§18B-9A-1. Legislative intent and purpose.

(a) The intent of the Legislature in enacting this article is to establish the classification and compensation system for certain employees of higher education organizations and apply recognized best human resources practices in order to use available resources in the most effective and efficient manner for the benefit of the citizens of West Virginia.

(b) In furtherance of the principles described in subsection (a) of this section, the chief purposes of the classified classification and compensation system are to accomplish the following objectives:

(1) Develop and implement a classification and compensation system that is fair, transparent, understandable, simple to administer, self-regulating and adaptable to meet future goals and priorities;

(2) Compensate employees within an organization fairly in relation to one another;

(3) Compensate employees across organizations who are performing similar work at similar wage rates;

(4) Compensate employees at levels that are competitive with appropriate external markets and are fiscally responsible; and

(5) Improve the process for evaluating jobs, including, but not limited to, mandating training and development in best human resources practices and directing that key terms, job titles and evaluation forms are consistent across organizations.

(c) It is further the intent of the Legislature to ensure that regular compensation analyses are performed to determine how organization compensation for all classes of employees compares to compensation in relevant external markets.