BILL REQ. #:  S-1713.1 

Read first time 02/18/2005.   Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development.

     AN ACT Relating to the industrial injury second injury fund; amending RCW 51.44.040; and creating a new section.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 51.44.040 and 1982 c 63 s 14 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) There shall be in the office of the state treasurer, a fund to be known and designated as the "second injury fund", which shall be used only for the purpose of defraying charges against it as provided in RCW 51.16.120 and 51.32.250((, as now or hereafter amended. Said)). The fund shall be administered by the director. The state treasurer shall be the custodian of the second injury fund and shall be authorized to disburse moneys from it only upon written order of the director.
     (2) Payments to the second injury fund from the accident fund shall be made pursuant to rules ((and regulations promulgated)) adopted by the director.
     (3) Assessments for the second injury fund shall be imposed on self-insurers pursuant to rules ((and regulations promulgated by the director to ensure that self-insurers shall pay to such fund)) adopted by the director. In addition, the department shall experience rate the amount assessed each self-insurer as long as the aggregate amount assessed is in the proportion that the payments made from ((such)) the fund on account of claims made against self-insurers bears to the total sum of payments from ((such)) the fund. The experience rating factor must provide equal weight to the ratio between payments made by the second-injury fund for claims of the self-insurer to the total payments made by the second-injury fund by all self-insurers for the prior three fiscal years and the ratio of workers' compensation claim payments under this title made by the self-insurer to the total worker's compensation payments made by all self-insurers under this title for the prior three fiscal years. This average must be divided by the latter ratio to arrive at the experience factor.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   This act applies to self-insurer assessments for the industrial insurance second injury fund that are imposed on or after July 1, 2008.