Subd. 1. Statewide leadership.

1. (a) The commissioner is the chief personnel and labor relations manager of the civil service in the executive branch.

   Whenever any power or responsibility is given to the commissioner by any provision of this chapter, unless otherwise expressly provided, the power or authority applies to all employees of agencies in the executive branch and to employees in classified positions in the office of the legislative auditor, the Minnesota state retirement system, the public employees retirement association, and the teacher's retirement association. Unless otherwise provided by law, the power or authority does not apply to unclassified employees in the legislative and judicial branches.

2. (b) The commissioner shall operate an information system from which personnel data, as defined in section 13.43, concerning employees and applicants for positions in the classified service can be retrieved.

   The commissioner has access to all public and private personnel data kept by appointing authorities that will aid in the discharge of the commissioner's duties.

3. (c) The commissioner may consider and investigate any matters concerned with the administration of provisions of this chapter, and may order any remedial actions consistent with law. The commissioner, at the request of an agency, shall provide assistance in employee misconduct investigations. The commissioner shall have the right to assess from the requesting agency, any costs incurred while assisting the agency in the employee misconduct investigation. Money received by the commissioner under this paragraph is appropriated to the commissioner for purposes of this paragraph.
4. (d) The commissioner has sole authority to settle state employee workers' compensation claims.
5. (e) The commissioner may assess or establish and collect premiums from all state entities to cover the costs of programs under sections 15.46 and 176.603.

Subd. 1a. Mission; efficiency.

It is part of the department's mission that within the department's resources the commissioner shall endeavor to:

1. (1) prevent the waste or unnecessary spending of public money;
2. (2) use innovative fiscal and human resource practices to manage the state's resources and operate the department as efficiently as possible;
3. (3) coordinate the department's activities wherever appropriate with the activities of other governmental agencies;
4. (4) use technology where appropriate to increase agency productivity, improve customer service, increase public access to information about government, and increase public participation in the business of government;
5. (5) utilize constructive and cooperative labor-management practices to the extent otherwise required by chapters 43A and 179A;
6. (6) include specific objectives in the performance report required under section 15.91 to increase the efficiency of agency operations, when appropriate; and
7. (7) recommend to the legislature, in the performance report of the department required under section 15.91, appropriate changes in law necessary to carry out the mission of the department.

Subd. 2. Executive direction.

The commissioner shall direct all departmental services, appoint employees and may enter into contracts to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

Subd. 3. Rules.

The commissioner shall adopt rules under the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the provisions of this chapter that directly affect the rights of or processes available to the general public. The rules have the force and effect of law and may include but are not limited to:

1. (1) the processes for determining the extent of competition for filling vacancies, for recruiting applicants, for conducting competitive open examinations, for ranking candidates and maintaining competitive open eligible lists, and for certification and appointment of eligibles from competitive open eligible lists;
2. (2) the process for effecting noncompetitive and qualifying appointments;
3. (3) the process for temporary designation of positions in the unclassified service and for effecting appointments to the unclassified service;
4. (4) a statewide affirmative action program to include requirements for agency affirmative action plans, statewide policies and procedures, reporting requirements, accountability and responsibility of employees in the executive branch, and overall objectives of the program;
5. (5) conditions under which moving and other expenses may be authorized and paid prior to appointment to persons who have accepted state employment;
6. (6) procedures for administration of the code of ethics for employees of the executive branch;
7. (7) examination procedures for candidates with disabilities as described in section 43A.15, subdivision 14; and
8. (8) procedures or policies that affect the operation of or participation in the public employees insurance program.

Subd. 4. Administrative procedures.

The commissioner shall develop administrative procedures, which are not subject to the rulemaking provisions of the administrative procedure act, to effect provisions of chapter 43A which do not directly affect the rights of or processes available to the general public. The commissioner may also adopt administrative procedures, not subject to the administrative procedure act, which concern topics affecting the general public if those procedures concern only the internal management of the department or other agencies and if those elements of the topics which affect the general public are the subject of department rules.

1. (a) Maintenance and administration of a plan of classification for all positions in the classified service and for comparisons of unclassified positions with positions in the classified service;
2. (b) Procedures for administration of collective bargaining agreements and plans established pursuant to section 43A.18 concerning total compensation and the terms and conditions of employment for employees;
3. (c) Procedures for effecting all personnel actions internal to the state service such as conduct of competitive promotional examinations, ranking and certification of employees for promotion, noncompetitive and qualifying appointments of employees and leaves of absence; and
4. (d) Maintenance and administration of employee performance appraisal, training and other programs.

Administrative procedures shall be reproduced and made available for comment to agencies, employees, and appropriate exclusive representatives certified pursuant to sections 179A.01 to 179A.25, for at least 15 days prior to implementation and shall include but are not limited to:

Subd. 5. Precedence of collective bargaining provisions.

A provision of an agreement entered into by the commissioner pursuant to section 179A.22, subdivision 4, shall supersede the provisions of any rule or administrative procedure or portion thereof which is inconsistent with the agreement unless the provision is found to violate existing law.

Subd. 6. Payment for grievance settlements.

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the commissioner may authorize an appointing authority to pay an employee for hours not worked, pursuant to the resolution of a grievance through a formal grievance procedure established by a collective bargaining agreement or one of the plans established pursuant to section 43A.18.

Subd. 7. Reporting.

The commissioner shall issue a written report by February 1 and August 1 of each year to the chair of the legislative coordinating commission. The report must list the number of appointments made under each of the categories in section 43A.15, the number made to the classified service other than under section 43A.15, and the number made under section 43A.08, subdivision 2a, during the six-month periods ending June 30 and December 31, respectively.

Subd. 8. Donation of time.

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the commissioner shall authorize the appointing authority to permit the donation of up to three hours of accumulated vacation time in each year by each employee who is a member of law enforcement unit number 1 to their union representative for the purpose of carrying out the duties of office.

Subd. 9. Experimental or research projects.

The commissioner of employee relations may conduct experimental or research projects designed to improve recruitment, selection, referral, or appointment processes for the filling of state classified positions.

The commissioner shall meet and confer with the affected exclusive bargaining representative of state employees concerning the design and implementation of experimental and research projects under this subdivision.

Any provision in sections 43A.09 to 43A.15, associated personnel rules adopted under subdivision 3, or administrative procedures established under subdivision 4, is waived for the purposes of these projects. The number of appointments under this subdivision may not exceed five percent of the total number of appointments in the preceding fiscal year.

The commissioner shall report by September 1 to the joint subcommittee on employee relations the results of the experimental research projects conducted in the preceding fiscal year.

Subd. 10. Equitable compensation compliance.

The commissioner may adopt rules under the administrative procedure act to assure compliance with sections 471.991 to 471.999.

Subd. 11. Training for agency rulemaking staff.

The commissioner, in cooperation with the office of administrative hearings, the attorney general, the revisor of statutes, and experienced agency rulemaking staff, shall provide training to agency staff involved in rulemaking, including information about the availability of mediators through the office of administrative hearings.

The commissioner may charge agency staff a registration fee for attending this training. The fee must be set at a level that permits the commissioner to recover the costs, excluding costs of staff time for staff positions funded through general fund appropriations, of providing this training.

The office of administrative hearings, the attorney general, agencies involved in providing this training, and the revisor of statutes shall not assess the commissioner for the cost of staff time to conduct the training provided under this subdivision.