SENATE BILL REPORT

                  2SSB 5476

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

           Labor, Commerce & Trade, January 24, 1996

                Ways & Means, February 6, 1996

Title:  An act relating to shared leave.

Brief Description:  Sharing leave and personal holiday time.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Loveland, Winsley, Fraser, Haugen, Kohl, Wood, Drew, Bauer, Pelz, Prentice, Quigley, McAuliffe, Roach, Fairley, Franklin, Prince and Long).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Labor, Commerce & Trade:  1/30/95, 2/22/95 [DPS]; 1/24/96 [DP3S].

Ways & Means:  3/1/95, 3/6/95 [DP2S]; 2/5/96, 2/6/96 [DP3S (LAB)].

Passed Senate, 3/9/95, 44-2.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE & TRADE

Majority Report:  That Third Substitute Senate Bill No. 5476 be substituted therefor, and the third substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators Pelz, Chair; Heavey, Vice Chair; A. Anderson, Deccio, Franklin, Fraser and Wojahn.

Staff:  Jonathan Seib (786-7427)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report:  That Third Substitute Senate Bill No. 5476 as recommended by Committee on Labor, Commerce & Trade be substituted therefor, and the third substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators Rinehart, Chair; Loveland, Vice Chair; Bauer, Drew, Fraser, Hargrove, Kohl, Long, Moyer, Pelz, Quigley, Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel, Sutherland, Winsley and Wojahn.

Staff:  Denise Graham (786-7454)

Background:  The state has a leave-sharing program that authorizes, within certain limitations, a state employee to transfer his or her annual leave to another state employee who is suffering from, or has a relative or household member suffering from, a severe injury or illness.  A community college, school district or educational service district employee who does not accrue annual leave may, within certain limitations, transfer sick leave to another state employee in these circumstances. 

Summary of Third Substitute Bill:  The provision of the state leave sharing program that allows only certain employees to transfer sick leave is removed.  As a result, all state employees are allowed to request the transfer of sick leave, in addition to annual leave, under the program.  Sick leave may be transferred only when the donating employee retains at least 480 hours of sick leave after the donation, and no employee may transfer more than six days of leave in any 12-month period.  The transfer of personal holidays is also authorized.

Leave may be transferred to retroactively cover leave taken since January 1, 1996.

Third Substitute Bill Compared to Second Substitute Bill:  The second substitute bill limited the transfer of sick leave to situations where the person receiving the leave, or the person's relative or household member, has a terminal illness.  In the third substitute, this limitation is removed.

The date to which the bill is retroactive is changed from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 1996.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  The bill would expand the ability of state employees to assist fellow employees in need, without substantial fiscal impact.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Doug Nelson, Public School Employees; Bev Hermanson, Federation of State Employees; Bob Maier, Washington Education Association.