H-1800.1

HOUSE BILL 2096

ByRepresentatives Bergquist, Stonier, Sullivan, and Lovick

AN ACT Relating to educational service district health benefits; amending RCW 41.05.011 and 41.05.050; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 41.05.011 and 2018 c 260 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Authority" means the Washington state health care authority.

(2) "Board" means the public employees' benefits board established under RCW 41.05.055 and the school employees' benefits board established under RCW 41.05.740.

(3) "Dependent care assistance program" means a benefit plan whereby employees and school employees may pay for certain employment related dependent care with pretax dollars as provided in the salary reduction plan under this chapter pursuant to 26 U.S.C. Sec. 129 or other sections of the internal revenue code.

(4) "Director" means the director of the authority.

(5) "Emergency service personnel killed in the line of duty" means law enforcement officers and firefighters as defined in RCW 41.26.030, members of the Washington state patrol retirement fund as defined in RCW 43.43.120, and reserve officers and firefighters as defined in RCW 41.24.010 who die as a result of injuries sustained in the course of employment as determined consistent with Title 51 RCW by the department of labor and industries.

(6)(a) "Employee" for the public employees' benefits board program includes all employees of the state, whether or not covered by civil service; elected and appointed officials of the executive branch of government, including full-time members of boards, commissions, or committees; justices of the supreme court and judges of the court of appeals and the superior courts; and members of the state legislature. Pursuant to contractual agreement with the authority, "employee" may also include: (i) Employees of a county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state and members of the legislative authority of any county, city, or town who are elected to office after February 20, 1970, if the legislative authority of the county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state submits application materials to the authority to provide any of its insurance programs by contract with the authority, as provided in RCW 41.04.205 and 41.05.021(1)(g); (ii) employees of employee organizations representing state civil service employees, at the option of each such employee organization; (iii) through December 31, 2019, employees of a school district if the authority agrees to provide any of the school districts' insurance programs by contract with the authority as provided in RCW 28A.400.350; (iv) employees of a tribal government, if the governing body of the tribal government seeks and receives the approval of the authority to provide any of its insurance programs by contract with the authority, as provided in RCW 41.05.021(1) (f) and (g); (v) employees of the Washington health benefit exchange if the governing board of the exchange established in RCW 43.71.020 seeks and receives approval of the authority to provide any of its insurance programs by contract with the authority, as provided in RCW 41.05.021(1) (g) and (n); and (vi) through December 31, 2019, employees of a charter school established under chapter 28A.710 RCW. "Employee" does not include: Adult family home providers; unpaid volunteers; patients of state hospitals; inmates; employees of the Washington state convention and trade center as provided in RCW 41.05.110; students of institutions of higher education as determined by their institution; and any others not expressly defined as employees under this chapter or by the authority under this chapter.

(b) Effective January 1, 2020, "school employee" for the school employees' benefits board program includes:

(i) All employees of school districts((, educational service districts,)) and charter schools established under chapter 28A.710 RCW;

(iii) Effective January 1, 2024, all employees of educational service districts.

(7) "Employee group" means employees of a similar employment type, such as administrative, represented classified, nonrepresented classified excluding such employees in educational service districts until December 31, 2023, confidential, represented certificated, or nonrepresented certificated excluding such employees in educational service districts until December 31, 2023, within a school employees' benefits board organization.

(8)(a) "Employer" for the public employees' benefits board program means the state of Washington.

(b) "Employer" for the school employees' benefits board program means school districts and educational service districts and charter schools established under chapter 28A.710 RCW.

(9) "Employer group" means those counties, municipalities, political subdivisions, the Washington health benefit exchange, tribal governments, employee organizations representing state civil service employees, and through December 31, 2019, school districts, educational service districts, and charter schools obtaining employee benefits through a contractual agreement with the authority to participate in benefit plans developed by the public employees' benefits board.

(10)(a) "Employing agency" for the public employees' benefits board program means a division, department, or separate agency of state government, including an institution of higher education; a county, municipality, or other political subdivision; and a tribal government covered by this chapter.

