H-1964

AN ACT Relating to occupational safety and health impact grants; and adding new sections to chapter 49.17 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The director, in consultation with the WISHA advisory committee and the workers' compensation advisory committee, shall establish a program to provide safety and health impact grants to prevent injuries and illnesses, save lives, and educate all Washington employees and employers about workplace hazards. The intent of this act is to benefit, in the broadest sense possible, Washington workers and employers, especially those who are in small business and may lack the injury and illness prevention resources that larger companies may possess. The department may use appropriated industrial insurance funds to accomplish the purpose of this act. Funding for this program will be out of the reserves of the medical aid fund which are in excess of actuarial needs.

(2) Using a competitive application process, the department shall award safety and health impact grants to trade associations, business associations, employers, employee organizations, and labor unions. The grants may include:

(a) Education and training grants to implement safety and health and to provide information, curricula, materials, and methods intended for use by employers and employees in reducing workplace hazards;

(b) Technical innovation grants to develop engineering and other technical solutions to injury and illness problems;

(d) State-wide priority grants to undertake innovative programs that address state-wide safety and health priorities established by the WISHA advisory committee.

(3) Applicants for grants may form partnerships with educational institutions and other organizations. Applicants for grants may form partnerships with self-insured employers if the product of the grant will significantly benefit employees and employers who belong to the state industrial insurance fund.

(4) Any materials, designs, or equipment developed under these grants will be in the public domain and may not be copyrighted or patented. They must be provided to the department at no charge upon request.

(5) Grants may not be used to support specific legislative or regulatory initiatives.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The director shall appoint a safety and health impact grant review committee that will be a subcommittee of the WISHA advisory committee. The review committee is composed of nine members: Four members representing employees, each appointed from a list of at least three names submitted by recognized state-wide organizations of employees; four members representing employers, each appointed from a list of at least three names submitted by recognized state-wide organizations of employers; and one ex officio member, without a vote, who shall represent the department. The committee chair shall be chosen by the review committee and shall alternate between business and labor. The committee members shall serve three-year renewable terms.

(2) Review committee business and labor committee members are entitled to standard per diem rates.

(3) The safety and health impact grant review committee shall:

(a) Prepare requests for proposals;

(b) Receive, review, and process grant applications;

(c) Identify, by two-thirds majority vote, grant applications that merit funding and forward those applications to the director; and

(d) Identify, by two-thirds majority vote, funded grants that meet criteria for suspension or revocation and forward those grants to the director.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The safety and health impact grant review committee, with approval from the director, shall develop grant application procedures and approval criteria, and shall ensure the proper administrative support to successfully monitor grant recipients for compliance with grant criteria and all other procedures under the grant program. The director shall implement procedures and criteria for grant approval, including procedures for suspension or revocation of grants to recipients failing to comply with grant criteria established under the authority of this section.

(2) The director shall approve only those grant applications and their recommended acceptance conditions as forwarded by the safety and health impact grant review committee, unless the director has a compelling and substantive reason to reject an application, whereupon the director shall provide written explanation for the denial to the review committee, which, in turn, may refer the application to the WISHA advisory committee. The WISHA advisory committee shall review any grant applications rejected by the director and may advise the director to reconsider. The director shall consider the advice, if given, and shall approve the grant application with any conditions presented by the WISHA advisory committee. The director may reject that advice only for a compelling and substantive reason.

(3) The director may revoke or suspend an issued grant if advised by the safety and health impact grant review committee that the recipient is not in compliance with grant criteria or procedures.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The department and the safety and health impact grant review committee will present an annual review to the WISHA advisory committee and the workers' compensation advisory committee regarding the activities of the safety and health impact grant program. The workers' compensation advisory committee shall make a biennial recommendation to the director concerning an appropriate budget for the program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The director and representatives from the WISHA advisory committee shall perform a comprehensive review of the grant program and shall issue a report for the legislature not later than December 31, 2004.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed, effective July 1, 2005:

(1) Section 1 of this act;

(2) Section 2 of this act;

(3) Section 3 of this act;

(4) Section 4 of this act; and

(5) Section 5 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Sections 1 through 6 of this act are each added to chapter 49.17 RCW.