(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and subject to the availability of money appropriated for that purpose, the department may pay its employees classified as Trooper Trainee, Probationary Trooper, and Trooper I at rates that exceed the maximum rates designated in Salary Schedule C of the position classification schedule prescribed by the General Appropriations Act for the state fiscal biennium ending August 31, 2013, for that position by up to 10 percent.