READ FIRST TIME 02/08/06.   

     AN ACT Relating to community and technical college part-time academic employee health care benefits; adding a new section to chapter 41.05 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.50 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   Part-time academic employees at community and technical colleges are currently eligible for full health care benefits beginning the second consecutive quarter of employment, at half-time or more of an academic workload, as defined in RCW 28B.50.489. They are also eligible for health benefits through the summer even if they receive no work at all that quarter, if they have worked half-time or more of an academic workload in three of the four preceding quarters. However, workload fluctuations below these thresholds may result in the loss of employer contributions for health care benefits. It is the intent of the legislature to provide for continuous health care eligibility for part-time academic employees based on averaging workload gained during the preceding academic year.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 41.05 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Part-time academic employees, as defined in RCW 28B.50.489, who have established eligibility as determined from the payroll records of the employing community or technical college districts, for employer contributions for benefits under this chapter and who have worked an average of half-time or more in each of the two preceding academic years, through employment at one or more community or technical college districts, are eligible for continuation of employer contributions for the subsequent summer quarter period including the break between summer and fall quarters.
     (2) Once a part-time academic employee meets the criteria in subsection (1) of this section, the employee shall continue to receive uninterrupted employer contributions for benefits if the employee works at least three of the four quarters of the academic year with an average academic workload of half-time or more. Benefits provided under this section cease at the end of the academic year if this criteria is not met. Continuous benefits shall be reinstated once the employee reestablishes eligibility under subsection (1) of this section and will be maintained as long as the employee works at least three of the four quarters of the academic year with an average academic workload of half-time or more.
     (3) As used in this section, "academic year" means summer, fall, winter, and spring quarters.
     (4) This section does not modify rules in existence on the effective date of this section adopted under this chapter regarding the initial establishment of eligibility for benefits.
     (5) This section does not preclude individuals from being eligible for benefits under other laws or rules that may apply or for which they may be eligible.
     (6) The employer must notify part-time academic employees of their potential right to benefits under this section.
     (7) To be eligible for maintenance of benefits through averaging, part-time academic employees must notify their employers of their potential eligibility. The state board for community and technical colleges shall report back to the legislature by November 15, 2009, on the feasibility of eliminating the self-reporting requirement for employees.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 28B.50 RCW to read as follows:
     Health care benefits for part-time academic employees are governed by section 2 of this act.