Z-1437               _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1509

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives H. Sommers, B. Williams, Silver, Fuhrman, Brekke, Brough and Winsley; by request of Legislative Budget Committee

Read first time 1/18/88 and referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

AN ACT Relating to state salary survey methodology; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     A study by the legislative budget committee has determined that the comprehensive salary and fringe benefits survey undertaken by the state may no longer accurately determine the prevailing wages paid in the public and private sectors of the state and thus allow the state to assess the competitiveness of state employee salaries.

          (1) A temporary legislative/executive committee, composed of representatives of the legislative budget committee, the ways and means committees of the senate and house of representatives, and the office of financial management is established for the purpose of contracting with an independent consultant to review the salary survey methodology and for the purpose of making recommendations for improvements.

          (2) Recommendations of the consultant shall be provided to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature by December 30, 1988, and shall include:  (a) appropriate revisions to the methodology and statistical procedures employed in the survey; (b) the feasibility of letting a contract to a consultant to conduct the 1990 survey; and (c) any appropriate legislative proposals necessary to implement the committee's recommendations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     Thirty-five thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, from the general fund to the legislative budget committee for the purposes of this act.