SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6135

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Commerce & Trade, January 29, 2004

Title: An act relating to providing interdistrict health benefits for educational employees.

Brief Description: Regarding interdistrict health benefits for educational employees.

Sponsors: Senator Honeyford.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Commerce & Trade: 1/21/04, 1/29/04 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & TRADE

Majority Report: Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Honeyford, Chair; Hewitt, Vice Chair; Franklin, Keiser and Mulliken.

Staff: John Dziedzic (786-7784)

Background: School districts annually contract with health care benefit providers to make health care coverage programs available to district employees.

Summary of Bill: With respect to contracts entered into after the effective date of the act, school districts are authorized, but not required, to negotiate contracts for health care benefits that allow an employee of one school district to "receive benefits at the same rate" as that employee's spouse, who works in another school district.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

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

Testimony For: None.

Testimony Against: Negotiating health benefits is one of the most difficult aspects of the collective bargaining process. This bill complicates that process, and will probably only affect a small number of employees. It also does not address how school districts would need to adjust the pooling of payments for premiums, and could result in greater costs to one or both districts involved.

Testified: CON: John Kvamme, John Dekker, Washington Association of School Administrators.