BILL REQ. #:  H-4131.1 

Read first time 01/22/2004.   Referred to Committee on State Government.

     AN ACT Relating to legal holidays and legislatively recognized days; and amending RCW 1.16.050.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 1.16.050 and 2003 c 68 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The following are legal holidays: Sunday; the first day of January, commonly called New Year's Day; the third Monday of January, ((being)) celebrated as the anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr.; the third Monday of February ((to be)), known as Presidents' Day and ((to be)) celebrated as the anniversary of the births of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington; the last Monday of May, commonly known as Memorial Day; the fourth day of July, ((being)) the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; the first Monday in September, ((to be)) known as Labor Day; the eleventh day of November, ((to be)) known as Veterans' Day; the fourth Thursday in November, ((to be)) known as Thanksgiving Day; the day immediately following Thanksgiving Day; and the twenty-fifth day of December, commonly called Christmas Day. When the twenty-fifth day of December falls on a Tuesday, the twenty-fourth day of December is an additional legal holiday. When the twenty-fifth day of December falls on a Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of December is an additional legal holiday.
     (2) Employees of the state and its political subdivisions, except employees of school districts and ((except)) those nonclassified employees of institutions of higher education who hold appointments or are employed under contracts to perform services for periods of less than twelve consecutive months, ((shall be)) are entitled to one paid holiday per calendar year in addition to those specified in subsection (1) of this section. Each employee of the state or its political subdivisions may select the day on which the employee desires to take the additional holiday ((provided for herein)) under this subsection after consultation with the employer pursuant to guidelines to be promulgated by rule of the appropriate personnel authority, or in the case of local government by ordinance or resolution of the legislative authority.
     (3) If any of the ((above specified)) state legal holidays are also federal legal holidays but observed on different dates, only the state legal holidays ((shall be)) are recognized as ((a)) paid legal holidays for employees of the state and its political subdivisions except that for port districts and the law enforcement and public transit employees of municipal corporations, either the federal or the state legal holiday, but in no case both, may be recognized as a paid legal holiday for employees.
     (4) Whenever any legal holiday, other than Sunday, falls upon a Sunday, the following Monday ((shall be)) is the legal holiday.
     (5) Whenever any legal holiday falls upon a Saturday, the preceding Friday ((shall be)) is the legal holiday.
     (6) Nothing in this section ((shall be construed to have)) has the effect of adding or deleting the number of paid holidays provided for in an agreement between employees and employers of political subdivisions of the state or as established by ordinance or resolution of the local government legislative authority.
     (7) The legislature declares that the ((twelfth day of October shall be recognized as Columbus Day but shall not be considered a legal holiday for any purposes.
     The legislature declares that the ninth day of April shall be recognized as former prisoner of war recognition day but shall not be considered a legal holiday for any purposes.
     The legislature declares that the twenty-sixth day of January shall be recognized as Washington army and air national guard day but shall not be considered a legal holiday for any purposes.
     The legislature declares that the seventh day of August shall be recognized as purple heart recipient recognition day but shall not be considered a legal holiday for any purposes.
     The legislature declares that the second Sunday in October be recognized as Washington state children's day but shall not be considered a legal holiday for any purposes.
     The legislature declares that the sixteenth day of April shall be recognized as Mother Joseph day and the fourth day of September as Marcus Whitman day, but neither shall be considered legal holidays for any purpose.
     The legislature declares that the seventh day of December be recognized as Pearl Harbor remembrance day but shall not be considered a legal holiday for any purpose.
     The legislature declares that the nineteenth day of February be recognized as civil liberties day of remembrance but shall not be considered a legal holiday for any purpose.)) following days are recognized but are not legal holidays:
     (a) January 26th, Washington army and air national guard day;
     (b) February 19th, civil liberties day of remembrance;
     (c) April 9th, former prisoner of war recognition day;
     (d) April 16th, Mother Joseph day;
     (e) August 7th, purple heart recipient recognition day;
     (f) September 4th, Marcus Whitman day;
     (g) The second Sunday in October, Washington state children's day; and
     (h) December 7th, Pearl Harbor remembrance day.