Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee
HB 2125
Brief Description: Concerning the eligibility of state-mandated benefits for contingent faculty at community and technical colleges.
Sponsors: Representatives Ortiz-Self, Simmons, Reed, Jacobsen, Fosse, Nance, Reeves and Pollet.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Adds part-time noninstructional workload to the calculation for determining eligibility for state-mandated benefits for part-time faculty at community and technical colleges.
Hearing Date: 1/16/24
Staff: Elizabeth Allison (786-7129).
Background:

The state mandates certain benefits that employers must provide employees.  These include insurance, retirement benefits, and sick leave.  Part-time faculty at community and technical colleges can qualify for state-mandated benefits based on criteria established for each program.  

Each community and technical college must report the names of eligible part-time academic employees who qualify for benefits to the appropriate agencies for purposes of determining eligibility.  Qualification for part-time employees is assessed for each employee and reported to the other state agencies that administer the benefits, such as the Department of Retirement Systems for pension benefits or the Washington State Health Care Authority (Authority) for health benefits. 

 

A full-time academic workload is the number of in-class teaching hours required to fulfill an employment obligation.  The part-time academic workload is any percentage of full-time academic workload for which the part-time academic employee is not paid on the full-time academic salary schedule.

 

An academic employee is any teacher, counselor, librarian, or department head employed by a college district whether full-time or part-time.  This does not include the Chief Administrative Officer of each college district or any administrator in a college district.

 

The Public Employees' Benefits Board is required to design benefits and determine the terms and conditions of employee and retired or disabled school employee participation and coverage.  The Authority determines eligibility and is responsible for processing complaints and appeals about coverage. 

 

Faculty may establish or maintain eligibility for benefits by working for more than one institution. 
Summary of Bill:

Qualification for benefits for part-time faculty is expanded to include part-time noninstructional workload performed by the part-time academic employee in addition to part-time academic workload. 

 

Part-time noninstructional workload means the number of paid hours a part-time academic employee performs for the institution that is not considered in-class teaching hours or hours served in support of assigned in-class teaching hours, calculated as a percentage of a 40-hour workweek.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 11, 2024.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.