1)  9:00 a.m. Public hearing of the appeal of DHH, et al. vs. DEPARTMENT OF STATE CIVIL SERVICE, Docket No. 15438. The hearing is limited to the Motion to Disqualify filed by appellants. Frank H. Perez is representing DHH; Floyd Falcon, Jr. is representing the individual appellants; and Robert R. Boland, Jr. is representing the Department of State Civil Service. THE APPEAL WAS SETTLED.

2)  9:00 a.m. Public hearing of the appeal of JUDY CARRUTH vs. DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE, Docket No. S-15535. The employee is self-represented; and no one has enrolled for the agency. THE APPEAL OF JUDY CARRUTH WAS HEARD AND TAKEN UNDER ADVISEMENT.

3)  9:00 a.m. Public hearing of MARILYN JACKSON vs. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, Docket No. S-15559. The employee is self-represented; and Cynthia Batiste is representing the agency. THE APPEAL WAS SETTLED.

4)  9:00 a.m. Public hearing of the appeals of CHARLENE WILLIAMS vs. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY & CORRECTIONS-JETSON CORRECTIONAL CENTER FOR YOUTH, Docket Nos. S-15503 & S-15555 (consolidated). Mark E. Falcon is representing the employee; and Cynthia Eyre is representing the agency. THE APPEAL WAS ASSIGNED TO REFEREE JOANN McANDREW AND WAS SETTLED.

5) 9:00 a.m. Public hearing of the appeal of MARK COOK vs. SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY, Docket No. S-15471. Nelson Taylor, Sr. is representing the employee; and Winston G. DeCuir, Jr. is representing the agency. THE APPEAL WAS CONTINUED.

6) Director’s Report #9; (No Attachment)

7) Employee Opportunity to Address the Commission. (No Requests)

8) Performance Planning and Review Reports by the following Agencies: THE COMMISSION RECEIVED REPORTS FROM KIP WALL, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFFICER FROM THE OFFICE OF GROUP BENEFITS, AND PATRICK COSPER, DIRECTOR OF THE LOUISIANA SCHOOL EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM.

b. Louisiana School Employees' Retirement System - Patrick Cosper, Director

9) Request of the Department of Health and Hospitals requests authority to convert $1.60 premium pay to base pay for two Medical Transcriptionists at Pinecrest Developmental Center, effective January 17, 2005. (Appearance by representative of Department of Health and Hospitals.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

10) Request of the Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center for authority to convert $2.00 premium pay to base pay for the following jobs located at Earl K. Long Medical Center, effective February 14, 2005: (Appearance by representative of Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

Job Title
Pharmacist – Clinical
Pharmacy Director 1
Pharmacy Director 2

11) Request of the Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center for authority to convert $5.00 premium pay to base pay for the following jobs located at W. O. Moss Regional Medical Center, effective February 14, 2005: (Appearance by representative of Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

Job Title
Pharmacist – Clinical
Pharmacy Director 2

12) Request of the Office of Mental Health, Department of Health and Hospitals for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish one unclassified position of Evaluator, effective April 16, 2005 through February 15, 2009. (Appearance by representative of Office of Mental Health.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

13) Request of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish one full-time unclassified position to serve as Chief Operating Officer, effective April 6, 2005 through April 1, 2007. (Appearance by representative of Louisiana Housing Finance Agency.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

14) Request of the Housing Authority of East Baton Rouge for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish one unclassified position to serve as YouthBuild Program Specialist for the Hope VI grant program, effective April 6, 2005 through September 30, 2008. (Appearance by representative of Housing Authority of East Baton Rouge.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION. THERE WILL BE NO EXTENSION WITHOUT A REVIEW.

