SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6242

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

        Labor & Workforce Development, January 31, 2000

Title:  An act relating to public agency telephone systems.

Brief Description:  Requiring major state agencies to have the ability to reach a departmental employee as an automated telephone answering system option.

Sponsors:  Senators Fairley, Patterson, Kohl‑Welles, Shin, McAuliffe, Eide and B. Sheldon.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Labor & Workforce Development:  1/24/2000, 1/31/2000 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Fairley, Chair; Franklin, Vice Chair; Hochstatter, Kline, Oke and Wojahn.

Staff:  Joanne Conrad (786-7472)

Background:  State agencies and the Legislature are increasingly focused on public information accessibility and customer service standards.  Some citizens have expressed concerns regarding the difficulty of obtaining information from state agencies that may overutilize voice mail or other automated telephone answering systems to screen calls.

Summary of Bill:  Major state agencies are generally those with a significant amount of public interaction.  Major state agencies, as listed, are required to provide a Alive person@ option when using voice mail or other automated telephone answering system.

In addition, major state agencies monitor on-hold times, with the goal of an average response time of five minutes or less.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  Some agencies are progressing on telephone responsiveness.  Others need to work to improve response.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Senator Darlene Fairley, prime sponsor.