HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5233

                      As Passed House:

                       April 12, 1999

Title:  An act relating to civil service exemptions within the department of corrections.

Brief Description:  Exempting specified positions within the department of corrections from civil service laws.

Sponsors:  Senators Patterson, Horn, McCaslin, Kline, Gardner, Haugen and Winsley; by request of Department of Corrections.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

State Government:  3/26/99, 4/2/99 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  4/12/99, 94-0.

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Exempts certain positions with the Department of Corrections from civil service rules.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

Majority Report: Do pass.  Signed by 8 members: Representatives McMorris, Republican Co-Chair; Romero, Democratic Co-Chair; Campbell, Republican Vice Chair; Miloscia, Democratic Vice Chair; Dunshee; Haigh; Lambert and D. Schmidt.

Staff: Scott MacColl (786-7106).

Background:

Personnel in state government fall under the civil service system except those specifically exempted in statute.  Currently, in each agency with fifty or more employees, the deputy agency heads, assistant directors or division directors, and not more than three principal policy assistants, who report directly to the agency head or deputy agency head, are exempt.  

In addition, within the Department of Corrections, the civil service provisions do not apply to the secretary, the secretary's personal secretary, the deputy secretary, all division directors and assistant directors, all facility superintendents and associate superintendents for facilities with resident capacity of fifty or more, and all management and sales staff of correctional industries.  Currently, personal secretaries to the deputy secretary, assistant deputy secretaries, and all regional administrators and program administrators are part of the civil service system.

Summary of Bill:

The civil service exemptions for the Department of Corrections is altered to include personal secretaries to the deputy secretary, assistant deputy secretaries, and all regional administrators and program administrators.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  The positions that are proposed to be exempted are currently exempt, except they have different titles.  There are only three secretary positions that apply.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Jennie Adkins, Department of Corrections.