15) Request of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish eight unclassified positions in the "Going Home" grant, effective July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

16) Request of the Office of Youth Development for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish four unclassified positions in the "Going Home" grant, effective July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006. (Appearance by representative of the Office of Youth Development.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

17) Request of the Department of Insurance for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish four Administrative Specialist positions within the Louisiana Property and Casualty Insurance Commission, effective April 6, 2005 through April 5, 2008. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Insurance) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

18) Request of the Department of Environmental Quality for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish one Workforce Planning Executive Consultant position for a three year period. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Environmental Quality.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

19) Request of the Department of Education for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish one Community Relations Coordinator position, effective April 6, 2005 through January 14, 2008. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Education.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

20) Request of the Department of Education for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish one Coordinator position for the Wallace Foundation grant, effective April 6, 2005 through April 5, 2008. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Education.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

21) Request of the Division of Administration for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish one ongoing Assistant Commissioner of Management and Finance, effective April 6, 2005. (Appearance by representative of the Division of Administration.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

22) Request of the Southwest Louisiana Developmental Center for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish two additional ongoing positions to serve as companions to clients of Southwest Louisiana Developmental Center in the Supported Independent Living Program. (Appearance by representative of the Southwest Louisiana Developmental Center.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

23) Consideration of the following requests for authority to establish or amend the Unscheduled Absenteeism Policy under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 12.6(a) as follows: (Appearance by representatives of the Agencies.) THE REQUESTS WERE GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

a. Houma Terrebonne Housing Authority - to establish a Non-Disciplinary Removal for Unscheduled Absences policy, effective March 2, 2005.

b. Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana – to establish a Non-Disciplinary Removal for Unscheduled Absences policy, effective April 6, 2005.

c. Bossier Parish Community College – to establish a Non-Disciplinary Removal for Unscheduled Absences policy, effective April 7, 2005.

24) Consideration of the following requests for authority to establish or amend the Rewards and Recognition policies under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 6.16.1 as follows: (Appearance by representatives of the Agencies.) THE REQUESTS WERE GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

a) Housing Authority of Lake Providence - to establish a Rewards and Recognition policy as follows, effective December 14, 2004:

Service Recognition, Exceeding Safety Requirements and/or Voluntary Work Above and Beyond Position Requirements – pins or plaques

Special Accomplishments / Significant Contributions that enhance the image of the agency, result in an improved work environment, or result in more efficient operations – up to 9% of employee’s base salary

b) Housing Authority of Ponchatoula - to establish a Rewards and Recognition policy as follows, effective January 11, 2005:

Those employees in the Public Housing division who are responsible, as a team, for their division achieving a "High Performer" rating as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – up to 9% of base salary.

25) Request of the Department of Veterans Affairs for a cash allowance of $51.00/month under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 6.3.1 for those employees required to pay for parking at the Federal Office Building in New Orleans, effective July 1, 2005. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Veterans Affairs.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

26) Request of the Department of Civil Service for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 6.16(a) for a one-time individual pay adjustment of $250.00 for Ms. Dwuena Wyre who has earned the Training and Development Certificate, effective April 6, 2005. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Civil Service.) THE COMMISSION GRANTED A ONE-TIME INDIVIDUAL PAY ADJUSTMENT OF $500.00 FOR MS. DWUENA WYRE, EFFECTIVE APRIL 6, 2005.

27) Request of the Department of Civil Service for authority under Rule 6.16(c) for an individual base pay adjustment of $3.79 per hour for Betty Thibaut, effective April 6, 2005. (Appearance by representative of the Department of Civil Service.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

28) Request of the Office of Youth Development under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 6.3.1 for cash allowances for housing for the following job titles, effective March 1, 2005. (Appearance by representative of the Office of Youth Development.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

29) Consideration of the following requests for authority, under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 6.16.2, for an Optional Pay Adjustment for additional duties: (Appearances by representatives of the Agencies.)

a) Department of Natural Resources for a base pay adjustment in the amount of 2% for Martharene Hill, Administrative Assistant 5, effective March 2, 2005. THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

b) Lafourche Basin Levee District for a 9% base pay adjustment for Randy Trosclair, Administrative Manager 4, effective April 5, 2005. THE COMMISSION GRANTED A 3.26% BASE PAY ADJUSTMENT FOR ADDITIONAL DUTIES PER RULE 6.16.2 AND A 0.74% LUMP SUM ADJUSTMENT FOR RANDY TROSCLAIR, EFFECTIVE APRIL 5, 2005.

