merit Rules for Employment
OPM-97-41
TO: All Appointing Authorities
DATE: 6-11-97
FROM: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr. Administrator and Cabinet Secretary for Human Resources
RE: Affirmative Action Plans for FY-98
Title
74, Section 840-2.1 of the Oklahoma Statutes requires all agencies,
boards, commissions, departments, and office of each branch of
government to prepare an annual Affirmative Action Plan (AAP). A copy
of the agency’s written plan must be filed with the Office of personnel
Management (OPM) annually by September 1 of each year. Recently
enacted legislation (HB 1147) requires that institutions within the
Oklahoma State System for Higher Education submit Affirmative Action
Plans to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in accordance
with standards established by that agency.
Mandatory
standards that must be included in the AAP’s for executive branch
agencies, excluding higher education, are contained in Merit Rules
530:10-3.33.` through 530:10-3-3311. The Merit Rues also include the
penalties for submission of plans after September 1, 1997. If your
plans need to be reviewed by a governing board, please arrange to have
the review completed before the September 1st submission date.
Two other references will assist you in developing your affirmative action plans:
(1)
The Manual for AAPs in Oklahoma State Government (Revised June, 1996),
published by the Office of Personnel Management contains detailed
instructions on preparing affirmative action plans, and
(2)
Labor Force Information for Affirmative Action Programs, published by
the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, Economic Research and
Analysis Division, can be obtained by faxing that division at
(405)525-0139. Agencies with fewer than 15 FTE will not need the Labor
Force Information document to prepare the AAPs.
All
plans must contain a Present Staffing Report, a Personnel Transactions
Report and an evaluation of Previous EEO Efforts of New Hires for the
past 3 years (copy attached). Should you require assistance of further
information, please contact Joe Garcia of the OPM Employment Relations
Services at (405)521-6327.
Enclosure-Form, Evaluation of Previous EEO Efforts (New Hires)
cc: Civil Rights Administrators/Affirmative Action Officers
OPM 97-42
June 17, 1997
TO: ALL APPOINTING AUTHORITIES
FROM: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., Administrator and Cabinet Secretary of Human Resources
RE: 1997 Major Personnel-Related Legislation
During
the 1997 session, the Oklahoma Legislature passed a number of bills
that affect state agencies and employees. Though we will provide you
with more detailed information regarding several individual bills in
the coming weeks, I believe you may find the following list helpful in
the meantime. This list includes major, generally applicable
personnel-related legislation. It does not include legislation
regarding specific agencies, retirement, insurance, or appropriations.
The
actual statutory changes created by this legislation are too numerous
and complex to adequately cover in this memo. You may obtain copies of
this legislation from Senate Bill Distribution, 310 State Capitol, or
by calling (405) 521-5515, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Affirmative Action
House
Bill 1147 (Dunegan/Dickerson) Requires institutions within The Oklahoma
State System of Higher Education to submit affirmative action plans to
the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in accordance with
standards established by the Regents. House Bill 1147 becomes effective
July 1, 1997.
Compensation/Benefits
House
Bill 1895 (Hamilton/Haney) Among other things, House Bill 1895:·
Increases the flexible benefits allowance, the total amount an employer
contributes for the payment of insurance premiums or other benefits,
for the fiscal year ending (1) June 30, 1998, from $187.19 per month to
$224.69 per month, an increase of $37.50 per month, and (2) June 30,
1999, and thereafter, from $224.69 per month to $262.19 per month, an
increase of $37.50. Note: House Bill 1222, which becomes effective
August 29, 1997, prohibits the Oklahoma State and Education Employees
Group Insurance Board from making a mid-year adjustment in insurance
premium rates for the FY 98 plan year.· Requires the Oklahoma Public
Employees Retirement System, effective January 1, 1998, to put $25.00
into a plan established pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code for each
state employee who participates in the Oklahoma State Employees
Deferred Compensation Plan. These provisions of House Bill 1895 become
effective July 1, 1997. Employee Development
House
Bill 1724 (Paulk/Dickerson) Increases the hours of mandatory training
for supervisory employees from 16 to 24 hours annually. Note: The 24
hour training requirement will consist of four six-hour training days.