(b) "Employing agency" for the school employees' benefits board program means school districts, educational service districts, and charter schools.

(11) "Faculty" means an academic employee of an institution of higher education whose workload is not defined by work hours but whose appointment, workload, and duties directly serve the institution's academic mission, as determined under the authority of its enabling statutes, its governing body, and any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

(12) "Flexible benefit plan" means a benefit plan that allows employees and school employees to choose the level of health care coverage provided and the amount of employee or school employee contributions from among a range of choices offered by the authority.

(13) "Insuring entity" means an insurer as defined in chapter 48.01 RCW, a health care service contractor as defined in chapter 48.44 RCW, or a health maintenance organization as defined in chapter 48.46 RCW.

(14) "Medical flexible spending arrangement" means a benefit plan whereby state and school employees may reduce their salary before taxes to pay for medical expenses not reimbursed by insurance as provided in the salary reduction plan under this chapter pursuant to 26 U.S.C. Sec. 125 or other sections of the internal revenue code.

(15) "Participant" means an individual who fulfills the eligibility and enrollment requirements under the salary reduction plan.

(16) "Plan year" means the time period established by the authority.

(17) "Premium payment plan" means a benefit plan whereby public employees may pay their share of group health plan premiums with pretax dollars as provided in the salary reduction plan under this chapter pursuant to 26 U.S.C. Sec. 125 or other sections of the internal revenue code.

(18) "Public employee" has the same meaning as employee and school employee.

(19) "Retired or disabled school employee" means:

(a) Persons who separated from employment with a school district or educational service district and are receiving a retirement allowance under chapter 41.32 or 41.40 RCW as of September 30, 1993;

(b) Persons who separate from employment with a school district, educational service district, or charter school on or after October 1, 1993, and immediately upon separation receive a retirement allowance under chapter 41.32, 41.35, or 41.40 RCW;

(c) Persons who separate from employment with a school district, educational service district, or charter school due to a total and permanent disability, and are eligible to receive a deferred retirement allowance under chapter 41.32, 41.35, or 41.40 RCW.

(20) "Salary" means a state or school employee's monthly salary or wages.

(21) "Salary reduction plan" means a benefit plan whereby public employees may agree to a reduction of salary on a pretax basis to participate in the dependent care assistance program, medical flexible spending arrangement, or premium payment plan offered pursuant to 26 U.S.C. Sec. 125 or other sections of the internal revenue code.

(22) "School employees' benefits board organization" means a public school district or educational service district or charter school established under chapter 28A.710 RCW that is required to participate in benefit plans provided by the school employees' benefits board.

(23) "School year" means school year as defined in RCW 28A.150.203(11).

(24) "Seasonal employee" means a state employee hired to work during a recurring, annual season with a duration of three months or more, and anticipated to return each season to perform similar work.

(25) "Separated employees" means persons who separate from employment with an employer as defined in:

(a) RCW 41.32.010(17) on or after July 1, 1996; or

(b) RCW 41.35.010 on or after September 1, 2000; or

(c) RCW 41.40.010 on or after March 1, 2002;

and who are at least age fifty-five and have at least ten years of service under the teachers' retirement system plan 3 as defined in RCW 41.32.010(33), the Washington school employees' retirement system plan 3 as defined in RCW 41.35.010, or the public employees' retirement system plan 3 as defined in RCW 41.40.010.

(26) "State purchased health care" or "health care" means medical and health care, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment purchased with state and federal funds by the department of social and health services, the department of health, the basic health plan, the state health care authority, the department of labor and industries, the department of corrections, the department of veterans affairs, and local school districts.

(27) "Tribal government" means an Indian tribal government as defined in section 3(32) of the employee retirement income security act of 1974, as amended, or an agency or instrumentality of the tribal government, that has government offices principally located in this state.

