FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1376

C 84 L 01

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Exempting certain veterans affairs personnel from the state civil service law.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Armstrong, McDermott, McMorris, D. Schmidt, Haigh and Woods; by request of Department of Veterans Affairs).

House Committee on State Government

Senate Committee on State & Local Government

Background:

State voters approved Initiative Measure No. 207 in 1960 establishing a civil service system of personnel administration for most state employees.  The civil service system is based upon merit principles to appoint, promote, transfer, layoff, recruit, retain, classify and pay, remove, discipline, and train employees.

Employees who are subject to the civil service system are referred to as classified employees, while employees who are not subject to the civil service system are referred to as unclassified or exempt employees.  Among others, exempt employees include all employees of the legislative and judicial branches of government, elected officials, state patrol officers, members of boards or commissions, and the executive head of each agency.  In addition, exempt employees in each state agency with 50 or more employees include deputy agency heads, assistant directors or division directors, and not more than three principal policy assistants who report directly to the agency head or deputy agency heads.

The Washington Personnel Resources Board may exempt additional state employee positions from the civil service laws by following a specified procedure.  These additional exemptions may not exceed one percent of the employees covered by the civil service system.

In addition, a number of exempt positions are expressly designated for various state agencies.  The civil service system of personnel administration expressly does not apply to the director, the deputy director, and no more than two assistants in the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Summary:

The positions in the Department of Veterans' Affairs that are designated as exempt or unclassified positions are clarified and expanded.  It is clarified that the two assistants who are unclassified positions are two assistant directors.  Additional unclassified positions are added as a confidential secretary for deputy secretary and a confidential secretary for each assistant director.

Votes on Final Passage:

House920

Senate3613

Effective:  July 22, 2001