SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 2891

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Ways & Means, February 27, 2002

Title:  An act relating to determining which fire fighters or law enforcement officers may elect or be elected to certain pension and disability boards.

Brief Description:  Determining which fire fighters or law enforcement officers may elect or be elected to certain pension and disability boards.

Sponsors:  Representatives Sommers, Sullivan, Simpson, Cooper, O'Brien, Chase, Conway, Santos, Ogden, Casada and Morell.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Ways & Means:  2/26/02, 2/27/02 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

Signed by Senators Brown, Chair; Regala, Vice Chair; Fairley, Vice Chair; Fraser, Kline, Kohl‑Welles, Long, Parlette, Rasmussen, B. Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel, Thibaudeau and Winsley.

Staff:  Erin Hannan (786‑7708)

Background:  The statutes creating the retirement system Plan 1 (LEOFF 1) provide for the creation of city and county disability boards.  These boards rule on claims for disability retirement for LEOFF 1 members, designate which medical services are available to LEOFF 1 retirees, and may require a LEOFF 1 retiree who seeks payment for medical services to submit to a medical exam.

Each city with a population of 20,000 or more has a LEOFF 1 disability board.  Each county has a disability board with five members.  The county board has jurisdiction over LEOFF 1 members who are not employed by a city that has its own disability board.  Under current law, one of the members of the county board must be a member of the legislative body of a city or town that does not have its own board.  This member must be chosen by a majority of the mayors of the affected cities or towns within the county.

Representatives on the disability boards are not required to be LEOFF 1 members.  Given the growing proportion of the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Plan 2 (LEOFF 2) members, the membership of many LEOFF 1 disability boards has become increasingly dominated by LEOFF 2 members.

Summary of Bill:  LEOFF Plan 2 members may continue to serve on LEOFF 1 disability boards,  but they must be elected by the LEOFF 1 members who are subject to the jurisdiction of that board.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  The bill is straight‑forward.  It allows LEOFF 2 members on the disability boards but restricts voting eligibility to those LEOFF 2 board members elected by LEOFF 1 members from each board's jurisdiction.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Dick Warbrouck, Retired Firefighters of Washington (pro).