SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5476

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

          Labor, Commerce & Trade, February 22, 1995

                  Ways & Means, March 6, 1995

Title:  An act relating to shared leave.

Brief Description:  Sharing leave and personal holiday time.

Sponsors:  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].

Ways & Means:  3/1/95, 3/6/95 [DP2S].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE & TRADE

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

  Signed by Senators Pelz, Chair; Heavey, Vice Chair; Deccio, Franklin, Fraser, Hale, Palmer and Wojahn.

Staff:  Jonathan Seib (786-7427)

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 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 state shared leave 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 twelve-month period.  The transfer of personal holidays is also authorized.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The bill is restructured and clarified.  The provision prohibiting an employee from transferring more than six days of sick leave in any twelve-month period is made applicable to all employees.  The provision limiting employees of institutions of higher education to transferring sick leave only to employees of the same institution is eliminated.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 25, 1995.

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.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO: Senator Loveland, Prime Sponsor; Bev Hermanson, Washington Federation of State Employees; Bob Fisher, Washington Education Association; Lynn McKinnon, Public School Employees.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

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

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

Staff:  Denise Graham (786-7715)

Second Substitute Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  Employees, who under current law may transfer only annual leave, under the second substitute may transfer sick leave to an employee who has a terminal illness, or to an employee who has a relative or a household member with a terminal illness.  The substitute bill allowed employees, who under current law may transfer only annual leave, to transfer sick leave to another employee, and was not contingent upon a terminal illness.

Testimony For:  The bill would expand the ability of state employees to assist fellow employees in need.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Karen Davis, Washington Education Association (pro); Bev Hermanson, Washington Federation of State Employees (pro); Lynn McKinnon, Public School Employees (pro).