BILL REQ. #:  S-3524.1 

Read first time 01/14/2004.   Referred to Committee on Financial Services, Insurance & Housing.

     AN ACT Relating to funding group life insurance; and amending RCW 48.24.020 and 48.24.030.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 48.24.020 and 1955 c 303 s 29 are each amended to read as follows:
     The lives of a group of individuals may be insured under a policy issued to an employer, or to the trustees of a fund established by an employer, which employer or trustee is deemed the policyholder, insuring employees of the employer for the benefit of persons other than the employer, subject to the following requirements:
     (1) The employees eligible for insurance under the policy shall be all of the employees of the employer, or all of any class or classes thereof determined by conditions pertaining to their employment. The policy may provide that the term "employees" shall include the employees of one or more subsidiary corporations, and the employees, individual proprietors, and partners of one or more affiliated corporations, proprietors or partnerships if the business of the employer and of such affiliated corporations, proprietors or partnerships is under common control through stock ownership, contract or otherwise. The policy may provide that the term "employees" shall include the individual proprietor or partners if the employer is an individual proprietor or a partnership. The policy may provide that the term "employees" shall include retired employees.
     (2) The premium for the policy shall be paid by the policyholder, either wholly from the employer's funds or funds contributed by him or her, or partly from such funds and partly from funds contributed by the insured employees. ((No policy may be issued on which the entire premium is to be derived from funds contributed by the insured employees.)) A policy on which any part of the premium is to be derived from funds contributed by the insured employees may be placed in force only if at least seventy-five percent of the then eligible employees, excluding any as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer, elect to make the required contributions. A policy on which no part of the premium is to be derived from funds contributed by the insured employees must insure all eligible employees, or all except any as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer.
     (3) The policy must cover at least ten employees at date of issue.
     (4) The amounts of insurance under the policy must be based upon some plan precluding individual selection either by the employees or by the employer or trustees.

Sec. 2   RCW 48.24.030 and 1993 c 132 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Insurance under any group life insurance policy issued pursuant to RCW 48.24.020, or 48.24.050, or 48.24.060, or 48.24.070 or 48.24.090 may, if seventy-five percent of the then insured employees or labor union members or public employee association members or members of the Washington state patrol elect, be extended to insure the spouse and dependent children, or any class or classes thereof, of each such insured employee or member who so elects, in amounts in accordance with a plan which precludes individual selection by the employees or members or by the employer or labor union or trustee, and which insurance on the life of any one family member including a spouse shall not be in excess of ((fifty percent of the insurance on the life of the insured employee or member)) the amount purchased by the insured employee.
     Premiums for the insurance on such family members shall be paid by the policyholder, either from the employer's funds ((or)), funds contributed ((by)) to him or her, employee's funds, trustee's funds, or labor union funds((, and/or from funds contributed by the insured employees or members, or from both)).
     (2) Such a spouse insured pursuant to this section shall have the same conversion right as to the insurance on his or her life as is vested in the employee or member under this chapter.