CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2333



59th Legislature
2006 Regular Session

Passed by the House February 8, 2006
  Yeas 98   Nays 0


________________________________________    
Speaker of the House of Representatives


Passed by the Senate February 24, 2006
  Yeas 46   Nays 0



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President of the Senate
CERTIFICATE

I, Richard Nafziger, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2333 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.



________________________________________    
Chief Clerk
Approved 









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Governor of the State of Washington
FILED







Secretary of State
State of Washington


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SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2333
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Passed Legislature - 2006 Regular Session
State of Washington59th Legislature2006 Regular Session

By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Green, Haler, Conway, Curtis, Fromhold, McDonald, Walsh, Strow, Sells, Campbell, Miloscia, Roach, P. Sullivan, Morrell, McDermott, Serben, Darneille, Appleton, Williams, Chase, Moeller, Hasegawa, Rodne, Linville, Santos, Springer, Wallace, Kenney, Cody, Ericksen, O'Brien, Wood, B. Sullivan, Simpson, Ericks, Ormsby and McCune)

READ FIRST TIME 02/07/06.   



     AN ACT Relating to parity for home care agency workers; adding a new section to chapter 74.39A RCW; creating a new section; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 74.39A RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The department shall create a formula that converts the cost of the increase in wages and benefits negotiated and funded in the contract for individual providers of home care services pursuant to RCW 74.39A.270 and 74.39A.300, into a per-hour amount, excluding those benefits defined in subsection (2) of this section. That per-hour amount shall be added to the statewide home care agency vendor rate and shall be used exclusively for improving the wages and benefits of home care agency workers who provide direct care. The formula shall account for:
     (a) All types of wages, benefits, and compensation negotiated and funded each biennium, including but not limited to:
     (i) Regular wages;
     (ii) Benefit pay, such as vacation, sick, and holiday pay;
     (iii) Taxes on wages/benefit pay; and
     (iv) Mileage; and
     (b) The increase in the average cost of worker's compensation for home care agencies and application of the increases identified in (a) of this subsection to all hours required to be paid, including travel time, of direct service workers under the wage and hour laws and associated employer taxes.
     (2) The contribution rate for health care benefits, including but not limited to medical, dental, and vision benefits, for eligible agency home care workers shall be paid by the department to home care agencies at the same rate as negotiated and funded in the collective bargaining agreement for individual providers of home care services.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, the per-hour amount added to the home care agency vendor rate pursuant to section 1(1)(a) of this act shall be limited to the cost of: (1) A $0.02 per-hour increase in wages, plus the employer share of unemployment and social security taxes on the amount of the increase; and (2) the cost of annual leave benefits negotiated and funded for individual providers of home care services. This section expires June 30, 2007.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act takes effect July 1, 2006.

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