H-1282              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2074

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Representatives Wang and Locke

Read first time 2/17/89 and referred to Committee on Appropriations.

AN ACT Relating to health care benefits for superior court judges; and amending RCW 36.32.400 and 41.04.180.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 36.32.400, chapter 4, Laws of 1963 as amended by section 7, chapter 106, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. and RCW 36.32.400 are each amended to read as follows:

          Any county by a majority vote of its board of county commissioners may enter into contracts to provide health care services and/or group insurance for the benefit of its employees, and may pay all or any part of the cost thereof.  Any two or more counties, by a majority vote of their respective boards of county commissioners may, if deemed expedient, join in the procuring of such health care services and/or group insurance, and the board of county commissioners of each participating county may, by appropriate resolution, authorize their respective counties to pay all or any portion of the cost thereof.

          Nothing in this section shall impair the eligibility of any employee of a county, municipality, or other political subdivision under RCW 41.04.205.

For the purposes of this section, "employee" and "employees" shall not include superior court judges, whose benefits are provided by the state.

        Sec. 2.  Section 1, chapter 75, Laws of 1963 as last amended by section 1, chapter 82, Laws of 1974 ex. sess. and RCW 41.04.180 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state acting through its principal supervising official or governing body may, whenever funds shall be available for that purpose provide for all or a part of hospitalization and medical aid for its employees and their dependents through contracts with regularly constituted insurance carriers or with health care service contractors as defined in chapter 48.44 RCW ((or self-insurers as provided for in chapter 48.52 RCW,)) for group hospitalization and medical aid policies or plans:  PROVIDED, That any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of the state acting through its principal supervising official or governing body shall provide the employees thereof a choice of policies or plans through contracts with not less than two regularly constituted insurance carriers or health care service contractors or other health care plans((, including but not limited to, trusts of self-insurance as provided for in chapter 48.52 RCW)):  AND PROVIDED FURTHER, That any county may provide such hospitalization and medical aid to county elected officials and their dependents on the same basis as such hospitalization and medical aid is provided to other county employees and their dependents:  PROVIDED FURTHER, That provision for school district personnel shall not be made under this section but shall be as provided for in RCW 28A.58.420.

(2) For the purposes of this section, "employees" and "elected officials" shall not include superior court judges, whose benefits are provided by the state.