Title: An act relating to compensation for state employees on active military duty.

Brief Description: Compensating state employees on active military duty.

Sponsors: Representatives Curtis, Haler, Armstrong, Wallace, Tom, Rodne, Walsh, Strow, Condotta, Schindler, Anderson, Kristiansen, Cox, Buck, Williams, Moeller, Chase, Campbell, Linville, Buri and Ahern.

Brief History:

State Government Operations & Accountability: 3/1/05, 3/2/05 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ACCOUNTABILITY

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 6 members: Representatives Haigh, Chair; Green, Vice Chair; Nixon, Ranking Minority Member; Miloscia, Schindler and Sump.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 3 members: Representatives Clements, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Hunt and McDermott.

Staff: Marsha Reilly (786-7135).

Background:

State and local employees who are members of the National Guard or Reserves are entitled to 15 days of leave per year to fulfill their service obligations. Under the law, members of the Washington National Guard or the United States. military reserves receive up to 15 days of paid military leave per year. This leave is designated as compensation for active duty or for active training duty.

Summary of Bill:

Beginning July 1, 2005, employees of the state called to federal active duty for a period exceeding 30 days shall receive from the state 50 percent of the difference between his or her state pay and federal pay if the federal pay is less than the state pay. Payment and benefits are limited to a period not to exceed four years.

The Support Our Deployed State Employees Program is created to enable and encourage state employees to make voluntary contributions for the support of state employees called to federal service to assist deployed employees and their families with the loss of salary and other financial burdens. The Department of Personnel administers the program through voluntary payroll deductions. The state shall match voluntary contributions at a maximum of $40 per employee per month.

The Deployed State Employees Account is created in the custody of the State Treasurer and all receipts from employee contributions and the state matching amount must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account are for the Support Our Deployed State Employees Program and for administering the program. The account shall receive a proportionate share of earnings from investment by the State Treasurer.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on February 25, 2005.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: State employees can donate annual and sick leave to other employees in need. This program allows state employees to make voluntary donations through a payroll deduction plan in order to help fellow employees who have been deployed for federal duty.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Curtis, prime sponsor.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.