A bill that modernizes the state employee human resources system passed unanimously in the House. House Bill 1146, or the Civil Service and Human Capital Modernization Act, is authored by Rep. Mike Osburn, R-Edmond.

Osburn said the bill updates human resources processes for about 36,000 state employees. It creates better flexibility for state agencies in hiring, advancing, promoting, rewarding and paying their employees.

This saves Oklahoma taxpayers by cutting red tape and creating a much more efficient system, he said.

The measure places all employees into a newly modernized civil service system under the Human Capital Management Division of the Office of Enterprise Services (OMES). Political appointees and employees of the House, Senate, governor’s office, lieutenant governor’s office and judiciary would not be under the system. Agency directors also would be able to make 5% of their employees, typically upper management, exempt.