John H. Bucy III (D-Austin), State Representative for House District 136, has filed H.B. 202 to raise pay for state employees. State employees and retirees held a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday to show support for the legislation.
“This session we must give state employees a raise,” Bucy said. “That’s why I filed H.B. 202, to provide for a $10,000 raise for Texas’ state employees, including a proportional raise for part time employees. With a budget surplus and billions more in revenue anticipated, we must get this done.”
H.B. 202 would increase the gross salary for Texas state employees by adding a raise of $10,000, including those working at an institution of higher education. Part time employees would receive a proportional raise under the proposal. It has been over a decade since an effective, across the board pay raise was provided to Texas’ state employees. While state employees received a raise in 2015, it was designed to absorb the increase to their pension contribution.
“What we thought was bad, the recent report from the State Auditor made clear is an unsustainable crisis,” Bucy said. “As legislators we rely on state employees to provide critical services and support to our constituents. It’s well past time we give them a raise that reflects the valuable work they do for each of us every day.”
Last year, Texas’ state agencies saw the highest turnover in a decade, with the most common reason cited by employees being poor pay and insufficient benefits. Over the past 10 years, statewide turnover rates have ranged from a low of 17.5 percent in fiscal year 2014 to the highest rate of 22.7 percent in fiscal year 2022.
