The Oregon state employee., March 01, 1947, Page 20, Image 20

18
Proposed Amendments Threaten
Civil Service Benefits
It is of interest to all who are con­
cerned with making the Civil j Service
Act of real, benefit to the State to ob­
serve some of the legislation proposed
before the last legislative assembly and
its potential effect on the merit system
of personnel administration which the
1945 Legislature passed and which the
1947 Legislature preserved in the inter­
ests of good government.
An illustration of such proposed leg­
islation are Robert S. Farrell’s recom­
mended amendments to Senate Bill 266.
The original bill was intended to broad­
en, the unclassified positidns with ref­
erences only to the State Police. The
proposed amendments read as follows:
A mend S ection 11, C hapter 400
3. No such classification plan may
be adoptd by the commission affecting
positions in the offices of the secretary
of state, state treasurer j attorney gen­
eral, , or department of labor except by
arid with the consent, and approval of
said elective officer listed above, and
no such classification plan shall be
adopted by the commisison affecting
positions in state institutions or in the
office of the board of eontrol or state
land board except by and with the con­
sent and approval of said board of con­
trol and state land board.
A kîend S ection , 12, C hapter 400 ,
2. No such compensation plan may
be adopted by the commission affecting
positions in the offices of the secretary
of. state, state treasurer, attorney gen­
eral, or department of labor except by
and wf th the consent and approval of
said elective officer listed above, and
no such compensation plan shall', be
adopted by the commission, affecting
positions in state,-institutions or in 'th e '
office of the board of control or state?
land board except by and with the
consent and approval of said board of
control and state land board.
Commenting on this matter, the
Oregon Statesman^ a paper which has
constantly maintained a position of in­
terest in good government commented
editorially on Friday, March 7,. 1947 as
follows:
"Secretary ,of State Farrell has sub­
mitted amendments to SB 266 now in
the hands of a house committee which
should be carefully considered because
they appear to constrict seriously the
operation'of the state civil service act.
They would require that any; plans for
classification or compensation of em­
ployees in the offices of secretary of
state, state treasurer, attorney generei
or labor department, must first be ap­
proved by the;elected head of thè de­
partment, and for employees in institu­
tions and offices under the state board
of control - or state land board by the
governing board.
The argument for the amendments
is that the elected officials are respon­
sible to the people and so should hive
the final say, oh classification and com-
pensation of their employees. The ef­
fect would be, however, that lack of
uniformity 'which p r e v i o u s l y had
plagued the State government would be
revived and coritinued. Naturally an
executive would like to have full and
complete authority in the hiring and
firing of employees. That is true for
appointed as well- ,as elected officials.
And probably he thinks he could do a
better job if he had that authority. But
the state, having long consideration has
gone in for ciyil service. Arid if wè
are to have civil service it should be
general for the administrative depart­
ments with the minimum of exemp­
tions,/ ,
It is true that the civil service com­
mission ,is appointed' by the governor
(bpt both the traditions of civil service
.and the standards of the act would
prevent, a, governor from using it to,
hamstring Of fices, of other elected of-