HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1201

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      State Government

Title:  An act relating to shared leave.

Brief Description:  Allowing state employees to donate sick leave and their personal holiday as shared leave.

Sponsors:  Representatives Romero, Wolfe, Veloria, Karahalios, R. Meyers, Cothern, L. Johnson, Basich, Orr, Kessler and Pruitt.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

State Government, February 15, 1993, DPS.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 9 members:  Representatives Anderson, Chair; Veloria, Vice Chair; Reams, Ranking Minority Member; Vance, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Campbell; Conway; Dyer; King; and Pruitt.

Staff:  Bonnie Austin (786-7135).

Background:  In 1989, the Legislature created a leave sharing program to help state employees who are faced with job loss or loss of income due to a medical crisis.  Recipients of shared leave must meet certain criteria.  They must be suffering from, or have a family member who is suffering from, a serious illness or injury.  They must have used, or are about to use, all of their sick leave and annual leave reserves and are facing job loss or leave without pay status as a result.  They must be ineligible for industrial insurance benefits.  Recipients of shared leave may not receive more than 261 days of donated leave. 

Under the shared leave program, a state employee may share his or her excess annual leave with a fellow employee.  Employees may donate any amount of annual leave as long as they maintain a minimum balance of 10 days.

In fiscal year 1991, state employees donated 43,095 hours of annual leave to be shared with other employees.  Recipients used 42,490 of these hours.  In fiscal year 1992, state employees donated 70,136 annual leave hours and recipients used 61,211 of these hours.  The value of the hours used in 1991 was $524,053, and in 1992 the value was $825,913.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  State employees may donate sick leave hours and their personal holiday to the shared leave program.  Employees must maintain a minimum sick leave balance of 100 hours after the donation. 

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Community college, school district, and educational service district employees will participate in the shared leave program on the same basis as other state employees.  Their current six day per year limitation on sick leave donation and their minimum 60 day sick leave balance are deleted.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This is a humanitarian program that has worked well in the past.  Many state employees have averted a fiscal crisis under this program, and state employee morale has been enhanced.  Adding sick leave is the next logical step.  New state employees have no leave and are vulnerable when faced with a medical emergency, especially if they are single parents.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Gary Moore, WFSE (pro); Bob Maier, WEA (pro); and Bill Allison, COP (concern).