ANALYSIS OF HOUSE BILL 1863

      Providing for compensation to part-time health commissions.

Health Care Committee                         February 18, 1999

Washington State House of Representatives

SPONSORS:  Representatives Skinner and Cody.

BACKGROUND:  State government is served by a number of committees, boards and commissions whose members as appointed from the public at large.  These entities are charged with varying responsibilities, ranging from providing expertise and advising state officials to administering specified programs and developing policy.  The compensation for these part-time public members is specified by law according to the degree of responsibilities exercised by these entities.

There are a number of advisory committees, boards and commissions composed of heath professionals with responsibilities for credentialing applicants for licensing, certification, and registration, and which may have disciplinary functions.  There are currently four full-authority commissions governing the practices of medicine, dentistry, nursing and chiropractic respectively.

The law fixes the rates of compensation for appointees of four groups of committees, according to their level of responsibilities.  Class 1 boards are advisory in nature, whose members receive no compensation.  Class 2 boards are agricultural commodity commissions, whose members receive up to $35 per day.  Class 3 boards have full-authority regulatory or licensing functions, whose members receive up to $50 per day.  Class 4 boards have duties deemed by the Legislature to be of overriding sensitivity and importance, whose members receive up to $100 per day.  Administrative costs of the commission and board are borne by license fees.

SUMMARY:  A new group is created for compensating members of the health care commissions having quasi-judicial functions with responsibilities for policy direction in health professional credentialing programs, and performing regulatory and licensing functions.  Members of these commissions may receive compensation of up to $250 per day for each day spent in performing authorized duties.