| Passed by the House February 8, 2006 Yeas 98 FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate February 24, 2006 Yeas 46 BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate | 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. RICHARD NAFZIGER ________________________________________ Chief Clerk | |
| Approved March 7, 2006. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | March 7, 2006 - 1:10 p.m. Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 59th Legislature | 2006 Regular Session |
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.