State of Washington | 61st Legislature | 2010 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 01/22/10.
AN ACT Relating to the operations of state agencies; amending RCW 42.04.060 and 41.04.665; reenacting and amending RCW 41.26.030, 41.32.010, 41.37.010, and 43.43.120; adding a new section to chapter 41.80 RCW; creating new sections; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature declares that unprecedented
revenue shortfalls necessitate immediate action to reduce expenditures
during the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium. From the effective date of this
section, it is the intent of the legislature that state agencies of the
legislative branch, judicial branch, and executive branch including
institutions of higher education, shall achieve a reduction in
government operating expenses as provided in this act. It is the
legislature's intent that, to the extent that the reductions in
expenditures reduce compensation costs, agencies and institutions shall
strive to preserve family wage jobs by reducing the impact of temporary
layoffs on lower-wage jobs.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 State agencies and institutions shall
achieve reductions in compensation expenditures for employees employed
by general government state agencies in Washington management services,
or exempt positions as managers, as defined in RCW 41.06.022, as
provided in the omnibus appropriations act. These reductions shall be
sufficient to attain a savings of $10 million general fund--state for
fiscal year 2011. Savings in other funds and accounts shall be
achieved as provided in the omnibus appropriations act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 (1)(a) The office of financial management
shall certify to each executive branch state agency and institution of
higher education the compensation reduction amount to be achieved by
that agency or institution. Each agency and institution shall achieve
compensation expenditure reductions as provided in the omnibus
appropriations act.
(b) Each executive branch state agency other than institutions of
higher education may submit to the office of financial management a
compensation reduction plan to achieve the cost reductions as provided
in the omnibus appropriations act. The compensation reduction plan of
each executive branch agency may include, but is not limited to,
employee leave without pay, including additional mandatory and
voluntary temporary layoffs, reductions in the agency workforce,
compensation reductions, and reduced work hours, as well as voluntary
retirement, separation, and other incentive programs authorized by
section 912, chapter 564, Laws of 2009. The amount of compensation
cost reductions to be achieved by each agency shall be adjusted to
reflect voluntary and mandatory temporary layoffs at the agency during
the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium and implemented prior to January 1, 2010,
but not adjusted by other compensation reduction plans adopted as a
result of the enactment of chapter 564, Laws of 2009, or the enactment
of other compensation cost reduction measures applicable to the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium.
(c) Each institution of higher education must submit to the office
of financial management a compensation reduction plan to achieve at
least the cost reductions as provided in the omnibus appropriations
act. For purposes of the compensation reduction plan, the state board
of community and technical colleges shall submit a single plan on
behalf of all community and technical colleges. The compensation
reduction plan of each institution may include, but is not limited to,
employee leave without pay, including mandatory and voluntary temporary
layoffs, reductions in the institution workforce, compensation
reductions, and reduced work hours, as well as voluntary retirement,
separation, and other incentive programs authorized by section 912,
chapter 564, Laws of 2009. The amount of compensation cost reductions
to be achieved by each institution shall be adjusted to reflect
voluntary and mandatory temporary layoffs at the institution during the
2009-2011 fiscal biennium and implemented prior to January 1, 2010, but
not adjusted by other compensation reduction plans adopted as a result
of the enactment of chapter 564, Laws of 2009, or the enactment of
other compensation cost reduction measures applicable to the 2009-2011
fiscal biennium.
(d) The director of financial management shall review, approve, and
submit to the legislative fiscal committees those executive branch
state agencies and higher education institution compensation reduction
plans that achieve the cost reductions as provided in the omnibus
appropriations act. For those executive branch state agencies and
institutions of higher education that do not have an approved
compensation reduction plan, the institution shall be closed on the
dates specified in subsection (2) of this section.
(e) For each agency of the legislative branch, the chief clerk of
the house of representatives and the secretary of the senate shall
review and approve a plan of employee mandatory and voluntary leave for
the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium that achieve the cost reductions as
provided in the omnibus appropriations act. The amount of compensation
cost reductions to be achieved shall be adjusted, if necessary, to
reflect voluntary and mandatory temporary layoffs at the agencies
during the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium and implemented prior to January
1, 2010.
(f) For each agency of the judicial branch, the supreme court shall
review and approve a plan of employee mandatory and voluntary leave for
the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium that achieve the cost reductions as
provided in the omnibus appropriations act. The amount of compensation
cost reductions to be achieved shall be adjusted, if necessary, to
reflect voluntary and mandatory temporary layoffs at the agencies
during the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium and implemented prior to January
1, 2010.
(2) Each state agency of the executive, legislative, and judicial
branch, and any institution that does not have an approved plan in
accordance with subsection (1) of this section shall be closed on the
following dates in addition to the legal holidays specified in RCW
1.16.050:
(a) Monday, July 12, 2010;
(b) Friday, August 6, 2010;
(c) Tuesday, September 7, 2010;
(d) Monday, October 11, 2010;
(e) Monday, December 27, 2010;
(f) Friday, January 28, 2011;
(g) Tuesday, February 22, 2011;
(h) Friday, March 11, 2011;
(i) Friday, April 22, 2011;
(j) Friday, June 10, 2011.
(3) If the closure of state agencies or institutions under
subsection (2) of this section prevents the performance of any action,
the action shall be considered timely if performed on the next business
day.
(4) The following activities of state agencies and institutions of
higher education are exempt from subsections (1) and (2) of this
section:
(a) Direct custody, supervision, and patient care in: (i)
Corrections; (ii) juvenile rehabilitation; (iii) institutional care of
veterans, or individuals with mental illness, and individuals with
developmental disabilities; (iv) state hospitals, the University of
Washington medical center, and Harborview medical center; (v) the
special commitment center; (vi) the school for the blind; (vii) the
state center for childhood deafness and hearing loss; and (viii) the
Washington youth academy;
(b) Direct protective services to children and other vulnerable
populations, child support enforcement, disability determination
services, complaint investigators, and residential care licensors and
surveyors in the department of social and health services and the
department of health;
(c) Washington state patrol investigative services and field
enforcement;
(d) Hazardous materials response or emergency response and cleanup;
(e) Emergency public health and patient safety response and the
public health laboratory;
(f) Military operations and emergency management within the
military department;
(g) Firefighting;
(h) Enforcement officers in the department of fish and wildlife,
the liquor control board, the gambling commission, the department of
financial institutions, and the department of natural resources;
(i) State parks operated by the parks and recreation commission;
(j) In institutions of higher education, classroom instruction,
operations not funded from state funds or tuition, campus police and
security, emergency management and response, work performed by student
employees if the duties were not previously assigned to nonstudents
during the current or prior school year, and student health care;
(k) Operations of liquor control board business enterprises and
games conducted by the state lottery;
(l) Agricultural commodity commissions and boards, and agricultural
inspection programs operated by the department of agriculture;
(m) The unemployment insurance program and reemployment services of
the employment security department;
(n) The workers' compensation program and workplace safety and
health compliance activities of the department of labor and industries;
(o) The operation, maintenance, and construction of state ferries
and state highways;
(p) The department of revenue;
(q) Licensing service offices in the department of licensing that
are open no more than two days per week, and no licensing service
office closures may occur on Saturdays as a result of this section;
(r) The governor, lieutenant governor, and legislative agencies,
during sessions of the legislature under Article II, section 12 of the
state Constitution and the twenty-day veto period under Article IV,
section 12 of the state Constitution; and
(s) The minimal use of state employees on the specified closure
dates as necessary to protect public assets and information technology
systems, and to maintain public safety.