House Bill 1724 becomes effective July 1, 1997. House Bill
1147(Dunegan/Dickerson Includes numerous amendments to the State Mentor
Program, including:· Requires the Administrator to set minimum
compensation for Mentor Executives; · Provides that rules adopted by
the Administrator shall provide for the sending agency and the agency
in which the Mentor Executive is completing his or her management
rotation to share the compensation of the Mentor Executive or for
either agency to pay the total amount; · Provides that a Mentor
Executive’s salary may be increased, but not decreased, during his or
her participation in the Program. House Bill 1147 becomes effective
July 1, 1997.
Impartial Review
House Bill 1724 (Paulk/Dickerson) Repeals statutory language providing for impartial reviews of final allocations of
positions. House Bill 1724 becomes effective July 1, 1997.
Leave
House
Bill 1147 (Dunegan/Dickerson) Adds leave without pay and sick leave
donated by other state employees to the types of leave which an
employee may use to account for authorized absences under the Family
and Medical Leave Act of 1993.House Bill 1147 becomes effective July 1,
1997.
Reduction-In-Force
House
Bill 1224 (Steidley/Monson) Broadens the current reduction-in-force law
and provides severance pay for state employees separated by
reduction-in-force (RIF). House Bill 1224 also provides for a
“voluntary out” whereby employees may receive severance benefits in the
event that a RIF is imminent. The following are major features of House
Bill 1224:Plans/Displacement· RIF plans must be submitted to the OPM
Administrator and the Director of the Office of State Finance, who
reviews the fiscal components of the plan.· An Appointing Authority may
protect up to 20 percent of post-RIF employees within displacement
(bumping) limits. · Appointing Authorities may deny displacement
opportunities to employees who do not have relevant work experience in
an affected class within the last five years, or who do not have at
least a “satisfactory” rating on the most recent annual service rating.
Severance Benefits/Payments· Agencies must provide the following
severance benefits: 18 months of health insurance premiums or their
equivalent in cash (unless waived by the Director of the Office of
State Finance because the agency cannot afford this provision); a
longevity payment based on the employee’s next anniversary date;
outplacement assistance and employment counseling from the Oklahoma
Employment Security Commission, or any other assistance/counseling made
available by the agency.· Agencies may elect to add to the required
severance benefits any combination of the following: Up to one week of
pay per year of service; payment of accumulated sick leave or extended
illness benefits not converted for retirement credit at 50% of its
value; a maximum lump sum payment of $5,000; an additional 18 months of
insurance premiums.· Employees have the option of applying any
severance cash toward: Purchasing retirement credits at the actuarially
determined cost; purchasing other insurance products offered to state
employees; and purchasing education voucher credits, that could be
matched by agencies on a one-on-one basis up to $3,000.The
payments/benefits may only be provided to separating permanent
classified employees, regular unclassified employees with six months of
continuous state service, and University Hospital Authority employees.
Employees must sign waivers prior to receiving these payments/benefits.
If an employee receives the package and returns to state service within
one year, the employee is required to repay the severance benefits on a
proportional basis. Voluntary Out: Agencies are authorized to provide
voluntary out benefits in order to reduce or eliminate the adverse
impact of an imminent reduction-in-force. The benefits package is the
same as that provided in the Severance Benefits/Payments section.
Appointing Authorities must submit their voluntary out plan to the OSF
Director for approval. House Bill 1224 becomes effective July 1, 1997.
Unclassified Service
House
Bill 1147 (Dunegan/Dickerson) Creates the “State Work Incentive
Program” to permit state agencies to hire persons participating in the
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program as unclassified
employees, who do not count against the agency’s FTE limit, and to
convert them to permanent classified status after two years if they
have had satisfactory service reviews, possess the minimum requirements
for the job, and pass any required entrance exam. House Bill 1147
becomes effective July 1, 1997.
Voluntary Payroll Deduction
Senate
Bill 218 (Dickerson/Paulk) Provide for payroll deductions for
membership dues or contributions to a 501(c)(3) entity organized on
behalf of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association or any other
statewide state employee organization having at least 1,000 dues-paying
members. Senate Bill 218 becomes effective November 1, 1997.
Whistleblower
House
Bill 1724 (Paulk/Dickerson) Changes the time limits for filing a
whistleblower appeal with the Merit Protection Commission from 30 to 60
days. House Bill 1724 becomes effective July 1, 1997.
