Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Appropriations Committee |
HB 2456
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
Brief Description: Correcting the expiration date of a definition of firefighter.
Sponsors: Representatives Gregerson, Freeman, Tarleton, Orwall, Sells, Ryu, Appleton, Van De Wege, Goodman, Morrell and Muri; by request of LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date: 1/23/14
Staff: David Pringle (786-7310).
Background:
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are included in the membership of the Law Enforcement Officers' and Fire Fighters' Plan 2 (LEOFF 2) if they work on a full-time, fully compensated basis for public employers, including cities, towns, counties, districts, municipal corporations, general authority law enforcement agencies, or four-year institutions of high education that had working fire departments before January 1, 1996.Certain EMTs were moved from membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to LEOFF 2 by two bills enacted by the Legislature in 2005 and 2007. Each bill provided a mechanism to enable EMT members of LEOFF 2 to earn future service credit in LEOFF 2, and for members to transfer past service earned as an EMT in PERS Plan 2.
EMT LEOFF 2 members transferring PERS service are required to pay the difference between the contributions paid into PERS, and those that would have been paid had the member earned the service originally in LEOFF 2, plus interest. The member payment must be completed within five years of electing to transfer the service.
The provisions permitting EMT members of LEOFF 2 to transfer past service from PERS expire July 1, 2023. The changes to the LEOFF 2 definition that included EMTs expired in the 2005 legislation (Chapter 459, Laws of 2005), and in the 2007 legislation (Chapter 304, Laws of 2007) provisions were included that both indicated that the definition change would not expire, and that the entire act including the definition section would expire.
Summary of Bill:
The July 1, 2023 expiration date of the portion of the Law Enforcement Officers’ and Fire Fighters’ Retirement System Plan 2 (LEOFF 2) membership definition that includes qualified Emergency Medical Technicians in LEOFF 2 is repealed by specifying the sections of the 2007 EMT LEOFF 2 legislation (Chapter 304, Laws of 2007) that expire.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 17, 2014
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.