(5)(a) The closure of an office of a state agency or institution of
higher education under this section shall result in the temporary
layoff of the employees of the agency or institution. The compensation
of the employees shall be reduced proportionately to the duration of
the temporary layoff. Temporary layoffs under this section shall not
affect the employees' vacation leave accrual, seniority, health
insurance, or sick leave credits. For the purposes of chapter 430,
Laws of 2009, the compensation reductions under this section are deemed
to be an integral part of an employer's expenditure reduction efforts
and shall not result in the loss of retirement benefits in any state
defined benefit retirement plan for an employee whose period of average
final compensation includes a portion of the period from the effective
date of this section through June 30, 2011.
(b)(i) During the closure of an office or institution under this
section, any employee with a monthly full-time equivalent salary of two
thousand five hundred dollars or less may, at the employee's option,
use accrued vacation leave in lieu of temporary layoff during the
closure. Solely for this purpose, and during the 2009-2011 fiscal
biennium only, the department of personnel shall adopt rules to permit
employees with less than six months of continuous state employment to
use accrued vacation leave.
(ii) If an employee with a monthly full-time equivalent salary of
two thousand five hundred dollars or less has no accrued vacation
leave, that employee may use shared leave, if approved by the agency
director, and if made available through donations under RCW 41.04.665
in lieu of temporary layoff during the closure.
(6) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, for
employees not scheduled to work on a day specified in subsection (2) of
this section, the employing agency must designate an alternative day
during that month on which the employee is scheduled to work that the
employee will take temporary leave without pay.
(7) To the extent that the implementation of this section is
subject to collective bargaining under chapter 41.80 RCW, the
bargaining shall be conducted pursuant to section 4 of this act. To
the extent that the implementation of this section is subject to
collective bargaining under chapters 28B.52, 41.56, 41.76, or 47.64
RCW, the bargaining shall be conducted pursuant to these chapters.
(8) For all or a portion of the employees of an agency of the
executive branch, the office of financial management may approve the
substitution of temporary layoffs on an alternative date during that
month for any date specified in subsection (2) of this section as
necessary for the critical work of any agency.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 A new section is added to chapter 41.80 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) To the extent that the implementation of section 3 of this act
is subject to collective bargaining:
(a) For institutions of higher education that have elected to have
negotiations conducted by the governor or governor's designee in
accordance with RCW 41.80.010(4), and that have an approved
compensation reduction plan under section 3(1) of this act,
negotiations regarding impacts of the compensation reduction plan shall
be conducted between the governor or governor's designee and a
coalition at each college, college district, or university of all of
the exclusive bargaining representatives subject to chapter 41.80 RCW;
(b) For institutions of higher education that have elected to have
negotiations conducted by the governor or governor's designee in
accordance with RCW 41.80.010(4), and that do not have an approved
compensation reduction plan under section 3(1) of this act,
negotiations regarding impacts of the temporary layoffs under section
3(2) of this act shall be conducted between the governor or governor's
designee and one coalition of all of the exclusive bargaining
representatives subject to chapter 41.80 RCW;
(c) For institutions of higher education that have not elected to
have negotiations conducted by the governor or governor's designee
under RCW 41.80.010(4), negotiations regarding impacts of section 3 of
this act shall be conducted between each institution of higher
education and the exclusive bargaining representatives;
(d) For agencies that have an approved compensation reduction plan
under section 3(1) of this act, negotiations regarding impacts of the
compensation reduction plan shall be conducted between the governor or
governor's designee and a coalition at each agency of all of the
exclusive bargaining representatives subject to chapter 41.80 RCW; and
(e) For agencies that do not have an approved compensation
reduction plan under section 3(1) of this act, negotiations regarding
impacts of the temporary layoffs under section 3(2) of this act shall
be conducted between the governor or governor's designee and one
coalition of all of the exclusive bargaining representatives subject to
chapter 41.80 RCW.
(2) This section expires June 30, 2011.
Sec. 5 RCW 42.04.060 and 2009 c 428 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
Except as provided in section 3 of this act, all state elective and
appointive officers shall keep their offices open for the transaction
of business for a minimum of forty hours per week, except weeks that
include state legal holidays. Customary business hours must be posted
on the agency or office's web site and made known by other means
designed to provide the public with notice.
((This section shall not apply to the courts of record of this
state or to their officers nor to the office of the attorney general
and the lieutenant governor.))
Sec. 6 RCW 41.26.030 and 2009 c 523 s 3 are each reenacted and
amended to read as follows:
As used in this chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly
required by the context:
(1) "Accumulated contributions" means the employee's contributions
made by a member, including any amount paid under RCW 41.50.165(2),
plus accrued interest credited thereon.
(2) "Actuarial reserve" means a method of financing a pension or
retirement plan wherein reserves are accumulated as the liabilities for
benefit payments are incurred in order that sufficient funds will be
available on the date of retirement of each member to pay the member's
future benefits during the period of retirement.
(3) "Actuarial valuation" means a mathematical determination of the
financial condition of a retirement plan. It includes the computation
of the present monetary value of benefits payable to present members,
and the present monetary value of future employer and employee
contributions, giving effect to mortality among active and retired
members and also to the rates of disability, retirement, withdrawal
from service, salary and interest earned on investments.
(4)(a) "Basic salary" for plan 1 members, means the basic monthly
rate of salary or wages, including longevity pay but not including
overtime earnings or special salary or wages, upon which pension or
retirement benefits will be computed and upon which employer
contributions and salary deductions will be based.
(b) "Basic salary" for plan 2 members, means salaries or wages
earned by a member during a payroll period for personal services,
including overtime payments, and shall include wages and salaries
deferred under provisions established pursuant to sections 403(b),
414(h), and 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, but shall
exclude lump sum payments for deferred annual sick leave, unused
accumulated vacation, unused accumulated annual leave, or any form of
severance pay. In any year in which a member serves in the legislature
the member shall have the option of having such member's basic salary
be the greater of:
(i) The basic salary the member would have received had such member
not served in the legislature; or
(ii) Such member's actual basic salary received for nonlegislative
public employment and legislative service combined. Any additional
contributions to the retirement system required because basic salary
under (b)(i) of this subsection is greater than basic salary under
(b)(ii) of this subsection shall be paid by the member for both member
and employer contributions.
(5)(a) "Beneficiary" for plan 1 members, means any person in
receipt of a retirement allowance, disability allowance, death benefit,
or any other benefit described herein.
(b) "Beneficiary" for plan 2 members, means any person in receipt
of a retirement allowance or other benefit provided by this chapter
resulting from service rendered to an employer by another person.
