Title: An act relating to shared leave for state employees in the uniformed services.

Brief Description: Creating the uniformed service shared leave pool.

Sponsors: House Committee on State Government & Tribal Affairs (originally sponsored by Representatives Seaquist, Bailey, Schual-Berke, Green, Kenney, Williams, Conway, Ericks, Lantz, Darneille, Linville, Moeller, Kelley, Morrell and Rolfes; by request of Governor Gregoire).

Brief History: Passed House: 2/12/07, 96-0.

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 3/15/07, 3/19/07 [DP-WM].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.Signed by Senators Fairley, Chair; Oemig, Vice Chair; Kline, Pridemore and Swecker.

Staff: Amy Van Horn (786-7784)

Background: In 1989, the Legislature enacted a leave sharing program for state employees in which eligible employees may share leave on a one-to-one basis with other specific employees.

In 2006, the Legislature enacted a sick leave pool for state employees in which employees can contribute to and take from one shared pool of accumulated leave time. Under this program, which will begin July 1, 2007, state agencies may establish a voluntary sick leave pool which participating employees may use if they have otherwise used all of their sick, vacation, or compensatory time.

Time from the sick leave pool may only be used for an employee's personal illness, accident, or injury. An employee may participate in the sick leave pool after one year of employment with the state, and an employee who cancels his or her participation in a sick leave pool may not withdraw the leave time he or she has contributed. Part-time employees may participate in sick leave pools on a pro-rata basis.

Summary of Bill: A uniformed services shared leave pool is created. The Military Department must administer the pool in consultation with the Department of Personnel, and a uniformed services shared leave pool account is created in the custody of the State Treasurer.

Under the program, any state employee who is called to service in the uniformed services may
use leave from the pool, provided they meet the requirements of the state's existing leave
sharing program. State employees currently eligible for the state's leave sharing program may
contribute to and use leave from the pool, except for employees of school districts and educational service districts.

Leave paid from the pool to an employee, in combination with the employee's military salary,
may not exceed the employee's state monthly salary. Participating employees must provide an earnings statement to the Department of Personnel. An employee may take leave from the
pool without recontributing it to the pool.

Leave may not be granted from the pool unless the pool has a sufficient balance to fund the requested leave for the expected term of service.

"Uniformed services" includes the armed forces, the state National Guard, the commissioned
corps of the Public Health Service, the Coast Guard, and any other category of persons
designated by the President of the United States in time of war or national emergency.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: October 1, 2007.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: This bill represents an important piece of generosity. Under the program, individual state employees can donate their own leave time to a pool. State employees who are called to military service and have to leave their state jobs can then use the donated leave time from the pool, which will ease the financial burden on them.

Persons Testifying: PRO: Representative Seaquist, prime sponsor; Mike Partridge, Veterans Legislative Coalition.