Brief Description: Authorizing shared leave for declared emergencies.

Sponsors: Representatives McIntire, Nixon, Sommers, Haigh, Morrell, McDermott, Simpson, Hunt, Ericks and Schual-Berke.

Hearing Date: 1/30/06

Staff: Marsha Reilly (786-7135).

Background:

In 1989, the Legislature created a leave sharing program to help employees dealing with an extraordinary illness or injury and facing job loss or leave without pay status as a result. Under the original program, a state employee could transfer only annual leave to a fellow employee. The program has since expanded to allow the transfer of sick leave and the personal holiday, and extended to employees called to service in the uniformed services.

Employees may transfer a specified amount of annual or sick leave to another employee requesting shared leave as long as the donating employee maintains a minimum balance of 10 days of annual leave and 176 hours of sick leave after the transfer.

The agency head determines the amount of transferred leave an employee may receive; however, an employee may not receive a total of more than 261 days of leave.

Summary of Bill:

The shared leave program is extended to employees called to provide service in a declared federal or state emergency. In order to qualify for the program, the employee must be professionally trained for a specific emergency service and be part of a deployed unit for that emergency service.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

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