H-3464.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2414
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State of Washington 56th Legislature 2000 Regular Session
By Representatives Stensen, Carlson, Keiser, Talcott, Santos, Quall, Haigh, Schual‑Berke, Rockefeller, O'Brien, Edwards, Lantz, Ogden and Bush
Read first time 01/12/2000. Referred to Committee on Education.
AN ACT Relating to death benefits for school employees; adding a new section to chapter 28A.400 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that schools are not always the havens of safety and learning that they ought to be. In recent years, serious violence has erupted at schools both in the state of Washington and across the nation.
(2) The legislature finds that school employees who entered the field of education did not choose the profession knowing their lives could be at risk by virtue of being on school grounds performing their normal duties.
(3) The legislature recognizes that all school employees, whether they are principals and other administrators, teachers, or classified employees, have had their lives threatened, have been in harm's way, and in some cases have been killed due to working with students who possess firearms and due to other dangerous circumstances and conditions.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.400 RCW to read as follows:
(1) Any employee in the common school system of the state who is killed in the course of employment is entitled to have a death benefit paid to his or her estate if the biennial operating budget in effect at the time of the school employee's death provides for a death benefit to any classification or type of employee of the common school system of the state. The amount of any such death benefit for the employees of the common schools shall be determined through the biennial operating budget.
(2) The death benefit shall be paid as a sundry claim to the former school employee's estate. The determination of eligibility for the benefit shall be made consistent with Title 51 RCW by the department of labor and industries. The department of labor and industries shall notify the director of the department of general administration if a deceased common school system employee's estate is determined to be eligible for payment under this section and in accordance with the state operating budget.
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