H-1030.2  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2038

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representatives Murray, Anderson, Edmonds, McIntire and Keiser

Read first time 02/15/1999.  Referred to Committee on State Government.

Expanding when public employees may take leave.

    AN ACT Relating to public employee leave; and adding a new section to chapter 41.06 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 41.06 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Any leave provided to classified employees for purposes of bereavement shall extend to bereavement for the death of domestic partners, and any leave provided to classified employees to care for sick family members shall extend to care for sick domestic partners.

    (2) As used in this section, "domestic partner" means the person other than a spouse who an employee designates in writing to his or her employer as the employee's domestic partner meeting each of the following requirements:  (a) The employee and domestic partner have a close personal relationship where they are responsible for each other's common welfare and have agreed to be jointly responsible for each other's basic living expenses incurred during their domestic relationship; (b) the employee and domestic partner share the same regular address; (c) the employee and domestic partner are both at least eighteen years of age; (d) the employee and the domestic partner are not married to anyone; (e) the employee and designated domestic partner are not related by blood closer than would bar marriage in this state; (f) the employee and domestic partner were both mentally competent to consent to their domestic partnership when it began; and (g) any prior domestic partnership in which the employee or the employee's domestic partner participated with another party was at least ninety days before the date the employee submits written notice to his or her employer identifying the person as his or her domestic partner.

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