Sec. 2. RCW 41.05.050 and 2018 c 260 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Every: (a) Department, division, or separate agency of state government; (b) county, municipal, school district, educational service district, or other political subdivisions; and (c) tribal governments as are covered by this chapter, shall provide contributions to insurance and health care plans for its employees and their dependents, the content of such plans to be determined by the authority. Contributions, paid by the county, the municipality, other political subdivision, or a tribal government for their employees, shall include an amount determined by the authority to pay such administrative expenses of the authority as are necessary to administer the plans for employees of those groups, except as provided in subsection (4) of this section.

(2) To account for increased cost of benefits for the state and for state employees, the authority may develop a rate surcharge applicable to participating counties, municipalities, other political subdivisions, and tribal governments.

(3) The contributions of any: (a) Department, division, or separate agency of the state government; (b) county, municipal, or other political subdivisions; (c) any tribal government as are covered by this chapter; and (d) school districts, educational service districts, and charter schools, shall be set by the authority, subject to the approval of the governor for availability of funds as specifically appropriated by the legislature for that purpose. Insurance and health care contributions for ferry employees shall be governed by RCW 47.64.270.

(4)(a) Until January 1, 2020, the authority shall collect from each participating school district and educational service district an amount equal to the composite rate charged to state agencies, plus an amount equal to the employee premiums by plan and family size as would be charged to employees, for groups of school district and educational service district employees enrolled in authority plans. The authority may collect these amounts in accordance with the school district or educational service district fiscal year, as described in RCW 28A.505.030.

(b)(i) For all groups of school district or educational service district employees enrolling in authority plans for the first time after September 1, 2003, and until January 1, 2020, the authority shall collect from each participating school district or educational service district an amount equal to the composite rate charged to state agencies, plus an amount equal to the employee premiums by plan and by family size as would be charged to employees, only if the authority determines that this method of billing the school districts and educational service districts will not result in a material difference between revenues from school districts and educational service districts and expenditures made by the authority on behalf of school districts and educational service districts and their employees. The authority may collect these amounts in accordance with the school district or educational service district fiscal year, as described in RCW 28A.505.030.

(c) Until January 1, 2020, if the authority determines at any time that the conditions in (b) of this subsection cannot be met, the authority shall offer enrollment to additional groups of school and educational service district employees on a tiered rate structure until such time as the authority determines there would be no material difference between revenues and expenditures under a composite rate structure for all school and educational service district employees enrolled in authority plans.

(d)(i) Beginning January 1, 2020, all school districts, educational service districts with represented employees, and charter schools shall commence participation in the school employees' benefits board program established under RCW 41.05.740. All school districts, educational service districts with represented employees, charter schools, and all school district employee groups participating in the public employees' benefits board plans before January 1, 2020, shall thereafter participate in the school employees' benefits board program administered by the authority. All school districts, educational service districts with represented employees, and charter schools shall provide contributions to the authority for insurance and health care plans for school employees and their dependents. These contributions must be provided to the authority for all eligible school employees eligible for benefits under RCW 41.05.740(6)(d), including school employees who have waived their coverage; contributions to the authority are not required for individuals eligible for benefits under RCW 41.05.740(6)(e) who waive their coverage.

(e) For the purposes of this subsection, "tiered rates" means the amounts the authority must pay to insuring entities by plan and by family size.

(f) Notwithstanding this subsection and RCW 41.05.065(4), the authority may allow school districts and educational service districts enrolled on a tiered rate structure prior to September 1, 2002, and until January 1, 2020, to continue participation based on the same rate structure and under the same conditions and eligibility criteria.

(5) The authority shall transmit a recommendation for the amount of the employer contributions to the governor and the director of financial management for inclusion in the proposed budgets submitted to the legislature.

(a) Health benefit plans provided to educational service district employees and their costs;

(b) Estimated costs to educational service districts to participate in the school employees' benefits board program;

(c) Comparisons of costs, benefits offered, and employees covered, between educational service district health benefits and school employees' benefits board health benefits if adopted; and

(d) Revenue from school districts, state, federal, and other sources that support educational service district services and their ability to support rates negotiated for the school employees' benefits board program.

(2) By December 31, 2020, the Washington state health care authority must report findings from the study to the fiscal committees of the legislature.

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