HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1199

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      State Government

Title:  An act relating to state civil and higher education employees.

Brief Description:  Providing paid leave for certain employees.

Sponsors:  Representatives Anderson, Veloria and Wolfe.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

State Government, February 15, 1993, DPS.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 9 members:  Representatives Anderson, Chair; Veloria, Vice Chair; Reams, Ranking Minority Member; Vance, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Campbell; Conway; Dyer; King; and Pruitt.

Staff:  Bonnie Austin (786-7135).

Background:  A number of state employees provide volunteer emergency services to their communities.  These state employees serve as fire fighters, reserve police officers, search and rescue team members, emergency medical technicians, and Red Cross disaster relief workers.  The number of state employees providing emergency services and the amount of time each employee serves the community vary depending on the size of the community served, the number of other volunteers in the community, and the degree to which emergency services in the community are provided by other full-time paid employees.

In recognition of the benefit to the state from these services, civil service rules allow state employees to receive paid leave when responding to an emergency during regular working hours.  However, this rule is not mandatory, and some state employees are required to take annual leave or leave without pay when providing these volunteer services.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  Employees under the jurisdiction of the Higher Education Personnel Board or the State Personnel Board will receive paid leave when in training or responding to a call as volunteer fire fighters, law enforcement officers, search and rescue team members, emergency medical technicians, and Red Cross disaster relief workers.  Paid leave for training purposes is limited to 10 days per year.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Paid leave is only allowed when a volunteer is responding to a call, rather than merely being on call.  American Red Cross disaster relief workers are added.  Paid leave for training is limited to 10 days per year.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  These employees are providing an important government service and the government should recognize this.  Paid leave policies for these services vary from agency to agency.

A number of DNR fire fighters are also local fire chiefs and a number of correctional employees are EMT's.  The bill should include trained Red Cross disaster relief volunteers.

Testimony Against:None.

Witnesses:  Hope A. Tuttle, American Red Cross (pro); Gary Moore, WFSE (pro); Eugene L. St. John, WPEA (pro); and Kip Kelley, DNR (pro).