Brief Description: Regarding community and technical college part-time academic employee health benefits.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Kenney, Cox, Conway, Hasegawa, Roberts, Appleton, Upthegrove, Morrell, Linville, Hunt, Dickerson and Ormsby).

House Committee on Higher Education & Workforce Education
House Committee on Appropriations
Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development
Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background:

Part-time academic employees at community and technical colleges who work half-time or more are eligible for health benefits beginning the second consecutive quarter they are employed half-time or more. They are also eligible for health benefits over the summer quarter even if they work less than half-time, as long as they have worked half-time or more in three of the four quarters preceding the summer quarter.

However, if an employee works less than half-time for one quarter, that employee loses benefit coverage for that quarter as well as for the following summer quarter.

Summary:

Part-time academic employees at community and technical colleges who have established eligibility for health care benefits are eligible for continuation of their health care benefits over the summer if they have worked an average of half-time or more in each of the preceding two academic years through employment at one or more community or technical college districts.

Uninterrupted health care benefits for a part-time academic employee at a community or technical college are maintained as long as the employee continues to work at least three of the four quarters of the academic year with an average academic workload of half-time or more. Continuous health care benefit coverage ceases at the end of the academic year if the employee has not maintained at least a half-time average academic workload over three of the four quarters of the academic year.

Employers must notify part-time academic employees of their potential right to benefits, and the employees must notify their employers of their potential eligibility. The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges must report to the Legislature by November 15, 2009, on the feasibility of eliminating the employee reporting requirement.

Votes on Final Passage:

House   98   0
Senate   46   0

Effective: June 7, 2006