April 18, 2024 | Written by Mike Wickline

The Arkansas Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee on Thursday signed off on Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request to grant 2% merit pay raises to the secretaries of the state departments of commerce, education, human services, military and veteran affairs and the Governor’s Mansion administrator and exceed their maximum-authorized salaries.

Without any debate, the committee voted to follow its personnel subcommittee’s recommendation Wednesday to approve the Republican governor’s request.

The budget committee’s action means the annual salary for state Education Secretary Jacob Oliva will increase from $250,000 to $255,000, and means the salaries of state Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald and state Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam to increase from $225,000 to $229,500, according to the state Office of Personnel Management.

The committee’s action also means the annual salary for Military Department Secretary Jon Stubbs will increase from $205,420 to $209,528, for Veterans Affairs Secretary Kendall Penn from $201,290 to $205,316, and for Governor’s Mansion Administrator Mary Ashleigh Harper from $125,985 to $128,504.

The governor has awarded 2% merit pay raises to all 15 Cabinet secretaries and the Governor’s Mansion administrator, and these agencies have the funds to cover the raises, Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Barnhill told state lawmakers Wednesday. The cost of the merit pay raises is $59,000, said Tony Robinson, personnel review administrator for the Bureau of Legislative Research.

Evaluations have been completed for all 15 Cabinet secretaries and the Governor’s Mansion administrator, and a decision to provide merit raises to them has been made, Barnhill said in a letter dated Wednesday to the personnel subcommittee co-chairs Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, and Rep. Jim Wooten, R-Beebe.

“The incumbents in these positions have not received a raise since their appointment by the Governor and will not receive merit raises in July of 2024,” she wrote in her letter.

The 2% merit pay raises will increase the annual salaries of state Health Secretary Renee Mallory from $191,809 to $195,645, state Public Safety Secretary Mike Hagar from $185,000 to $188,700, state Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson from $180,000 to $183,600, state Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis from $175,000 to $178,500, and state Labor and Licensing Secretary Daryl Bassett from $171,127 to $174,550, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

The 2% merit raises also will increase the annual salaries of state Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward, state Corrections Secretary Lindsay Wallace, state Energy and Environment Secretary Shane Khoury, state Transformation and Shared Services Secretary Leslie Fisken and state Department of Inspector General Secretary Allison Bragg from $167,096 to $170,438, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

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