State agencies push for better worker pay as critical staffing crunch hits Texas government

State agency leaders are asking lawmakers for at least $500 million to bump pay for their employees — either in across-the-board, inflation-based increases or targeted raises to even out pay disparities among employees and keep them from leaving. (Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune)

The stories from the great state workforce crunch have been pouring in for months.

The single parent who qualifies for the same state welfare benefits she’s hired to administer. Texas juvenile officers who can find safer jobs at the local Buc-ee’s for better pay. The state agency managers who can easily double their salaries in the private sector.