(6)(a) "Child" or "children" means an unmarried person who is under
the age of eighteen or mentally or physically disabled as determined by
the department, except a person who is disabled and in the full time
care of a state institution, who is:
(i) A natural born child;
(ii) A stepchild where that relationship was in existence prior to
the date benefits are payable under this chapter;
(iii) A posthumous child;
(iv) A child legally adopted or made a legal ward of a member prior
to the date benefits are payable under this chapter; or
(v) An illegitimate child legitimized prior to the date any
benefits are payable under this chapter.
(b) A person shall also be deemed to be a child up to and including
the age of twenty years and eleven months while attending any high
school, college, or vocational or other educational institution
accredited, licensed, or approved by the state, in which it is located,
including the summer vacation months and all other normal and regular
vacation periods at the particular educational institution after which
the child returns to school.
(7) "Department" means the department of retirement systems created
in chapter 41.50 RCW.
(8) "Director" means the director of the department.
(9) "Disability board" for plan 1 members means either the county
disability board or the city disability board established in RCW
41.26.110.
(10) "Disability leave" means the period of six months or any
portion thereof during which a member is on leave at an allowance equal
to the member's full salary prior to the commencement of disability
retirement. The definition contained in this subsection shall apply
only to plan 1 members.
(11) "Disability retirement" for plan 1 members, means the period
following termination of a member's disability leave, during which the
member is in receipt of a disability retirement allowance.
(12) "Domestic partners" means two adults who have registered as
domestic partners under RCW 26.60.020.
(13) "Employee" means any law enforcement officer or firefighter as
defined in subsections (16) and (18) of this section.
(14)(a) "Employer" for plan 1 members, means the legislative
authority of any city, town, county, or district or the elected
officials of any municipal corporation that employs any law enforcement
officer and/or firefighter, any authorized association of such
municipalities, and, except for the purposes of RCW 41.26.150, any
labor guild, association, or organization, which represents the
firefighters or law enforcement officers of at least seven cities of
over 20,000 population and the membership of each local lodge or
division of which is composed of at least sixty percent law enforcement
officers or firefighters as defined in this chapter.
(b) "Employer" for plan 2 members, means the following entities to
the extent that the entity employs any law enforcement officer and/or
firefighter:
(i) The legislative authority of any city, town, county, or
district;
(ii) The elected officials of any municipal corporation;
(iii) The governing body of any other general authority law
enforcement agency; or
(iv) A four-year institution of higher education having a fully
operational fire department as of January 1, 1996.
(15)(a) "Final average salary" for plan 1 members, means (i) for a
member holding the same position or rank for a minimum of twelve months
preceding the date of retirement, the basic salary attached to such
same position or rank at time of retirement; (ii) for any other member,
including a civil service member who has not served a minimum of twelve
months in the same position or rank preceding the date of retirement,
the average of the greatest basic salaries payable to such member
during any consecutive twenty-four month period within such member's
last ten years of service for which service credit is allowed, computed
by dividing the total basic salaries payable to such member during the
selected twenty-four month period by twenty-four; (iii) in the case of
disability of any member, the basic salary payable to such member at
the time of disability retirement; (iv) in the case of a member who
hereafter vests pursuant to RCW 41.26.090, the basic salary payable to
such member at the time of vesting.
(b) "Final average salary" for plan 2 members, means the monthly
average of the member's basic salary for the highest consecutive sixty
service credit months of service prior to such member's retirement,
termination, or death. Periods constituting authorized unpaid leaves
of absence may not be used in the calculation of final average salary.
(c) In calculating final average salary under (a) or (b) of this
subsection, the department of retirement systems shall include any
compensation forgone by a member employed by a state agency or
institution during the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium as a result of reduced
work hours, mandatory or voluntary leave without pay, or temporary
layoffs if the reduced compensation is an integral part of the
employer's expenditure reduction efforts, as certified by the employer.
(16) "Firefighter" means:
(a) Any person who is serving on a full time, fully compensated
basis as a member of a fire department of an employer and who is
serving in a position which requires passing a civil service
examination for firefighter, and who is actively employed as such;
(b) Anyone who is actively employed as a full time firefighter
where the fire department does not have a civil service examination;
(c) Supervisory firefighter personnel;
(d) Any full time executive secretary of an association of fire
protection districts authorized under RCW 52.12.031. The provisions of
this subsection (16)(d) shall not apply to plan 2 members;
(e) The executive secretary of a labor guild, association or
organization (which is an employer under ((RCW 41.26.030(14) as now or
hereafter amended)) subsection (14) of this section), if such
individual has five years previous membership in a retirement system
established in chapter 41.16 or 41.18 RCW. The provisions of this
subsection (16)(e) shall not apply to plan 2 members;
(f) Any person who is serving on a full time, fully compensated
basis for an employer, as a fire dispatcher, in a department in which,
on March 1, 1970, a dispatcher was required to have passed a civil
service examination for firefighter;
(g) Any person who on March 1, 1970, was employed on a full time,
fully compensated basis by an employer, and who on May 21, 1971, was
making retirement contributions under the provisions of chapter 41.16
or 41.18 RCW; and
(h) Any person who is employed on a full-time, fully compensated
basis by an employer as an emergency medical technician.
(17) "General authority law enforcement agency" means any agency,
department, or division of a municipal corporation, political
subdivision, or other unit of local government of this state, and any
agency, department, or division of state government, having as its
primary function the detection and apprehension of persons committing
infractions or violating the traffic or criminal laws in general, but
not including the Washington state patrol. Such an agency, department,
or division is distinguished from a limited authority law enforcement
agency having as one of its functions the apprehension or detection of
persons committing infractions or violating the traffic or criminal
laws relating to limited subject areas, including but not limited to,
the state departments of natural resources and social and health
services, the state gambling commission, the state lottery commission,
the state parks and recreation commission, the state utilities and
transportation commission, the state liquor control board, and the
state department of corrections.
(18) "Law enforcement officer" beginning January 1, 1994, means any
person who is commissioned and employed by an employer on a full time,
fully compensated basis to enforce the criminal laws of the state of
Washington generally, with the following qualifications:
(a) No person who is serving in a position that is basically
clerical or secretarial in nature, and who is not commissioned shall be
considered a law enforcement officer;
(b) Only those deputy sheriffs, including those serving under a
different title pursuant to county charter, who have successfully
completed a civil service examination for deputy sheriff or the
equivalent position, where a different title is used, and those persons
serving in unclassified positions authorized by RCW 41.14.070 except a
private secretary will be considered law enforcement officers;
(c) Only such full time commissioned law enforcement personnel as
have been appointed to offices, positions, or ranks in the police
department which have been specifically created or otherwise expressly
provided for and designated by city charter provision or by ordinance
enacted by the legislative body of the city shall be considered city
police officers;
(d) The term "law enforcement officer" also includes the executive
secretary of a labor guild, association or organization (which is an
employer under ((RCW 41.26.030(14))) subsection (14) of this section)
if that individual has five years previous membership in the retirement
system established in chapter 41.20 RCW. The provisions of this
subsection (18)(d) shall not apply to plan 2 members; and
(e) The term "law enforcement officer" also includes a person
employed on or after January 1, 1993, as a public safety officer or
director of public safety, so long as the job duties substantially
involve only either police or fire duties, or both, and no other duties
in a city or town with a population of less than ten thousand. The
provisions of this subsection (18)(e) shall not apply to any public
safety officer or director of public safety who is receiving a
retirement allowance under this chapter as of May 12, 1993.