c) Department of Health and Hospitals for a temporary optional pay adjustment in the amount of 10% for Diane Batts, Program Manager 2--DHHR, effective April 6, 2005 through June 30, 2005. THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

30) Consideration of the following requests for authority to establish or amend the Optional Pay Adjustment policies under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 6.16.2 as follows: (Appearance by representatives of the agencies.) THE REQUESTS WERE GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

a) Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners - to establish an Optional Pay policy by granting either a base pay or lump sum adjustment under the following conditions, effective March 2, 2005:

• To recruit employees into difficult-to-fill positions,

• To retain employees deemed essential to the department,

• To adjust pay differentials between comparable employees,

• To compensate for the performance of additional duties. Payments above 5% and payments for Administrators will be forwarded to the Commission for approval.

b) Department of Veterans Affairs - to amend its Optional Pay policy, effective March 1, 2005.

c) Port of New Orleans - to amend its Optional Pay policy, effective March 7, 2005.

d) Housing Authority of Delcambre - to establish an Optional Pay policy as follows, effective February 23, 2005:

• To recruit employees into difficult-to-fill positions,

• To retain employees deemed essential to the department,

• To adjust differentials between comparable employees,

• To compensate for the performance of additional duties. Payments above 5% and payments for Administrators will be forwarded to the Commission for approval.

31) Consideration of the following requests for authority to establish or amend the Crisis Leave Pool policies under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 11.34 as follows: (Appearance by representatives of the agencies.) THE REQUESTS WERE GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

a) Louisiana School for the Deaf – to revise its Crisis Leave Pool Policy, effective March 2, 2005.

b) Department of Social Services, Office of Management and Finance - to revise its Crisis Leave Pool Policy, effective April 6, 2005.

32) Report on Evaluation Reports Issued (Appearance by Daphne Yaun of the Department of Civil Service.) THE REPORTS WERE PRESENTED TO THE COMMISSION BY DAPHNE YAUN.

Human Resources Evaluation Reports:
Louisiana Technical College – District 1
Louisiana Technical College, District 3
Northeast Louisiana War Veterans’ Home
Division of Probation and Parole

33) Consideration of Requests for Special Entrance Rates. THE COMMISSION GRANTED THE REQUESTS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEPARTMENT.

34) Consideration of Requests for Special Pay Rates. THE COMMISSION GRANTED THE REQUESTS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEPARTMENT.

35) Consideration of the Minutes of the Commission Meeting held January 4 and 5, 2005. THE MINUTES WERE APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION AS WRITTEN.

36) 10:30 a.m. Commission Work Session.

1) General Business No. 24 - Request of the Department of Civil Service under the provisions of Rule 6.16.1 of the Civil Service Rules to amend its Rewards and Recognition Policy as follows, effective April 6, 2005: (Appearance by representative of the Department of Civil Service.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

The policy has been amended to increase the worth of Service awards to reflect the increasing price of these types of awards, to allow for certificates or other non-monetary awards up to $20 for Appreciation awards, to change the due date of nominations, and to include the Civil Service Administrative Officer and the Compensation Manager on the Awards Panel.

2) Consideration of the proposed contract between Louisiana State University at Alexandria and ABL Management, Inc. to manage and operate LSUA’s food service including catering. (Appearance by a Representative of the Louisiana State University at Alexandria.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

3) Request of the Department of Corrections for authority under Rule 6.16(c) for individual pay adjustments for the following employees, effective January 17, 2005. (Appearance by a Representative of the Department of Corrections.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION.

4) Request of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for authority under the provisions of Civil Service Rule 4.1(d)2 to establish three positions to provide for the administration and management of the newly acquired White Lake property. (Appearance by a Representative of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.) THE REQUEST WAS GRANTED BY THE COMMISSION UNTIL A POSITION IS VACATED.

5) General Business No. 34 – Consideration of Requests for Special Pay Rates. THE COMMISSION GRANTED E. A. CONWAY MEDICAL CENTER PREMIUM PAY IN THE AMOUNT OF $1.50 AN HOUR FOR ALL HOURS WORKED BY PHARMACY TECHNICIANS.