Former lawmaker would get raise through late addition in policy bill

The effort popped up again Thursday morning as part of Senate Bill 231, a 38-page bill released on what's likely to be the final day of the legislative session.

Burr started this job last year at $62,000 a year, the salary designated by the state's human resources office . Lawmakers want to make the position exempt from human resources salary scales and allow the appointed council to set the director's salary as they see fit.

Burr said in 2018 that Cooper's human resources office reclassified the job after he put in for it, lowering the salary. A spokeswoman for the Office of State Human Resources said at the time that the position was reviewed as part of a transition to the state's new classification and compensation system.

The higher salary initially contemplated was more in line with agency directors who oversee hundreds of employees, the spokeswoman said. At that time, the executive director's job was the Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council's only full-time position.

The council was created in 2015, and its goal is to boost young people's interest in hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities. It's largely funded by voluntary $2 contributions people make when they buy hunting and fishing licenses.

The legislature created the executive director's position at the council in 2017. Burr, a Stanly County Republican, left the legislature after losing a 2018 primary race.

Council members are appointed by the governor, legislative leadership, the state agriculture commissioner and the chair of the state Wildlife Resources Commission.

Senate Bill 231 includes a number of policy changes lawmakers wrote into last year's budget bill that never became law because of the budget veto. House Democrats said they could generally support the policies, except for the language tinkering with Burr's salary, and several of them voted against the bill in committee Thursday morning.