OPM 97-43
Date: June 19, 1997
To: Agency Personnel Responsible for Payroll Deductions, and All Organizations Approved for Deduction Status
From: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., Administrator and Secretary of Human Resources
SUBJECT: List of Organizations and Policies for employees' Voluntary Payroll Deduction
Please
update the List of Organizations and Policies Approved for State
Employees’ Voluntary Payroll Deduction, dated January 16, 1997, to
reflect the following additions:
American Fidelity Assurance Company
Policy
Form Cancer Care C-9 (OK) Non-Occupational Accident Only Policy
IAO-N/O-95 (OK) Accident Only Policy IAO-95 (OK) Accident Only Policy
IAO-96 AGD (OK)
Billing
Unit: American Fidelity Assurance Co. P.O. Box 25523 Oklahoma City, OK
73125 ATTN: ADG Operations FIN: 73-0714500 Payroll Code: AI35
Inquiries: (405) 523-2000
Special
Note: The payroll code for the companies listed above is different from
the payroll code used for other American Fidelity Assurance Company
policies.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Marsha Reeder at (405) 521-2269.
OPM 97-44
DATE: July 1, 1997
To: All Appointing Authorities
From: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr. Administrator and Secretary of Human Resources
Re: Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program Enrollment
The
Office of Personnel Management is pleased to announce open enrollment
for the Certified Public Manager (CPM) Program. The CPM Program is a
nationally accredited professional development program designed to
improve the services to the citizens of the State of Oklahoma.
Participants in the program, through seminars, examinations, and job
related projects, enhance their management skills, thereby becoming
better resources for their agencies and for the state. Oklahoma is one
of 20 states currently offering the certification.
Currently
there are 417 candidates representing over 50 state agencies, boards
and commissions. Oklahoma recently honored 28 new Certified Public
Managers bringing the total number of graduates to 164.
The
program consists of 300 hours of classroom training, four comprehensive
exams and four job-related projects. The cost of the program is $1,080.
$1,000 is paid by the agency in two installments of $500. The
candidates are assessed $10 for each test and project. Some agencies
have used the CPM projects to accomplish various tasks and studies
previously contracted to consultants. Oklahoma agencies have reported
more than $1 million in savings from the implementation of projects.
In
March, Oklahoma participated in a curriculum review conducted by the
American Council of Education. Results of that review recommended
graduates of the Oklahoma Certified Public Manager Program may receive
up to 15 hours of upper-division baccalaureate credit or up to 9 hours
of graduate credit in the areas of public administration, management,
or human relations.
Enclosed
is a packet of information including program brochures, required
curriculum, program applications, and a list of benefits experienced by
participating agencies. For more information, please contact Carrie
Rohr, CPM Program Coordinator, (405) 521-6344.
Enclosures
OPM 97-45
MEMORANDUM
DATE: June 27, 1997
TO: All Appointing Authorities
FROM: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr. Administrator and Cabinet Secretary of Human Resources
RE: STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP FOR STATE EXECUTIVES
The
Office of Personnel Management, in cooperation with the University of
Oklahoma, is hosting “Strategic Leadership for State Executives”, an
executive education program conducted by the Governors Center at Duke
University. The program will be conducted at Lake Murray State Lodge,
October 19-22, 1997.
State
executives face a number of managerial tasks and dilemmas that are more
demanding than those found in business. Yet these executives have few
opportunities to share their problems, to reflect on what they are
attempting to accomplish, to discover what is happening in other
states, or to learn what new ideas and best practices are being
developed by both practitioners and scholars. The Governors Center at
Duke University designed “Strategic Leadership” to meet the needs of
experienced executives in state government
“Strategic
Leadership” is offered several times each year in Durham, North
Carolina. Listed below are a few Oklahomans who have attended the
program in North Carolina:
“Stephen C. Edmonds, Executive Director Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System
“Rollo Redburn, Budget Director Office of State Finance
¨ Sharon Neuwald, Chief of Staff Department of Human Services
¨ Paula J. Falkenstein, Associate Director Department of Central Services
¨ Cliff Sandel, Regional Director Department of Corrections
¨ Oscar Jackson, Administrator and Cabinet Secretary Office of Personnel Management
We
are very pleased to provide you and your Agency Executive Team an
opportunity to participate in this outstanding executive development
program. We
are providing this advance notice to agency directors now so that you
may make necessary plans for attendance. Space will be limited, so I
encourage you to register now and follow-up with a purchase
requisition. A more detailed agenda will be mailed in August. Enclosed
is more information about “Strategic
Leadership”. Questions may be directed to Carrie Rohr, Human Resource
Development Services, Office of Personnel Management at (405) 521-6344.
