SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 1255

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Education, March 21, 2001

Title:  An act relating to educational service districts.

Brief Description:  Including educational service districts in school district provisions.

Sponsors:  By Representatives Cox, Fromhold, Haigh, Schoesler and Hunt.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Education:  3/15/01, 3/21/01 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Eide, Vice Chair; Carlson, Finkbeiner, Hewitt, Johnson, Kastama, Kohl‑Welles and Rasmussen.

Staff:  Susan Mielke (786‑7422)

Background:  Currently school districts may offer employees deferred compensation and various insurance plans including liability, life, health, health care, accident, disability, and salary to the districts' employees.  The nine educational service districts, which are regional entities that provide educational services and assistance to districts and state educational agencies, do not have the same authority.

Summary of Bill:  Educational service districts may offer deferred compensation and liability, life, health, health care, accident, disability, and salary insurance to educational service districts' employees.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This bill is about equity and basic fairness for ESD employees.  ESDs should be able to offer the same benefits to their employees that school districts can offer their employees.  This bill does not require that ESDs offer these benefits.  If ESDs did offer these benefits, the employees would have to pay for them, not the ESD.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Cox, prime sponsor; Norm Wisner, WASA and AESD.