SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6355

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Government Operations & Elections, February 3, 2004

Title: An act relating to city and county disability boards.

Brief Description: Establishing the composition and jurisdiction of city and county disability boards.

Sponsors: Senators Winsley, Fraser, Carlson and McAuliffe.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 2/3/04 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Roach, Chair; Stevens, Vice Chair; Berkey, Fairley, Horn and McCaslin.

Staff: Diane Smith (786-7410)

Background: Disability boards are found in counties and cities with populations over 20,000 having full-time, commissioned law enforcement officers, or civil service deputy sheriffs. Disability boards act upon all claims for disability arising under the law enforcement officers' and fire fighters' retirement system.

County and city disability boards each have five members. The legislative authorities participate with two of their membership serving. One member each is elected by the law enforcement officers and fire fighters. The fifth member is appointed by the other four members.

Those firefighters and law enforcement officers eligible to serve on a county disability board may be either active or retired from the county and elected by the active or retired firefighters in the

county.

Only those active or retired fire fighters and law enforcement officers who are subject to a board's jurisdiction have the right to elect that board's members.

Summary of Bill: The qualifications of the active or retired fire fighters and active or retired law enforcement officers who are eligible to serve on the county disability board and who are eligible to vote for those board members are clarified. These persons must be active or retired from a legislative authority within the county subject to the jurisdiction of that same county's disability board.

Also clarified is the exception for fire fighters and law enforcement officers who are active or retired employees of a city within the county. These persons are not eligible for election to serve on the county disability board if the city that employs, or from which they retired, has its own disability board.

If there are no fire fighters under the board's jurisdiction who are eligible to vote, a second eligible employee representative must be elected by the law enforcement officers eligible to vote and vice versa.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For: Island County does not have any active or retired firefighters so the bill allows the board to proceed with the second employee member elected from and by the law enforcement officers.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: Dick Warbrouch, Retired Firefighters of WA (pro).