Brief Description: Revising authority of public hospital districts to pay recruitment expenses and employee training and education expenses.

Sponsors: Representatives Alexander, Cody, Skinner, Schual-Berke, Pflug, Morrell, Moeller, Darneille, Clibborn, Campbell and Bailey.

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

• Travel and living expenses that public hospital districts may reimburse candidates for certain public hospital district positions are extended to accompanying family members.

• Public hospital district contracts may include payment of health care training or education, including debt obligations, for employees or medical staff members in exchange for their services.

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 12 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Morrell, Vice Chair; Pflug, Ranking Minority Member; Bailey, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Benson, Campbell, Clibborn, Darneille, Edwards, Moeller and Schual-Berke.

Public hospital districts are types of municipal corporations that are authorized to operate hospitals and other health care facilities and provide other hospital and health care services within a specified community. In addition to operating hospitals, these services may include nursing homes, extended care, long-term care, outpatient and rehabilitation facilities, and ambulance services.

As government entities, the authority of public hospital districts is specifically stated in statute. Under current law, public hospital districts may survey existing hospitals and health care facilities, manage property, lease facilities and equipment, borrow money, issue and sell bonds, and raise revenue through levies. Public hospital districts may also reimburse candidates for medical, superintendent, managerial, and technical positions for their travel and living expenses associated with attending an interview when an interview is deemed necessary or desirable to achieve adequate staffing. They may also enter contracts, and employ staff including superintendents, attorneys, and other assistants and employees.

The authority of public hospital districts to pay for the travel and living expenses of candidates for medical, superintendent, and other managerial and technical positions is expanded to add other health care practitioners as another type of candidate and to include the expenses of family members accompanying the candidate.

The authority of public hospital districts to enter contracts is modified to specifically allow contracts with current or prospective employees or medical staff members to provide payment or reimbursement for health care training or education expenses, including debt obligations, in exchange for their services.

In addition to physicians, health care practitioners may be reimbursed for travel and living expenses, as well as their accompanying family members.

Public hospital districts may reimburse employees or prospective employees for prior debt obligations relating to their health care training or education.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: This bill clarifies that these recruitment practices are within the scope of public hospital districts’ authority. This bill promotes flexible recruitment and retention policies for public hospital districts.

Testified: (In support) Lisa Thatcher, Association of Public Hospital Districts; and Madeleine Thompson, Workforce Training & Education Coordinating Board.