(19) "Medical services" for plan 1 members, shall include the
following as minimum services to be provided. Reasonable charges for
these services shall be paid in accordance with RCW 41.26.150.
(a) Hospital expenses: These are the charges made by a hospital,
in its own behalf, for
(i) Board and room not to exceed semiprivate room rate unless
private room is required by the attending physician due to the
condition of the patient.
(ii) Necessary hospital services, other than board and room,
furnished by the hospital.
(b) Other medical expenses: The following charges are considered
"other medical expenses", provided that they have not been considered
as "hospital expenses".
(i) The fees of the following:
(A) A physician or surgeon licensed under the provisions of chapter
18.71 RCW;
(B) An osteopathic physician and surgeon licensed under the
provisions of chapter 18.57 RCW;
(C) A chiropractor licensed under the provisions of chapter 18.25
RCW.
(ii) The charges of a registered graduate nurse other than a nurse
who ordinarily resides in the member's home, or is a member of the
family of either the member or the member's spouse.
(iii) The charges for the following medical services and supplies:
(A) Drugs and medicines upon a physician's prescription;
(B) Diagnostic X-ray and laboratory examinations;
(C) X-ray, radium, and radioactive isotopes therapy;
(D) Anesthesia and oxygen;
(E) Rental of iron lung and other durable medical and surgical
equipment;
(F) Artificial limbs and eyes, and casts, splints, and trusses;
(G) Professional ambulance service when used to transport the
member to or from a hospital when injured by an accident or stricken by
a disease;
(H) Dental charges incurred by a member who sustains an accidental
injury to his or her teeth and who commences treatment by a legally
licensed dentist within ninety days after the accident;
(I) Nursing home confinement or hospital extended care facility;
(J) Physical therapy by a registered physical therapist;
(K) Blood transfusions, including the cost of blood and blood
plasma not replaced by voluntary donors;
(L) An optometrist licensed under the provisions of chapter 18.53
RCW.
(20) "Member" means any firefighter, law enforcement officer, or
other person as would apply under subsections (16) or (18) of this
section whose membership is transferred to the Washington law
enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system on or after
March 1, 1970, and every law enforcement officer and firefighter who is
employed in that capacity on or after such date.
(21) "Plan 1" means the law enforcement officers' and firefighters'
retirement system, plan 1 providing the benefits and funding provisions
covering persons who first became members of the system prior to
October 1, 1977.
(22) "Plan 2" means the law enforcement officers' and firefighters'
retirement system, plan 2 providing the benefits and funding provisions
covering persons who first became members of the system on and after
October 1, 1977.
(23) "Position" means the employment held at any particular time,
which may or may not be the same as civil service rank.
(24) "Regular interest" means such rate as the director may
determine.
(25) "Retiree" for persons who establish membership in the
retirement system on or after October 1, 1977, means any member in
receipt of a retirement allowance or other benefit provided by this
chapter resulting from service rendered to an employer by such member.
(26) "Retirement fund" means the "Washington law enforcement
officers' and firefighters' retirement system fund" as provided for
herein.
(27) "Retirement system" means the "Washington law enforcement
officers' and firefighters' retirement system" provided herein.
(28)(a) "Service" for plan 1 members, means all periods of
employment for an employer as a firefighter or law enforcement officer,
for which compensation is paid, together with periods of suspension not
exceeding thirty days in duration. For the purposes of this chapter
service shall also include service in the armed forces of the United
States as provided in RCW 41.26.190. Credit shall be allowed for all
service credit months of service rendered by a member from and after
the member's initial commencement of employment as a firefighter or law
enforcement officer, during which the member worked for seventy or more
hours, or was on disability leave or disability retirement. Only
service credit months of service shall be counted in the computation of
any retirement allowance or other benefit provided for in this chapter.
(i) For members retiring after May 21, 1971 who were employed under
the coverage of a prior pension act before March 1, 1970, "service"
shall also include (A) such military service not exceeding five years
as was creditable to the member as of March 1, 1970, under the member's
particular prior pension act, and (B) such other periods of service as
were then creditable to a particular member under the provisions of RCW
41.18.165, 41.20.160, or 41.20.170. However, in no event shall credit
be allowed for any service rendered prior to March 1, 1970, where the
member at the time of rendition of such service was employed in a
position covered by a prior pension act, unless such service, at the
time credit is claimed therefor, is also creditable under the
provisions of such prior act.
(ii) A member who is employed by two employers at the same time
shall only be credited with service to one such employer for any month
during which the member rendered such dual service.
(b) "Service" for plan 2 members, means periods of employment by a
member for one or more employers for which basic salary is earned for
ninety or more hours per calendar month which shall constitute a
service credit month. Periods of employment by a member for one or
more employers for which basic salary is earned for at least seventy
hours but less than ninety hours per calendar month shall constitute
one-half service credit month. Periods of employment by a member for
one or more employers for which basic salary is earned for less than
seventy hours shall constitute a one-quarter service credit month.
Members of the retirement system who are elected or appointed to a
state elective position may elect to continue to be members of this
retirement system.
Service credit years of service shall be determined by dividing the
total number of service credit months of service by twelve. Any
fraction of a service credit year of service as so determined shall be
taken into account in the computation of such retirement allowance or
benefits.
If a member receives basic salary from two or more employers during
any calendar month, the individual shall receive one service credit
month's service credit during any calendar month in which multiple
service for ninety or more hours is rendered; or one-half service
credit month's service credit during any calendar month in which
multiple service for at least seventy hours but less than ninety hours
is rendered; or one-quarter service credit month during any calendar
month in which multiple service for less than seventy hours is
rendered.
(29) "Service credit month" means a full service credit month or an
accumulation of partial service credit months that are equal to one.
(30) "Service credit year" means an accumulation of months of
service credit which is equal to one when divided by twelve.
(31) "State actuary" or "actuary" means the person appointed
pursuant to RCW 44.44.010(2).
(32) "State elective position" means any position held by any
person elected or appointed to statewide office or elected or appointed
as a member of the legislature.
(33) "Surviving spouse" means the surviving widow or widower of a
member. "Surviving spouse" shall not include the divorced spouse of a
member except as provided in RCW 41.26.162.
Sec. 7 RCW 41.32.010 and 2008 c 204 s 1 and 2008 c 175 s 1 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
As used in this chapter, unless a different meaning is plainly
required by the context:
(1)(a) "Accumulated contributions" for plan 1 members, means the
sum of all regular annuity contributions and, except for the purpose of
withdrawal at the time of retirement, any amount paid under RCW
41.50.165(2) with regular interest thereon.
(b) "Accumulated contributions" for plan 2 members, means the sum
of all contributions standing to the credit of a member in the member's
individual account, including any amount paid under RCW 41.50.165(2),
together with the regular interest thereon.
