PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Senator Kate Bolz, (402) 802-8312, kbolz@leg.ne.gov

New Bill Works to Solve Corrections Staffing Crisis by Providing Wages Based on Skill and Experience

February 14, 2019 (Lincoln, NE) —  Today, Senator Kate Bolz introduced legislation to improve retention for frontline employees at the Nebraska Department of Corrections. The bill, LB109, will be heard today in the Government Committee and creates new pay structures that rewards experience and skills gained while working for the Department.

Currently, employees are not guaranteed wages that reflect experience on the job.

“It’s clear that to solve our prison staffing crisis and cut long-term training costs to the state, we must do more to keep the employees we’ve already invested in” said Senator Kate Bolz.

LB109 requires that beginning in 2021/2022 must create three tiers of experience with increasing pay structures for corrections corporals, sergeants and unit caseworkers, respectively.

The Department of Corrections has suffered from staffing vacancies and high turnover for much of the decade. A 2016 workplace culture study commissioned by the Department showed experience was of high value to operations.  The same report mentioned the necessity of employee retention in maintaining secure facilities, “Keeping quality, trained staff is important for maintaining safe and secure prisons in Nebraska. Not only are staff responsible for keeping offenders and the public safe, they play a vital role in the rehabilitative process for offenders, assisting with their successful reentry into our communities upon release.”

“By introducing new staffing wage tiers, we can recognize the most experienced and highly trained Department of Corrections employees and incentivize them to stay with the Department throughout their careers,” said Senator Bolz.

Senator Kate Bolz of Lincoln represents District #29 in the Nebraska Legislature

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We are pleased to be back at work in the 2019 Legislative Session!  We continue to work hard to represent your interests in the Nebraska Unicameral. It will be an exciting year continuing to work to balance the budget while protecting priorities like education and health care, and discussing important legislation related to reform of the Department of Correctional Services, tax relief, and more.

We want to share information with you about this legislative session. Please keep in touch with us!

How to Reach District #29

Please feel free to contact us in the following ways:

Address:
Senator Kate Bolz
Nebraska State Capitol, 1455 K St.
Room 1015
PO Box 94604
Lincoln, NE 68509

Phone Number:
Office: (402) 471-2734
Kate’s Cell: (402) 802-8312
Email: kbolz@leg.ne.gov

Senator Bolz’s Agenda
This year, we will focus on a number of priorities for District #29.  They include:

• LB 174: Increasing funding for the Office of Violence Prevention’s community violence prevention grants to keep our community safer.
• LB 420: Focusing property tax relief on those who need it most by providing a circuit breaker when home values outpace a home owner’s income.
• LB 109: Creating a system for fair pay and recognition of experience in our wage structure for Department of Correctional Services staff members and encourage employee retention.
• LB 180, LB 527, and LB 563: Higher education and workforce development policy to promote higher-skilled workers in Nebraska, helping employees and employers alike.

How to Follow Legislation

• Bill Tracker: The Bill Tracker provides a way to track legislative activity in an organized way. Nebraskans can receive email updates for up to 15 bills simultaneously, allowing you to track legislation as it receives a hearing date, committee vote, or moves forward on the floor.
• Unicameral Update: The Unicameral Update is the Legislature’s daily news source, produced by the Clerk of the Legislature’s Unicameral Information Office. The Unicameral Update publishes articles on legislative activity, floor action, and committee hearings.