S-1713

AN ACT Relating to industrial insurance compensation; amending RCW 51.08.180 and 51.08.013; and declaring an emergency.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 51.08.180 and 1987 c 175 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) "Worker" means every person in this state who is engaged in the employment of an employer under this title, whether by way of manual labor or otherwise in the course of his or her employment; also every person in this state who is engaged in the employment of or who is working under an independent contract, the essence of which is his or her personal labor for an employer under this title, whether by way of manual labor or otherwise, in the course of his or her employment: PROVIDED, That a person is not a worker for the purpose of this title, with respect to his or her activities attendant to operating a truck which he or she owns, and which is leased to a common or contract carrier.

(2) For the purposes of this title, any person, firm, or corporation currently engaging in a business which is registered under chapter 18.27 RCW or licensed under chapter 19.28 RCW is not a worker when:

(a) Contracting to perform work for any contractor registered under chapter 18.27 RCW or licensed under chapter 19.28 RCW;

(b) The person, firm, or corporation has a principal place of business which would be eligible for a business deduction for internal revenue service tax purposes other than that furnished by the contractor for which the business has contracted to furnish services;

(c) The person, firm, or corporation maintains a separate set of books or records that reflect all items of income and expenses of the business; and

(d) The work which the person, firm, or corporation has contracted to perform is:

(i) The work of a contractor as defined in RCW 18.27.010; or

(ii) The work of installing wires or equipment to convey electric current or installing apparatus to be operated by such current as it pertains to the electrical industry as described in chapter 19.28 RCW.

(3) Any person, firm, or corporation registered under chapter 18.27 RCW or licensed under chapter 19.28 RCW including those performing work for any contractor registered under chapter 18.27 RCW or licensed under chapter 19.28 RCW is a worker when the contractor supervises or controls the means by which the result is accomplished or the manner in which the work is performed.

(4) For the purposes of this title, any person participating as a driver or back-up driver in commuter ride sharing, as defined in RCW 46.74.010(1), is not a worker while driving a ride-sharing vehicle on behalf of the owner or lessee of the vehicle.

(5) For the purposes of this title, any person who appears as a witness in any criminal, civil, administrative, or other public proceeding, unless such appearance is otherwise within the course of his or her employment, is not a worker.

Sec. 2. RCW 51.08.013 and 1979 c 111 s 15 are each amended to read as follows:

"Acting in the course of employment" means the worker acting at his or her employer's direction or in the furtherance of his or her employer's business which shall include time spent going to and from work on the jobsite, as defined in RCW 51.32.015 and 51.36.040, insofar as such time is immediate to the actual time that the worker is engaged in the work process in areas controlled by his or her employer, except parking areas, and it is not necessary that at the time an injury is sustained by a worker he or she be doing the work on which his or her compensation is based or that the event be within the time limits on which industrial insurance or medical aid premiums or assessments are paid.

The term shall not include time spent going to or coming from the employer's place of business in commuter ride sharing, as defined in RCW 46.74.010(1), notwithstanding any participation by the employer in the ride-sharing arrangement. The term shall also not include time spent by a juror going to or coming from the location of his or her jury service, notwithstanding any reimbursement for mileage by the employer pursuant to RCW 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.