(2) "Actuarial equivalent" means a benefit of equal value when
computed upon the basis of such mortality tables and regulations as
shall be adopted by the director and regular interest.
(3) "Annuity" means the moneys payable per year during life by
reason of accumulated contributions of a member.
(4) "Member reserve" means the fund in which all of the accumulated
contributions of members are held.
(5)(a) "Beneficiary" for plan 1 members, means any person in
receipt of a retirement allowance or other benefit provided by this
chapter.
(b) "Beneficiary" for plan 2 and plan 3 members, means any person
in receipt of a retirement allowance or other benefit provided by this
chapter resulting from service rendered to an employer by another
person.
(6) "Contract" means any agreement for service and compensation
between a member and an employer.
(7) "Creditable service" means membership service plus prior
service for which credit is allowable. This subsection shall apply
only to plan 1 members.
(8) "Dependent" means receiving one-half or more of support from a
member.
(9) "Disability allowance" means monthly payments during
disability. This subsection shall apply only to plan 1 members.
(10)(a) "Earnable compensation" for plan 1 members, means:
(i) All salaries and wages paid by an employer to an employee
member of the retirement system for personal services rendered during
a fiscal year. In all cases where compensation includes maintenance
the employer shall fix the value of that part of the compensation not
paid in money.
(ii) For an employee member of the retirement system teaching in an
extended school year program, two consecutive extended school years, as
defined by the employer school district, may be used as the annual
period for determining earnable compensation in lieu of the two fiscal
years.
(iii) "Earnable compensation" for plan 1 members also includes the
following actual or imputed payments, which are not paid for personal
services:
(A) Retroactive payments to an individual by an employer on
reinstatement of the employee in a position, or payments by an employer
to an individual in lieu of reinstatement in a position which are
awarded or granted as the equivalent of the salary or wages which the
individual would have earned during a payroll period shall be
considered earnable compensation and the individual shall receive the
equivalent service credit.
(B) If a leave of absence, without pay, is taken by a member for
the purpose of serving as a member of the state legislature, and such
member has served in the legislature five or more years, the salary
which would have been received for the position from which the leave of
absence was taken shall be considered as compensation earnable if the
employee's contribution thereon is paid by the employee. In addition,
where a member has been a member of the state legislature for five or
more years, earnable compensation for the member's two highest
compensated consecutive years of service shall include a sum not to
exceed thirty-six hundred dollars for each of such two consecutive
years, regardless of whether or not legislative service was rendered
during those two years.
(iv) For members employed less than full time under written
contract with a school district, or community college district, in an
instructional position, for which the member receives service credit of
less than one year in all of the years used to determine the earnable
compensation used for computing benefits due under RCW 41.32.497,
41.32.498, and 41.32.520, the member may elect to have earnable
compensation defined as provided in RCW 41.32.345. For the purposes of
this subsection, the term "instructional position" means a position in
which more than seventy-five percent of the member's time is spent as
a classroom instructor (including office hours), a librarian, a
psychologist, a social worker, a nurse, a physical therapist, an
occupational therapist, a speech language pathologist or audiologist,
or a counselor. Earnable compensation shall be so defined only for the
purpose of the calculation of retirement benefits and only as necessary
to insure that members who receive fractional service credit under RCW
41.32.270 receive benefits proportional to those received by members
who have received full-time service credit.
(v) "Earnable compensation" does not include:
(A) Remuneration for unused sick leave authorized under RCW
41.04.340, 28A.400.210, or 28A.310.490;
(B) Remuneration for unused annual leave in excess of thirty days
as authorized by RCW 43.01.044 and 43.01.041.
(b) "Earnable compensation" for plan 2 and plan 3 members, means
salaries or wages earned by a member during a payroll period for
personal services, including overtime payments, and shall include wages
and salaries deferred under provisions established pursuant to sections
403(b), 414(h), and 457 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, but
shall exclude lump sum payments for deferred annual sick leave, unused
accumulated vacation, unused accumulated annual leave, or any form of
severance pay.
"Earnable compensation" for plan 2 and plan 3 members also includes
the following actual or imputed payments which, except in the case of
(b)(ii)(B) of this subsection, are not paid for personal services:
(i) Retroactive payments to an individual by an employer on
reinstatement of the employee in a position or payments by an employer
to an individual in lieu of reinstatement in a position which are
awarded or granted as the equivalent of the salary or wages which the
individual would have earned during a payroll period shall be
considered earnable compensation, to the extent provided above, and the
individual shall receive the equivalent service credit.
(ii) In any year in which a member serves in the legislature the
member shall have the option of having such member's earnable
compensation be the greater of:
(A) The earnable compensation the member would have received had
such member not served in the legislature; or
(B) Such member's actual earnable compensation received for
teaching and legislative service combined. Any additional
contributions to the retirement system required because compensation
earnable under (b)(ii)(A) of this subsection is greater than
compensation earnable under (b)(ii)(B) of this subsection shall be paid
by the member for both member and employer contributions.
(c) In calculating earnable compensation under (a) or (b) of this
subsection, the department of retirement systems shall include any
compensation forgone by a member employed by a state agency or
institution during the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium as a result of reduced
work hours, mandatory or voluntary leave without pay, or temporary
layoffs if the reduced compensation is an integral part of the
employer's expenditure reduction efforts, as certified by the employer.
(11) "Employer" means the state of Washington, the school district,
or any agency of the state of Washington by which the member is paid.
(12) "Fiscal year" means a year which begins July 1st and ends June
30th of the following year.
(13) "Former state fund" means the state retirement fund in
operation for teachers under chapter 187, Laws of 1923, as amended.
(14) "Local fund" means any of the local retirement funds for
teachers operated in any school district in accordance with the
provisions of chapter 163, Laws of 1917 as amended.
(15) "Member" means any teacher included in the membership of the
retirement system who has not been removed from membership under RCW
41.32.878 or 41.32.768. Also, any other employee of the public schools
who, on July 1, 1947, had not elected to be exempt from membership and
who, prior to that date, had by an authorized payroll deduction,
contributed to the member reserve.
(16) "Membership service" means service rendered subsequent to the
first day of eligibility of a person to membership in the retirement
system: PROVIDED, That where a member is employed by two or more
employers the individual shall receive no more than one service credit
month during any calendar month in which multiple service is rendered.
The provisions of this subsection shall apply only to plan 1 members.
(17) "Pension" means the moneys payable per year during life from
the pension reserve.
(18) "Pension reserve" is a fund in which shall be accumulated an
actuarial reserve adequate to meet present and future pension
liabilities of the system and from which all pension obligations are to
be paid.
(19) "Prior service" means service rendered prior to the first date
of eligibility to membership in the retirement system for which credit
is allowable. The provisions of this subsection shall apply only to
plan 1 members.
(20) "Prior service contributions" means contributions made by a
member to secure credit for prior service. The provisions of this
subsection shall apply only to plan 1 members.
(21) "Public school" means any institution or activity operated by
the state of Washington or any instrumentality or political subdivision
thereof employing teachers, except the University of Washington and
Washington State University.
(22) "Regular contributions" means the amounts required to be
deducted from the compensation of a member and credited to the member's
individual account in the member reserve. This subsection shall apply
only to plan 1 members.
