Any administrative assistant or administrative professional or any employee performing closely related administrative support duties of the state who successfully passes the certified administrative professional examination sponsored by the International Association of Administrative Professionals shall be granted an automatic two-step salary advancement under the state’s basic compensation plan. Any automatic pay increase pursuant to this section shall take effect with the next pay period beginning after the department receives documentation of the certification. The automatic pay increase provided for in this section shall not affect any employee’s eligibility for any regular merit increase. If necessary, one (1) or two (2) steps shall be added to the compensation plan to provide for the automatic increase provided for by this section.