FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 5838

                           C 25 L 99

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Permitting personal holiday leave sharing for school district employees.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators McAuliffe, Eide and Rasmussen).

Senate Committee on Education

House Committee on Education

Background:  In addition to legal holidays, annual leave and sick leave, employees of the state receive one paid personal holiday by law.  While school district employees receive legal holidays, annual leave and sick leave, they are excluded from the personal holiday entitlement and must negotiate through collective bargaining for personal holidays.

School districts may establish a leave sharing program for school employees.  State law requires that the Superintendent of Public Instruction adopt standards for the school district leave sharing program that are consistent with the state employees= leave sharing program.

The leave sharing program for state employees permits state employees to share their accumulated annual leave, sick leave and personal holidays with a second state employee who has exhausted his or her leave as a result of an extraordinary illness, injury, impairment, or mental or physical condition.

The standards adopted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction regarding sharing of leave for school employees does not include a provision allowing school employees to share personal holidays.

Summary:  School employees who have bargained for and obtained a personal holiday may share that holiday to the extent the law allows.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 44 0

House     93 0

Effective:  July 25, 1999