I encourage all agencies to take full advantage of this executive development opportunity.
Enclosure Strategic Leadership for State Executives
PURPOSE:
Strategic
Leadership has one purpose: To provide executives with the ability to
improve the performance of state agencies and offer leadership in the
political environment of state government.
Strategic
Leadership examines the fundamental concepts of political leadership
and public management necessary for governing in today’s states. This
seminar concentrates not on short-run tactical problems but on
long-term strategic issues -- how to accomplish an agency’s mission.
This executive-education program focuses on public management in its
political environment -- how senior executives can cope with
legislative politics, interest group politics, bureaucratic politics,
and policy politics.
PARTICIPANTS:
The
Governors Center created Strategic Leadership for cabinet secretaries,
senior gubernatorial staff, assistant commissioners, deputy department
heads and other state executives with responsibilities for managing
organizations, implementing programs, and producing results. Enrollment
will be limited to fifty executive participants.
CURRICULUM:
The
Strategic Leadership faculty actively engage the executive participants
in an examination of the concepts of leadership and management that are
most essential to achieving public purposes. Together, executives and
faculty examine the challenge of political leadership -- how to improve
organizational performance and produce results.
The curriculum emphasizes the basic tasks that confront the executive at the top of any agency:
·
Developing and articulating an organizational mission; · Establishing
objectives, measuring results, realizing goals, and rewarding
performance; · Motivating public employees; · Revitalizing
organizations and building internal and external capabilities; ·
Communicating with citizens, stakeholders, and journalists; and ·
Cutting back while improving performance.
Strategic
Leadership develops specific concepts for dealing with each
responsibility and illustrates the value of each idea by applying it to
specific problems facing specific public managers.
DATES:
1:00 p.m. Sunday, October 19 through 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 22, 1997
LOCATION:
Lake Murray State Lodge
FEE: $1,500 per participant, plus travel, lodging, and per diem.
INSTRUCTORS:
Dr.
Robert Behn, Director of The Governors Center and Professor of Public
Policy at Duke. He also publishes a regular “Management” feature in
Governing magazine.
Vickie Patton, Executive Director of The Governors Center at Duke University.
OPM 97-46
TO: All Appointing Authorities
DATE: 6-30-97
FROM: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., Administrator and Cabinet Secretary for Human Resources
RE: EXECUTIVE ORDER 97-16, HIRING FREEZE AND PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACTS
Governor
Frank Keating issued Executive Order 97-16 (June 24, 1997) effective
July 1, 1997, extending the employment and the professional and
personal services contract freeze to December 31, 1997. This freeze
continues to prohibit agencies from hiring new employees, transferring
current employees, rehiring former state employees or entering into
certain professional or personal service contracts without previous
written approval from their respective Cabinet Secretary.
Please
refer to the All Appointing Authorities memo, dated February 17, 1995,
from Oscar Jackson, Office of Personnel Management, for specific
guidelines concerning employment issues pertaining to this freeze.
A
copy of the OPM-92, Personnel Transaction Freeze Exception Request is
attached and must be used to document all personnel transaction
exception requests for classified and unclassified/exempt positions.
Agencies may duplicate the form as needed.
Please
refer to the letter to Agency Directors, dated February 16, 1995, from
Tom Brennan, then Secretary of Administration and Jack E. White, then
Acting Secretary of Finance and Revenue, for specific guidelines on
personal and professional services contracts.
OBJ/sc
Attachments:
1) Executive Order 97-16 (6-30-97) 2) OPM-92 (Revised 7-97)
OPM-97-47
July 2, 1997
TO: All Agency Payroll Users
FROM: Jim Emmert Assistant Administrator
RE: FY98 FAAC Update Reports
Attached are the reports that were generated when the Office of Personnel Management performed its batch update of FAAC codes.
Agency
FAAC Code Update Report: This report indicates what was done to your
agency’s master FAAC code list. Each old FAAC extracted by OPM will be
listed along with a brief descriptive message. The messages will let
you know if a particular FAAC was not found, if a particular FAAC was
deleted, if a new FAAC was added, or if a new FAAC already exists.
Agency
Division FAAC Codes Update Report: This report indicates what agency
divisions had their FAAC codes updated. For each division listed, there
is an accompanying message. If there is no message, then the division
funding was updated successfully. If your agency does not maintain a
list of divisions in Agency Payroll, or if your agency does not make
use of division funding, you will not receive this report.
