HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS

                 HB  1529

Title:  An act relating to school district employees' personal holidays.

Brief Description:  Clarifying school district employees' personal holidays.

Sponsors:  Representatives Talcott, Quall and Bush.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Meeting Date:  February 15, 1999.

Bill Analysis Prepared by:  Susan Morrissey (786-7111).

Background:  A state law describes the state=s legal holidays.  The law includes a provision for one paid personal holiday for employees of the state and its political subdivisions .  School district employees and nonclassified employees of state colleges and universities are specifically excluded from the entitlement to a paid personal holiday.  However, school district employees may obtain personal holidays through collective bargaining.

By law, state employees may share accumulated leave under certain conditions.  The definition of state employees include employees of  school districts and educational service districts.  The law permits these employees to share annual leave, sick leave, and personal holidays with other employees who meet certain conditions.  The conditions require the receiving employees to have exhausted their own accumulated leave days.  The receiving employees must be either suffering from or taking care of a household member who is suffering from an extraordinary illness, injury, impairment or mental or physical condition. The provision allowing employees to share personal holidays was adopted by the Legislature in 1996.

School districts may establish and administer leave sharing programs for school employees.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction is responsible for the adoption of standards for this authority.  The standards are intended to ensure that school district policies are consistent with state leave sharing laws and that the policies do not significantly increase the cost of providing leave for school employees.  The Superintendent has adopted rules that describe the conditions under which annual and sick leave may be shared.  The rules, which have not been updated since 1995, do not include a provision for sharing personal holidays.

Summary of Bill:  The law that excludes school district employees from an entitlement to a paid personal holiday is clarified.  The law does not prevent school district employees from receiving personal holidays through collective bargaining or through sharing those personal holidays under the state=s leave sharing laws.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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