HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 1376
As Reported by House Committee On:
State Government
Title: An act relating to certain personnel in the department of veterans affairs.
Brief Description: Exempting certain veterans affairs personnel from the state civil service law.
Sponsors: Representatives Armstrong, McDermott, McMorris, D. Schmidt, Haigh and Woods; by request of Department of Veterans Affairs.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
State Government: 2/7/01, 2/23/01 [DPS].
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Brief Summary of Substitute Bill
$Designates additional exempt positions for the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 8 members: Representatives McMorris, Republican Co‑Chair; Romero, Democratic Co‑Chair; Miloscia, Democratic Vice Chair; Schindler, Republican Vice Chair; Haigh, Lambert, McDermott and D. Schmidt.
Staff: Steve Lundin (786‑7127).
Background:
State voters approved Initiative Measure No. 207 in 1960 establishing a civil service system of personnel administration for most state employees. The civil service system is based upon merit principles to appoint, promote, transfer, layoff, recruit, retain, classify and pay, remove, discipline, and train employees.
Employees who are subject to the civil service system are referred to as classified employees, while employees who are not subject to the civil service system are referred to as unclassified or exempt employees. Among others, exempt employees include all employees of the legislative and judicial branches of government, elected officials, state patrol officers, members of boards or commissions, the executive head of each agency. In addition, exempt employees in each state agency with 50 or more employees include 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 heads.
The Washington Personnel Resources Board may exempt additional state employee positions from the civil service laws by following a specified procedure. These additional exemptions may not exceed one percent of the employees covered by the civil service system.
In addition, a number of exempt positions are expressly designated for various state agencies. The civil service system of personnel administration expressly does not apply to the director, the deputy director, and no more than two assistants in the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Summary of Substitute Bill:
The positions in the Department of Veterans' Affairs that are designated as exempt or unclassified positions are clarified and expanded. It is clarified that the two assistants who are unclassified positions are two assistant directors. Additional unclassified positions are added as a confidential secretary for deputy secretary and a confidential secretary for each assistant director.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:
Clarifies the existing exempt positions and which additional exempt positions are added.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Substitute Bill: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: We aren't creating new positions, just reclassifying them.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: None.