(23) "Regular interest" means such rate as the director may
determine.
(24)(a) "Retirement allowance" for plan 1 members, means monthly
payments based on the sum of annuity and pension, or any optional
benefits payable in lieu thereof.
(b) "Retirement allowance" for plan 2 and plan 3 members, means
monthly payments to a retiree or beneficiary as provided in this
chapter.
(25) "Retirement system" means the Washington state teachers'
retirement system.
(26)(a) "Service" for plan 1 members means the time during which a
member has been employed by an employer for compensation.
(i) If a member is employed by two or more employers the individual
shall receive no more than one service credit month during any calendar
month in which multiple service is rendered.
(ii) As authorized by RCW 28A.400.300, up to forty-five days of
sick leave may be creditable as service solely for the purpose of
determining eligibility to retire under RCW 41.32.470.
(iii) As authorized in RCW 41.32.065, service earned in an out-of-state retirement system that covers teachers in public schools may be
applied solely for the purpose of determining eligibility to retire
under RCW 41.32.470.
(b) "Service" for plan 2 and plan 3 members, means periods of
employment by a member for one or more employers for which earnable
compensation is earned subject to the following conditions:
(i) A member employed in an eligible position or as a substitute
shall receive one service credit month for each month of September
through August of the following year if he or she earns earnable
compensation for eight hundred ten or more hours during that period and
is employed during nine of those months, except that a member may not
receive credit for any period prior to the member's employment in an
eligible position except as provided in RCW 41.32.812 and
41.50.132((;)).
(ii) Any other member employed in an eligible position or as a
substitute who earns earnable compensation during the period from
September through August shall receive service credit according to one
of the following methods, whichever provides the most service credit to
the member:
(A) If a member is employed either in an eligible position or as a
substitute teacher for nine months of the twelve month period between
September through August of the following year but earns earnable
compensation for less than eight hundred ten hours but for at least six
hundred thirty hours, he or she will receive one-half of a service
credit month for each month of the twelve month period;
(B) If a member is employed in an eligible position or as a
substitute teacher for at least five months of a six-month period
between September through August of the following year and earns
earnable compensation for six hundred thirty or more hours within the
six-month period, he or she will receive a maximum of six service
credit months for the school year, which shall be recorded as one
service credit month for each month of the six-month period;
(C) All other members employed in an eligible position or as a
substitute teacher shall receive service credit as follows:
(I) A service credit month is earned in those calendar months where
earnable compensation is earned for ninety or more hours;
(II) A half-service credit month is earned in those calendar months
where earnable compensation is earned for at least seventy hours but
less than ninety hours; and
(III) A quarter-service credit month is earned in those calendar
months where earnable compensation is earned for less than seventy
hours.
(iii) Any person who is a member of the teachers' retirement system
and who is elected or appointed to a state elective position may
continue to be a member of the retirement system and continue to
receive a service credit month for each of the months in a state
elective position by making the required member contributions.
(iv) When an individual is employed by two or more employers the
individual shall only receive one month's service credit during any
calendar month in which multiple service for ninety or more hours is
rendered.
(v) As authorized by RCW 28A.400.300, up to forty-five days of sick
leave may be creditable as service solely for the purpose of
determining eligibility to retire under RCW 41.32.470. For purposes of
plan 2 and plan 3 "forty-five days" as used in RCW 28A.400.300 is equal
to two service credit months. Use of less than forty-five days of sick
leave is creditable as allowed under this subsection as follows:
(A) Less than eleven days equals one-quarter service credit month;
(B) Eleven or more days but less than twenty-two days equals one-half service credit month;
(C) Twenty-two days equals one service credit month;
(D) More than twenty-two days but less than thirty-three days
equals one and one-quarter service credit month;
(E) Thirty-three or more days but less than forty-five days equals
one and one-half service credit month.
(vi) As authorized in RCW 41.32.065, service earned in an out-of-state retirement system that covers teachers in public schools may be
applied solely for the purpose of determining eligibility to retire
under RCW 41.32.470.
(vii) The department shall adopt rules implementing this
subsection.
(27) "Service credit year" means an accumulation of months of
service credit which is equal to one when divided by twelve.
(28) "Service credit month" means a full service credit month or an
accumulation of partial service credit months that are equal to one.
(29) "Teacher" means any person qualified to teach who is engaged
by a public school in an instructional, administrative, or supervisory
capacity. The term includes state, educational service district, and
school district superintendents and their assistants and all employees
certificated by the superintendent of public instruction; and in
addition thereto any full time school doctor who is employed by a
public school and renders service of an instructional or educational
nature.
(30) "Average final compensation" for plan 2 and plan 3 members,
means the member's average earnable compensation of the highest
consecutive sixty service credit months prior to such member's
retirement, termination, or death. Periods constituting authorized
leaves of absence may not be used in the calculation of average final
compensation except under RCW 41.32.810(2).
(31) "Retiree" means any person who has begun accruing a retirement
allowance or other benefit provided by this chapter resulting from
service rendered to an employer while a member.
(32) "Department" means the department of retirement systems
created in chapter 41.50 RCW.
(33) "Director" means the director of the department.
(34) "State elective position" means any position held by any
person elected or appointed to statewide office or elected or appointed
as a member of the legislature.
(35) "State actuary" or "actuary" means the person appointed
pursuant to RCW 44.44.010(2).
(36) "Substitute teacher" means:
(a) A teacher who is hired by an employer to work as a temporary
teacher, except for teachers who are annual contract employees of an
employer and are guaranteed a minimum number of hours; or
(b) Teachers who either (i) work in ineligible positions for more
than one employer or (ii) work in an ineligible position or positions
together with an eligible position.
(37)(a) "Eligible position" for plan 2 members from June 7, 1990,
through September 1, 1991, means a position which normally requires two
or more uninterrupted months of creditable service during September
through August of the following year.
(b) "Eligible position" for plan 2 and plan 3 on and after
September 1, 1991, means a position that, as defined by the employer,
normally requires five or more months of at least seventy hours of
earnable compensation during September through August of the following
year.
(c) For purposes of this chapter an employer shall not define
"position" in such a manner that an employee's monthly work for that
employer is divided into more than one position.
(d) The elected position of the superintendent of public
instruction is an eligible position.
(38) "Plan 1" means the teachers' retirement system, plan 1
providing the benefits and funding provisions covering persons who
first became members of the system prior to October 1, 1977.
(39) "Plan 2" means the teachers' retirement system, plan 2
providing the benefits and funding provisions covering persons who
first became members of the system on and after October 1, 1977, and
prior to July 1, 1996.
(40) "Plan 3" means the teachers' retirement system, plan 3
providing the benefits and funding provisions covering persons who
first become members of the system on and after July 1, 1996, or who
transfer under RCW 41.32.817.
(41) "Index" means, for any calendar year, that year's annual
average consumer price index, Seattle, Washington area, for urban wage
earners and clerical workers, all items compiled by the bureau of labor
statistics, United States department of labor.
(42) "Index A" means the index for the year prior to the
determination of a postretirement adjustment.