FAAC
Codes Which Have Not Been Converted: This report is an error report. It
gives the name, social security number and position of each employee in
your agency who either did not receive a FAAC code for the new fiscal
year, or who already has a new FAAC code for the fiscal year.
If
there are any codes that are incorrect due to our processing, or if you
need further information, please call Carol Barton at 405/521-6290. We
will help you correct any errors.
JE/nw
cc: Glenda Gesell
OPM 97-48
July 16, 1997
To: All Appointing Authorities
From: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., Administrator Cabinet Secretary of Human Resources
In re: State Mentor Program
The
Office of Personnel Management is pleased to announce the selection of
the first five participants in the State Mentor Program.
The
state employees selected for participation in the State Mentor Program
are: Rita Cooksey, Department of Corrections; Debbie Dowell, Department
of Rehabilitation Services; Patricia Schweitzer, Oklahoma Tax
Commission; Joyce Smith, Office of Personnel Management; and Robert
Thompson, Oklahoma State Senate. Ms. Cooksey has been assigned to the
Office of Personnel Management and the Human Resources Cabinet
Department for the first six months of her two-year rotation; Ms.
Dowell has been assigned to the Office of Juvenile Affairs and the
Health and Human Services Cabinet Department; Patricia Schweitzer has
been assigned to the Department of Rehabilitation Services; Joyce Smith
has been assigned to the Department of Human Services; and Robert
Thompson has been assigned to the Oklahoma Tax Commission. The five
Mentor Executives began their two-year management rotations on July 1,
1997.
The
purpose of the State Mentor Program, created by the Oklahoma
Legislature in 1994, is to develop the executive potential of employees
in all branches of state government, with a special emphasis on women,
racial minorities, and individuals with disabilities.
According to “Beyond
the Myths and Magic of Mentoring,” by Margo Murray and Marna A. Owen,
mentoring is “the deliberate pairing of a more skilled or experienced
person with a lesser skilled or experienced one, with the agreed-upon
goal of having the lesser skilled person grow and develop specific
competencies.”
The
State Mentor Program provides a structure for facilitating the
Mentoring concept in state government. Each state employee selected to
participate in the State Mentor Program will become a Mentor Executive
and, during his or her two-year management rotation, will be assigned
policy-level management duties in his or her employing agency; one or
both Houses of the Legislature; the Office of State Finance, the Office
of the Governor, and/or the Office of Personnel Management; and in any
other agency accepting the Mentor Executive.
Each
of the state entities participating in the State Mentor Program will
assign one or more executive-level managers to serve as a mentor while
the Mentor Executive is on staff. The Mentor's duties are to instruct
the Mentor Executive in the agency's purpose and functions, and to
instill a sense of professionalism and public service. Mentors also may
serve as a source of career guidance and reference after the management
rotation is completed.
The
Office of Personnel Management solicited nominations for the Program in
November 1996, and provided an official application to each employee
nominated. The Office of Personnel Management reviewed each application
to determine whether the applicant met the minimum qualifications for
the Program, and then solicited the endorsement of the Appointing
Authorities of those employees who met the minimum qualifications. The
employees who received the endorsement of their Appointing Authorities
participated in the multi-part selection process which consisted of a
writing exercise and interviews.
Plans
are underway for Mentor Executive assignments for the second six-month
period which will begin January 1, 1998. Agencies interested in
accepting a Mentor Executive should contact Dayna Petete at (405)
521-6293.
OPM-97-49
July 23, 1997
To: All Appointing Authorities
From: Oscar B. Jackson, Jr., Administrator Cabinet Secretary of Human Resources
Re: Office of Personnel Management Website
The
Office of Personnel Management’s Website is now available at
“http://www.state.ok.us/~opm” as a service to our customers. The Office
of Personnel Management (OPM) Website offers general information on
programs and services, weekly recruitment notices for classified jobs,
points of contact at OPM, and details on advisory bodies and other
organizational entities that are closely related with OPM.
The
future potential for the OPM Website remains constructive and positive
with plans for items such as: text of rules and statutes, instructions
for applying for state jobs, descriptions of training modules and
multimedia presentations, and employee E-mail addresses. We hope our
Website will provide many opportunities for improving communication
among OPM, agencies, state employees, and the public.
If
you have any questions or suggestions regarding the Office of Personnel
Management Website, please contact Karma Singer, Website Coordinator,
at (405) 521-2752.
