9 lawyers split $100,000 in raises for Oklahoma House employees

Four of the five largest raises and six of the top eight went to staff attorneys, most of whom were relatively low-level -— and low-paid — members of the legal staff.

In all, nine attorneys split $100,000 in raises.

Altogether, 52 of the 117 House employees received raises, ranging from $500.20 to $15,500.

Two people received the top raise. Erin Kennedy and Angela Michael, both classified staff attorney II, went from annual salaries of $46,500 to $62,000.

Kennedy's and Michael's raises were also the largest percentage increases.

The figures provided Tuesday by Speaker T.W. Shannon's office show all of those receiving raises still make less than their Senate counterparts and less than the "market midpoint."

Asked why the House employs so many lawyers and why they received such hefty increases, Shannon spokesman Joe Griffin said the House has been losing staff attorneys to other areas of state government.

Griffin said the legal staff is called on to draft more than 2,000 bills each legislative session, plus amendments and other revisions. Staff attorneys also provide legal counsel to House committees.

"It takes an average two years to get an attorney trained to handle the work performed here at the Capitol," Griffin said. "After a study this past year, we found that one of our highest attrition rates was amongst our attorneys. They were leaving for other agencies because the difference in pay was literally in the tens of thousands."

The House has for the past several years refused to consider general pay increases for other state employees. Many state agencies, including Corrections and Public Safety, have complained about not being able to hire or retain qualified people because of state pay scales.

Gov. Mary Fallin, meanwhile, has quashed pay increases for even self-funded state agencies such as the Grand River Dam Authority because of a proposed overhaul of the state's compensation and merit protection system.

Shannon, speaking in Tulsa on Tuesday, touched broadly on the subject, saying: "I believe state employees should be paid according to what their work is. What we've got to get away from, that's most important, is across-the-board raises."

Asked if the House raises were distributed according to market forces or job performance, Griffin said both were factors.

"The pay raises we gave served two purposes," Griffin said. "First, we wanted to get us closer to where other agencies ... are in wages. Second, we wanted to use this as an opportunity to create and test a merit-based pay system that other agencies may follow."

Randy Krehbiel 918-581-8365

randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com

House staff raises

Top 10 in dollars