HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 6429

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      State Government

Title:  An act relating to state employees' suggestion awards and incentive pay.

Brief Description:  Changing statutes that effect the productivity board.

Sponsors:  Senators Patterson and Horn; by request of Secretary of State.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

State Government:  2/25/00 [DP].

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Increases the Productivity Board's membership from eight to 10.

CEliminates the limit of consecutive terms for certain board members.

CProvides an alternative name for the board.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 8 members:  Representatives McMorris, Republican Co-Chair; Romero, Democratic Co-Chair; Campbell, Republican Vice Chair; Miloscia, Democratic Vice Chair; Dunshee; Haigh; Lambert and D. Schmidt.

Staff:  Andrea Leder, policy intern (786-7093); Jim Morishima (786-7191).

Background:

The Productivity Board administers the statewide employee suggestion program and adopts rules allowing for agency-unique suggestion programs.  Rules governing the statewide program provide for a payment award schedule that establishes the criteria for determining the amounts of any financial or other awards.

Members of the board include the Secretary of State, directors of the Department of Personnel, Office of Financial Management, and Department of General Administration, one appointed person to represent agencies and their employees, and three individuals experienced in administering incentive programs.  These three individuals are appointed, one each, by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House of Representatives.  The Governor's appointee must be a representative of an employee organization certified as an exclusive representative of at least one bargaining unit of classified employees.  No one organization may be represented for two consecutive terms.

During the 1999 session, laws pertaining to the Productivity Board were rewritten.  One of the changes decreased the number of board members by two.  The two positions eliminated were the personnel director of the Higher Education Personnel Board and the Governor appointee representing institutions of higher education and their employees.

Summary of Bill:

Two members are added to the board, increasing its membership from eight to 10.  One new member must represent institutions of higher education and their employees.  The other new member increases the number of individuals representing state agency employees from one to two.  Both positions are appointed by the Governor.

The requirement regarding the number of terms one organization may be represented on the board is eliminated.

The board may either be referred to as the Productivity Board or as the Employee Involvement and Recognition Board.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Senate Bill 6429 is identical to House Bill 2558 which passed out of the State Government Committee.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Michelle Wilson, Office of Secretary of State, Productivity Board.