SENATE BILL REPORT

                            SB 5297

      AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, 

                       FEBRUARY 19, 1993

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

SPONSORS: Senators Fraser, Winsley and von Reichbauer

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5297 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     Signed by Senators Haugen, Chairman; Drew, Vice Chairman; Loveland, Oke, Owen, von Reichbauer, and Winsley.

Staff:  Barbara Howard (786‑7410)

Hearing Dates: February 9, 1993; February 19, 1993

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Staff:  Denise Graham (786-7715)

Hearing Dates: March 1, 1993

BACKGROUND:

In 1989, the Legislature created a leave sharing program to assist employees who face a long-term medical crisis.  To be eligible as a recipient, an employee must: (1) be suffering from, or have a family member who is suffering from, a serious illness or injury; (2) have used, or be about to use all available sick and annual leave reserves; (3) be facing leave without pay or termination of employment; and (4) be ineligible for industrial insurance benefits.  The maximum amount of donated leave for any recipient may not exceed 261 days.

A donor employee may only share excess annual leave, but must maintain an accumulation of at least 10 days.  An employee's personal leave day or sick leave may not currently be shared.

SUMMARY:

An employee may donate sick leave if the employee retains a minimum accumulation of 100 hours.  An employee may also donate his or her personal holiday as shared leave.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

An employee may donate a specified amount of sick leave, not to exceed six days in any 12-month period, to the shared leave program, so long as the employee retains at least 240 hours of accumulated sick leave.  The amount of leave that must be retained by a college faculty member is reduced from 60 days to 30.  The statute for the personal holiday is cited, rather than the administrative rule.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  available

TESTIMONY FOR:

The program has been working well, and we believe that a number of employees would like an opportunity to donate some of their accumulated sick leave, as well as the personal holiday.  The four-year institutions of higher education do not oppose the bill, but have some concern about the cost.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Bev Hermanson, WFSE (pro); Lynn McKinnon, Public School Employees (pro); Sharon Whitehead (neutral); Bill Allen, Council of Presidents