H-3043.1
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2216
State of Washington
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
ByHouse State Government & Tribal Relations (originally sponsored by Representatives Cheney, Leavitt, Walen, Santos, Couture, Graham, Reed, Rude, and Davis)
READ FIRST TIME 01/31/24.
AN ACT Relating to reducing barriers to state employment by eliminating two-year and four-year degree requirements that are unnecessary; amending RCW 41.06.157; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. It is the intent of the legislature to reduce the number of positions in state employment that unnecessarily have requirements of completing a two-year or four-year college degree as the only way to meet the qualifications of a job. While the legislature recognizes that certain positions have a need for technical, scientific, or professional training that make a specialized course of study necessary, in other cases the requirement of a two-year or four-year college degree is added to job requirements as an indicator of general skills or knowledge, such as skills in writing, analysis, or presentations which are readily acquired in today's society through other means.
Sec. 2. RCW 41.06.157 and 2015 3rd sp.s. c 1 s 315 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) To promote the most effective use of the state's workforce and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the delivery of services to the citizens of the state, the director shall adopt and maintain a comprehensive classification plan for all positions in the classified service. The classification plan must:
(a) Be simple and streamlined;
(b) Support state agencies in responding to changing technologies, economic and social conditions, and the needs of its citizens;
(c) Value workplace diversity;
(d) Facilitate the reorganization and decentralization of governmental services;
(e) Enhance mobility and career advancement opportunities; ((and))
(f) Consider rates in other public employment and private employment in the state; and
(g) Not require a two-year or four-year college degree as the only way to demonstrate qualifications for the role unless that degree is required by law for an employee to perform the essential functions of a classification.
(2) An appointing authority and an employee organization representing classified employees of the appointing authority for collective bargaining purposes may jointly request the director of financial management to initiate a classification study.
(3) For institutions of higher education and related boards, the director may adopt special salary ranges to be competitive with positions of a similar nature in the state or the locality in which the institution of higher education or related board is located.
(4) The director may undertake salary surveys of positions in other public and private employment to establish market rates. Any salary survey information collected from private employers which identifies a specific employer with salary rates which the employer pays to its employees shall not be subject to public disclosure under chapter 42.56 RCW.
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