(43) "Index B" means the index for the year prior to index A.
(44) "Index year" means the earliest calendar year in which the
index is more than sixty percent of index A.
(45) "Adjustment ratio" means the value of index A divided by index
B.
(46) "Annual increase" means, initially, fifty-nine cents per month
per year of service which amount shall be increased each July 1st by
three percent, rounded to the nearest cent.
(47) "Member account" or "member's account" for purposes of plan 3
means the sum of the contributions and earnings on behalf of the member
in the defined contribution portion of plan 3.
(48) "Separation from service or employment" occurs when a person
has terminated all employment with an employer. Separation from
service or employment does not occur, and if claimed by an employer or
employee may be a violation of RCW 41.32.055, when an employee and
employer have a written or oral agreement to resume employment with the
same employer following termination. Mere expressions or inquiries
about postretirement employment by an employer or employee that do not
constitute a commitment to reemploy the employee after retirement are
not an agreement under this section.
(49) "Employed" or "employee" means a person who is providing
services for compensation to an employer, unless the person is free
from the employer's direction and control over the performance of work.
The department shall adopt rules and interpret this subsection
consistent with common law.
Sec. 8 RCW 41.37.010 and 2007 c 492 s 11 and 2007 c 294 s 1 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter,
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Retirement system" means the Washington public safety
employees' retirement system provided for in this chapter.
(2) "Department" means the department of retirement systems created
in chapter 41.50 RCW.
(3) "State treasurer" means the treasurer of the state of
Washington.
(4) "Employer" means the Washington state department of
corrections, the Washington state parks and recreation commission, the
Washington state gambling commission, the Washington state patrol, the
Washington state department of natural resources, and the Washington
state liquor control board; any county corrections department; or any
city corrections department not covered under chapter 41.28 RCW.
(5) "Member" means any employee employed by an employer on a full-time basis:
(a) Who is in a position that requires completion of a certified
criminal justice training course and is authorized by their employer to
arrest, conduct criminal investigations, enforce the criminal laws of
the state of Washington, and carry a firearm as part of the job;
(b) Whose primary responsibility is to ensure the custody and
security of incarcerated or probationary individuals as a corrections
officer, probation officer, or jailer;
(c) Who is a limited authority Washington peace officer, as defined
in RCW 10.93.020, for an employer; or
(d) Whose primary responsibility is to supervise members eligible
under this subsection.
(6)(a) "Compensation earnable" for members, means salaries or wages
earned by a member during a payroll period for personal services,
including overtime payments, and shall include wages and salaries
deferred under provisions established pursuant to sections 403(b),
414(h), and 457 of the United States internal revenue code, but shall
exclude nonmoney maintenance compensation and lump sum or other
payments for deferred annual sick leave, unused accumulated vacation,
unused accumulated annual leave, or any form of severance pay.
(b) "Compensation earnable" for members also includes the following
actual or imputed payments, which are not paid for personal services:
(i) Retroactive payments to an individual by an employer on
reinstatement of the employee in a position, or payments by an employer
to an individual in lieu of reinstatement, which are awarded or granted
as the equivalent of the salary or wage which the individual would have
earned during a payroll period shall be considered compensation
earnable to the extent provided in this subsection, and the individual
shall receive the equivalent service credit;
(ii) In any year in which a member serves in the legislature, the
member shall have the option of having such member's compensation
earnable be the greater of:
(A) The compensation earnable the member would have received had
such member not served in the legislature; or
(B) Such member's actual compensation earnable received for
nonlegislative public employment and legislative service combined. Any
additional contributions to the retirement system required because
compensation earnable under (b)(ii)(A) of this subsection is greater
than compensation earnable under (b)(ii)(B) of this subsection shall be
paid by the member for both member and employer contributions;
(iii) Assault pay only as authorized by RCW 27.04.100, 72.01.045,
and 72.09.240;
(iv) Compensation that a member would have received but for a
disability occurring in the line of duty only as authorized by RCW
41.37.060;
(v) Compensation that a member receives due to participation in the
leave sharing program only as authorized by RCW 41.04.650 through
41.04.670; and
(vi) Compensation that a member receives for being in standby
status. For the purposes of this section, a member is in standby
status when not being paid for time actually worked and the employer
requires the member to be prepared to report immediately for work, if
the need arises, although the need may not arise.
(7) "Service" means periods of employment by a member on or after
July 1, 2006, for one or more employers for which compensation earnable
is paid. Compensation earnable earned for ninety or more hours in any
calendar month shall constitute one service credit month. Compensation
earnable earned for at least seventy hours but less than ninety hours
in any calendar month shall constitute one-half service credit month of
service. Compensation earnable earned for less than seventy hours in
any calendar month shall constitute one-quarter service credit month of
service. Time spent in standby status, whether compensated or not, is
not service.
Any fraction of a year of service shall be taken into account in
the computation of such retirement allowance or benefits.
(a) Service in any state elective position shall be deemed to be
full-time service.
(b) A member shall receive a total of not more than twelve service
credit months of service for such calendar year. If an individual is
employed in an eligible position by one or more employers the
individual shall receive no more than one service credit month during
any calendar month in which multiple service for ninety or more hours
is rendered.
(8) "Service credit year" means an accumulation of months of
service credit which is equal to one when divided by twelve.
(9) "Service credit month" means a month or an accumulation of
months of service credit which is equal to one.
(10) "Membership service" means all service rendered as a member.
(11) "Beneficiary" means any person in receipt of a retirement
allowance or other benefit provided by this chapter resulting from
service rendered to an employer by another person.
(12) "Regular interest" means such rate as the director may
determine.
(13) "Accumulated contributions" means the sum of all contributions
standing to the credit of a member in the member's individual account,
including any amount paid under RCW 41.50.165(2), together with the
regular interest thereon.
(14)(a) "Average final compensation" means the member's average
compensation earnable of the highest consecutive sixty months of
service credit months prior to such member's retirement, termination,
or death. Periods constituting authorized leaves of absence may not be
used in the calculation of average final compensation except under RCW
41.37.290.
(b) In calculating average final compensation under (a) of this
subsection, the department of retirement systems shall include any
compensation forgone by a member employed by a state agency or
institution during the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium as a result of reduced
work hours, mandatory or voluntary leave without pay, or temporary
layoffs if the reduced compensation is an integral part of the
employer's expenditure reduction efforts, as certified by the employer.
(15) "Final compensation" means the annual rate of compensation
earnable by a member at the time of termination of employment.
(16) "Annuity" means payments for life derived from accumulated
contributions of a member. All annuities shall be paid in monthly
installments.
(17) "Pension" means payments for life derived from contributions
made by the employer. All pensions shall be paid in monthly
installments.
(18) "Retirement allowance" means monthly payments to a retiree or
beneficiary as provided in this chapter.
(19) "Employee" or "employed" means a person who is providing
services for compensation to an employer, unless the person is free
from the employer's direction and control over the performance of work.
The department shall adopt rules and interpret this subsection
consistent with common law.
(20) "Actuarial equivalent" means a benefit of equal value when
computed upon the basis of such mortality and other tables as may be
adopted by the director.
