THREAD: Not only did the Senate pass SB2120 unanimously to raise starting pay @MSHwyPatrol to $45,950, but every member signed on to cosponsor—it's so popular, @DelbertHosemann joked @SenDTSimmons about it.
But the House wants to amend SB2120 with a lower payscale instead. 👎 1/
But the House wants to amend SB2120 with a lower payscale instead. 👎 1/
To start, a bit of history...MHP's payscale was originally enacted in SB2500 (2015), sponsored by then-Sen. @TindellSean @DavidParkerSen and a few other senators.
SB2500 provided a starting salary of $38,000 when it took effect in January 2016. billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2015/pdf/histo… 2/
SB2500 provided a starting salary of $38,000 when it took effect in January 2016. billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2015/pdf/histo… 2/
All bills to raise officer pay in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 died in committee, so it was good news for our troopers when the #MSleg passed HB264 in 2020: billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2020/pdf/histo… 3/
However, HB264 only raised starting pay to $39,140 when it became effective in July 2020—far short of the raises needed just for starting pay to keep up with inflation.
Just to adjust a 2015 salary of $38,000 inflation, the House should have raised it to at least $41,558. 4/
Just to adjust a 2015 salary of $38,000 inflation, the House should have raised it to at least $41,558. 4/
In August 2020, a highway patrolman was shot and killed while working the midnight shift as a post officer, his second job.
Obviously, our troopers shouldn't NEED to work a second job, so in 2021, now-DPS chief @TindellSean requested better raises. 5/
Obviously, our troopers shouldn't NEED to work a second job, so in 2021, now-DPS chief @TindellSean requested better raises. 5/
To that end, the MS Senate passed @SenatorJohnPolk's SB2854 in 2021, and that bill would have raised the payscale enough to start at $41,800.
However, @PhilipGunnMS double-referred SB2854, and it promptly died in committee in the House. billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2021/pdf/histo… 6/
However, @PhilipGunnMS double-referred SB2854, and it promptly died in committee in the House. billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2021/pdf/histo… 6/
This year, @TindellSean impressed upon the Legislature that MHP's starting salary of $39,140 doesn't even compete within starting pay at Mississippi PDs.
Examples: Oxford ($46k-$57k), Olive Branch ($55k), Hernando ($46k-$57k), Gulfport ($48k), or Tupelo (up to $49k). 7/
Examples: Oxford ($46k-$57k), Olive Branch ($55k), Hernando ($46k-$57k), Gulfport ($48k), or Tupelo (up to $49k). 7/
And MHP loses officers and recruits to other states and out-of-state PDs like Memphis.
For example, a first-year MHP trooper who leaves Mississippi to be a state officer in Texas will more than double their salary to $82,108.00: dps.texas.gov/section/traini… 8/
For example, a first-year MHP trooper who leaves Mississippi to be a state officer in Texas will more than double their salary to $82,108.00: dps.texas.gov/section/traini… 8/
But let's say you don't care about losing state officers to local PDs or other states—let's say you just want MHP's payscale to keep up with inflation.
Well, to adjust the $39,140 set in 2020 for inflation, you need to raise it to at least $42,470. 9/
Well, to adjust the $39,140 set in 2020 for inflation, you need to raise it to at least $42,470. 9/
Or if you believe MHP's starting pay should be as good in real dollars as it was when they payscale first took effect in 2016, you'd need to raise starting pay to at least $45,095. 10/
Yet, HB1422 (House bill for MHP pay this year) only raises starting pay to $40,314: billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2022/pdf/histo…
No, any raise is better than none, and most years the House agrees to no raise at all—but still, the HB1422 would defund MHP by failing to adjust for inflation. 11/
No, any raise is better than none, and most years the House agrees to no raise at all—but still, the HB1422 would defund MHP by failing to adjust for inflation. 11/
Therefore, when HB1422 reached @briggs_hopson's appropriations committee in the Senate, Hopson advanced the bill with a proposed amendment replacing the House's proposed, defunded MHP payscale with the Senate's proposed MHP payscale. 12/
To that end, the TRUE officer pay raise bill this year was @bricewigginsMS's SB2118, which would have raised starting pay to $47,500, representing a pay raise in real dollars: billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2022/pdf/histo… 13/
But SB2118 did not pass out of committee. Instead, the main Senate bill this year is SB2120, which raises starting pay to $45,950 to fully adjust for inflation: billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2022/pdf/histo… 14/
SB2120 passed unanimously, all members signed on to cosponsor, and Hopson's committee amendment to the House bill would put SB2120's payscale into HB1422. 15/
But once SB2120 reached the House with its starting payscale of $45,960, the House committee's amendment to the bill inexplicably lowers the starting pay back down to $45,314. 16/
Obviously, that's a major improvement from the paltry starting salary of $40,314 contained in HB1422, which the House had passed just three weeks beforehand, suggesting capitulation by the House on the general idea of fully adjusting the payscale for inflation. 17/
But the House committee's amendment to SB2120 shifts money away from new recruits to give higher raises to the officers with the most seniority.
That change seems out of place with the policy goal of recruiting and retaining new officers. 18/
That change seems out of place with the policy goal of recruiting and retaining new officers. 18/
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