SENATE BILL REPORT

                            SB 5296

                    AS OF FEBRUARY 5, 1993

Brief Description:  Creating a shared leave pool administered by the department of personnel.

SPONSORS: Senators Fraser and Winsley

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Staff:  Barbara Howard (786‑7410)

Hearing Dates: February 9, 1993

BACKGROUND:

In 1989, the Legislature created a leave sharing program to assist state employees who are in danger of having to take leave without pay or terminate state service because of a personal or family medical crisis.  Under the program, an employee who maintains a minimum of ten days' annual leave may donate a specified amount of annual leave to an eligible employee.  The leave may be shared within an agency or with an employee of another agency.

Upon termination of state service because of retirement or death, an employee or the employee's estate may elect to receive a cash payment at the rate of one day's pay for each four days of accumulated sick leave.  Annual leave is accrued up to a maximum of 30 days.  Any accumulation beyond this limit is usually forfeited each year at the employee's anniversary date.

SUMMARY:

A special shared leave pool is created by the Department of Personnel (DOP), which must adopt rules for implementation of the process.  Donations to the pool may be made by an employee (1) up to the amount which the employee or the employee's estate could have received payment from accrued sick leave at the time of separation from state service due to retirement or death; and (2) vacation days which would be lost because the number exceeds the maximum annual accrual.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  requested January 26, 1993