(21) "Retirement" means withdrawal from active service with a
retirement allowance as provided by this chapter.
(22) "Eligible position" means any permanent, full-time position
included in subsection (5) of this section.
(23) "Ineligible position" means any position which does not
conform with the requirements set forth in subsection (22) of this
section.
(24) "Leave of absence" means the period of time a member is
authorized by the employer to be absent from service without being
separated from membership.
(25) "Retiree" means any person who has begun accruing a retirement
allowance or other benefit provided by this chapter resulting from
service rendered to an employer while a member.
(26) "Director" means the director of the department.
(27) "State elective position" means any position held by any
person elected or appointed to statewide office or elected or appointed
as a member of the legislature.
(28) "State actuary" or "actuary" means the person appointed
pursuant to RCW 44.44.010(2).
(29) "Plan" means the Washington public safety employees'
retirement system plan 2.
(30) "Index" means, for any calendar year, that year's annual
average consumer price index, Seattle, Washington area, for urban wage
earners and clerical workers, all items, compiled by the bureau of
labor statistics, United States department of labor.
(31) "Index A" means the index for the year prior to the
determination of a postretirement adjustment.
(32) "Index B" means the index for the year prior to index A.
(33) "Adjustment ratio" means the value of index A divided by index
B.
(34) "Separation from service" occurs when a person has terminated
all employment with an employer.
Sec. 9 RCW 43.43.120 and 2009 c 549 s 5124 and 2009 c 522 s 1 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
As used in ((RCW 43.43.120)) this section and RCW 43.43.130 through
43.43.320, unless a different meaning is plainly required by the
context:
(1) "Actuarial equivalent" shall mean a benefit of equal value when
computed upon the basis of such mortality table as may be adopted and
such interest rate as may be determined by the director.
(2) "Annual increase" means as of July 1, 1999, seventy-seven cents
per month per year of service which amount shall be increased each
subsequent July 1st by three percent, rounded to the nearest cent.
(3)(a) "Average final salary," for members commissioned prior to
January 1, 2003, shall mean the average monthly salary received by a
member during the member's last two years of service or any consecutive
two-year period of service, whichever is the greater, as an employee of
the Washington state patrol; or if the member has less than two years
of service, then the average monthly salary received by the member
during the member's total years of service.
(b) "Average final salary," for members commissioned on or after
January 1, 2003, shall mean the average monthly salary received by a
member for the highest consecutive sixty service credit months; or if
the member has less than sixty months of service, then the average
monthly salary received by the member during the member's total months
of service.
(c) In calculating average final salary under (a) or (b) of this
subsection, the department of retirement systems shall include any
compensation forgone by the member during the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium
as a result of reduced work hours, mandatory or voluntary leave without
pay, or temporary layoffs if the reduced compensation is an integral
part of the employer's expenditure reduction efforts, as certified by
the chief.
(4) "Beneficiary" means any person in receipt of retirement
allowance or any other benefit allowed by this chapter.
(5)(a) "Cadet," for a person who became a member of the retirement
system after June 12, 1980, is a person who has passed the Washington
state patrol's entry-level oral, written, physical performance, and
background examinations and is, thereby, appointed by the chief as a
candidate to be a commissioned officer of the Washington state patrol.
(b) "Cadet," for a person who became a member of the retirement
system before June 12, 1980, is a trooper cadet, patrol cadet, or
employee of like classification, employed for the express purpose of
receiving the on-the-job training required for attendance at the state
patrol academy and for becoming a commissioned trooper. "Like
classification" includes: Radio operators or dispatchers; persons
providing security for the governor or legislature; patrol officers;
drivers' license examiners; weighmasters; vehicle safety inspectors;
central wireless operators; and warehouse workers.
(6) "Contributions" means the deduction from the compensation of
each member in accordance with the contribution rates established under
chapter 41.45 RCW.
(7) "Current service" shall mean all service as a member rendered
on or after August 1, 1947.
(8) "Department" means the department of retirement systems created
in chapter 41.50 RCW.
(9) "Director" means the director of the department of retirement
systems.
(10) "Domestic partners" means two adults who have registered as
domestic partners under RCW ((26.60.020)) 26.60.040.
(11) "Employee" means any commissioned employee of the Washington
state patrol.
(12) "Insurance commissioner" means the insurance commissioner of
the state of Washington.
(13) "Lieutenant governor" means the lieutenant governor of the
state of Washington.
(14) "Member" means any person included in the membership of the
retirement fund.
(15) "Plan 2" means the Washington state patrol retirement system
plan 2, providing the benefits and funding provisions covering
commissioned employees who first become members of the system on or
after January 1, 2003.
(16) "Prior service" shall mean all services rendered by a member
to the state of Washington, or any of its political subdivisions prior
to August 1, 1947, unless such service has been credited in another
public retirement or pension system operating in the state of
Washington.
(17) "Regular interest" means interest compounded annually at such
rates as may be determined by the director.
(18) "Retirement board" means the board provided for in this
chapter.
(19) "Retirement fund" means the Washington state patrol retirement
fund.
(20) "Retirement system" means the Washington state patrol
retirement system.
(21)(a) "Salary," for members commissioned prior to July 1, 2001,
shall exclude any overtime earnings related to RCW 47.46.040, or any
voluntary overtime, earned on or after July 1, 2001.
(b) "Salary," for members commissioned on or after July 1, 2001,
shall exclude any overtime earnings related to RCW 47.46.040 or any
voluntary overtime, lump sum payments for deferred annual sick leave,
unused accumulated vacation, unused accumulated annual leave, holiday
pay, or any form of severance pay.
(22) "Service" shall mean services rendered to the state of
Washington or any political subdivisions thereof for which compensation
has been paid. Full time employment for seventy or more hours in any
given calendar month shall constitute one month of service. An
employee who is reinstated in accordance with RCW 43.43.110 shall
suffer no loss of service for the period reinstated subject to the
contribution requirements of this chapter. Only months of service
shall be counted in the computation of any retirement allowance or
other benefit provided for herein. Years of service shall be
determined by dividing the total number of months of service by twelve.
Any fraction of a year of service as so determined shall be taken into
account in the computation of such retirement allowance or benefit.
(23) "State actuary" or "actuary" means the person appointed
pursuant to RCW 44.44.010(2).
(24) "State treasurer" means the treasurer of the state of
Washington.
(((25))) Unless the context expressly indicates otherwise, words
importing the masculine gender shall be extended to include the
feminine gender and words importing the feminine gender shall be
extended to include the masculine gender.
Sec. 10 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; or
(v) During the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium only, the employee is
eligible to use leave in lieu of temporary layoff under section 3(5) of
this act;
(b) The illness, injury, impairment, condition, call to service,
emergency volunteer service, or consequence of domestic violence,
sexual assault, temporary layoff under section 3(5) of this act, 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), or (v) 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 days of
leave, except that shared leave received under the uniformed service
shared leave pool in RCW 41.04.685 is not included in this total.
(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.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 If any part of this act is found to be in
conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to
the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of
this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with
respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not
affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to
the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal
requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal
funds by the state.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 If any provision of this act or its
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 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.