FINAL BILL REPORT

ESHB 2383

C 56 L 04

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Providing for paying part-time faculty at institutions of higher education.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Kenney, Cox, Fromhold, Chase, Hudgins, Wood, Morrell, Santos and Kagi).

House Committee on Higher Education

Senate Committee on Higher Education

Background:

Part-time academic faculties at institutions of higher education often are employed throughout the year under a series of short-term contracts that coincide with an institution's quarterly start and stop dates. Some part-time faculty work under these arrangements for several consecutive years.

The schedule used to pay state employees divides each month into two pay periods, the first through the 15th and the 16th through the last day of the month. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) has established pay dates for these two pay periods of the 10th and the 25th, respectively. The 10-day period between the end of a pay period and the receipt of a paycheck is commonly called a lag period. Approval from OFM is required to deviate from these pay periods and pay dates.

A typical contract under which a part-time faculty member is employed defines the amount of compensation and the pay dates during the quarter over which the compensation will be distributed. The quarterly start and stop dates which govern the employment status of part-time faculty at institutions of higher education combined with the standard state employee pay periods and pay dates may result in part-time faculty working for more than three weeks at the start of a quarter before receiving compensation under a contract.

Summary:

Institutions of higher education are permitted to include in a collective bargaining agreement a provision to pay part-time faculty on all the same pay dates as are used for full-time faculty.

Votes on Final Passage:

House 96  0

Senate 46  0

Effective: June 10, 2004