HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 6353

             As Reported By House Committee On:

               Transportation Policy & Budget

Title:  An act relating to use of sick leave before eligibility for disability requirements of Washington state patrol officers.

Brief Description:  Reflecting actual working hours for disability of Washington state patrol officers.

Sponsors:  Senators Sellar and Goings; by request of Washington State Patrol.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Transportation Policy & Budget:  2/25/98, 2/26/98 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION POLICY & BUDGET

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 25 members:  Representatives K. Schmidt, Chairman; Hankins, Vice Chairman; Mielke, Vice Chairman; Mitchell, Vice Chairman; Fisher, Ranking Minority Member; Cooper, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Backlund; Buck; Constantine; DeBolt; Gardner; Hatfield; Johnson; McCune; Murray; O'Brien; Ogden; Radcliff; Robertson; Romero; Scott; Skinner; Sterk; Wood and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Paul Neal (786-7315).

Background:  Under current law, a commissioned officer of the Washington State Patrol (WSP) can qualify for temporary disability leave.  While on temporary disability, the officer no longer needs to use sick leave to cover the period of absence.  To qualify, the officer must be unavailable for duty for more than five consecutive work days due to a disabling injury suffered while on duty.  The length of a work day can vary between eight and 12 hours, depending upon an officer's assignment.  Because of the variance in the length of a work day, the amount of sick leave an officer must use before qualifying for temporary disability can vary.

For instance, an officer assigned to 10-hour shifts would have to utilize 50 hours of sick leave (five 10-hour days) prior to qualifying for temporary disability leave.  In contrast, an officer assigned to eight-hour shifts would only need to use 40 hours of sick leave in order to qualify.

Summary of Bill:  Disability leave may be approved after a WSP officer has been unavailable for duty for 40 work hours.  The number of work days that an officer has to be absent before being eligible to qualify for temporary disability varies, depending upon the officer's assigned shift.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This change levels the playing field by allowing all eligible officers to qualify for temporary disability after being absent for 40 work hours.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Chief Annette Sandberg, WSP; and Bill Hanson, WSP Troopers Association.