AUGUSTA — A bill before the Legislature would let state agency heads decide how many employees they want, how much to pay them and what kind of work the employees would do.

Rep. Tarren Bragdon, R-Bangor, says his bill would give state administrators the same flexibility to hire workers and shift their duties that private-sector managers have.

But former state Sen. Beverly Miner Hatheway, spokeswoman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Council 93, said taking staffing decisions out of lawmakers’ hands would weaken their grip on policy and cause uncertainty among state workers.

“It would be extremely disruptive to the work force if they are always looking over their shoulder to make sure their job is not going to be eliminated that day, next week or next year,” she said at a hearing Wednesday before the Appropriations Committee.

Under current law, the Legislature sets the number of employees at each agency and the employees’ job duties. Bragdon’s bill would restrict the Legislature to setting the amount of money each agency gets for wages and salaries by 2002. Departments would set the number of jobs themselves, along with salary amounts and job duties.

Rep. Paul Tessier, Fairfield Democrat and a committee member, said the bill could lead to “headlong struggles” with employee unions.