SSB 6724 -
By Senator Fairley
ADOPTED 02/15/2010
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 41.04.665 and 2008 c 36 s 3 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) An agency head may permit an employee to receive leave under
this section if:
(a)(i) The employee suffers from, or has a relative or household
member suffering from, an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or
mental condition which is of an extraordinary or severe nature;
(ii) The employee has been called to service in the uniformed
services;
(iii) A state of emergency has been declared anywhere within the
United States by the federal or any state government and the employee
has needed skills to assist in responding to the emergency or its
aftermath and volunteers his or her services to either a governmental
agency or to a nonprofit organization engaged in humanitarian relief in
the devastated area, and the governmental agency or nonprofit
organization accepts the employee's offer of volunteer services; or
(iv) The employee is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault,
or stalking;
(b) The illness, injury, impairment, condition, call to service,
emergency volunteer service, or consequence of domestic violence,
sexual assault, or stalking has caused, or is likely to cause, the
employee to:
(i) Go on leave without pay status; or
(ii) Terminate state employment;
(c) The employee's absence and the use of shared leave are
justified;
(d) The employee has depleted or will shortly deplete his or her:
(i) Annual leave and sick leave reserves if he or she qualifies
under (a)(i) of this subsection;
(ii) Annual leave and paid military leave allowed under RCW
38.40.060 if he or she qualifies under (a)(ii) of this subsection; or
(iii) Annual leave if he or she qualifies under (a)(iii) or (iv) of
this subsection;
(e) The employee has abided by agency rules regarding:
(i) Sick leave use if he or she qualifies under (a)(i) or (iv) of
this subsection; or
(ii) Military leave if he or she qualifies under (a)(ii) of this
subsection; and
(f) The employee has diligently pursued and been found to be
ineligible for benefits under chapter 51.32 RCW if he or she qualifies
under (a)(i) of this subsection.
(2) The agency head shall determine the amount of leave, if any,
which an employee may receive under this section. However, an employee
shall not receive a total of more than ((two hundred sixty-one)) the
following number of days of leave((, except that)): (a) For an
employee with fewer than ten years of service, two hundred sixty-one
days; (b) for an employee with at least ten but fewer than twenty years
of service, five hundred twenty-two days; and (c) for an employee with
twenty or more years of service, seven hundred eighty-three days.
Shared leave received under the uniformed service shared leave pool in
RCW 41.04.685 is not ((included in this total)) subject to the
limitations under (a) through (c) of this subsection.
(3) An employee may transfer annual leave, sick leave, and his or
her personal holiday, as follows:
(a) An employee who has an accrued annual leave balance of more
than ten days may request that the head of the agency for which the
employee works transfer a specified amount of annual leave to another
employee authorized to receive leave under subsection (1) of this
section. In no event may the employee request a transfer of an amount
of leave that would result in his or her annual leave account going
below ten days. For purposes of this subsection (3)(a), annual leave
does not accrue if the employee receives compensation in lieu of
accumulating a balance of annual leave.
(b) An employee may transfer a specified amount of sick leave to an
employee requesting shared leave only when the donating employee
retains a minimum of one hundred seventy-six hours of sick leave after
the transfer.
(c) An employee may transfer, under the provisions of this section
relating to the transfer of leave, all or part of his or her personal
holiday, as that term is defined under RCW 1.16.050, or as such
holidays are provided to employees by agreement with a school
district's board of directors if the leave transferred under this
subsection does not exceed the amount of time provided for personal
holidays under RCW 1.16.050.
(4) An employee of an institution of higher education under RCW
28B.10.016, school district, or educational service district who does
not accrue annual leave but does accrue sick leave and who has an
accrued sick leave balance of more than twenty-two days may request
that the head of the agency for which the employee works transfer a
specified amount of sick leave to another employee authorized to
receive leave under subsection (1) of this section. In no event may
such an employee request a transfer that would result in his or her
sick leave account going below twenty-two days. Transfers of sick
leave under this subsection are limited to transfers from employees who
do not accrue annual leave. Under this subsection, "sick leave" also
includes leave accrued pursuant to RCW 28A.400.300(2) or 28A.310.240(1)
with compensation for illness, injury, and emergencies.
(5) Transfers of leave made by an agency head under subsections (3)
and (4) of this section shall not exceed the requested amount.
(6) Leave transferred under this section may be transferred from
employees of one agency to an employee of the same agency or, with the
approval of the heads of both agencies, to an employee of another state
agency. ((However, leave transferred to or from employees of school
districts or educational service districts is limited to transfers to
or from employees within the same employing district.))
(7) While an employee is on leave transferred under this section,
he or she shall continue to be classified as a state employee and shall
receive the same treatment in respect to salary, wages, and employee
benefits as the employee would normally receive if using accrued annual
leave or sick leave.
(a) All salary and wage payments made to employees while on leave
transferred under this section shall be made by the agency employing
the person receiving the leave. The value of leave transferred shall
be based upon the leave value of the person receiving the leave.
(b) In the case of leave transferred by an employee of one agency
to an employee of another agency, the agencies involved shall arrange
for the transfer of funds and credit for the appropriate value of
leave.
(i) Pursuant to rules adopted by the office of financial
management, funds shall not be transferred under this section if the
transfer would violate any constitutional or statutory restrictions on
the funds being transferred.
(ii) The office of financial management may adjust the
appropriation authority of an agency receiving funds under this section
only if and to the extent that the agency's existing appropriation
authority would prevent it from expending the funds received.
(iii) Where any questions arise in the transfer of funds or the
adjustment of appropriation authority, the director of financial
management shall determine the appropriate transfer or adjustment.
(8) Leave transferred under this section shall not be used in any
calculation to determine an agency's allocation of full time equivalent
staff positions.
(9) The value of any leave transferred under this section which
remains unused shall be returned at its original value to the employee
or employees who transferred the leave when the agency head finds that
the leave is no longer needed or will not be needed at a future time in
connection with the illness or injury for which the leave was
transferred or for any other qualifying condition. Before the agency
head makes a determination to return unused leave in connection with an
illness or injury, or any other qualifying condition, he or she must
receive from the affected employee a statement from the employee's
doctor verifying that the illness or injury is resolved. To the extent
administratively feasible, the value of unused leave which was
transferred by more than one employee shall be returned on a pro rata
basis.
(10) An employee who uses leave that is transferred to him or her
under this section may not be required to repay the value of the leave
that he or she used.
(11) The director of personnel may adopt rules as necessary to
implement subsection (2)(a) through (c) of this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 This act is necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the
state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect
immediately."
SSB 6724 -
By Senator Fairley
ADOPTED 02/15/2010
On page 1, line 1 of the title, after "Relating to" strike the remainder of the title and insert "the leave sharing program; amending RCW 41.04.665; and declaring an emergency."
EFFECT: Incorporates a provision amending the calculation of leave an employee is eligible to receive to correspond with the employee's service years. Authorizes the director of personnel to adopt rules as necessary to implement these changes. Authorizes school district and educational service district employees to transfer and share leave with employees from another agency. Amends title to reflect the added provision. Adds an emergency clause.