Retirement & Health Benefits for February 9, 2024

The 68^th installment of the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise continues…

Debates and floor action continue as both chambers rush to pass house of origin legislation by the end of February 13. The work of all committees will then resume, again, dealing with bills that have passed the opposite house. Some committees are already hard at work.

The status of bills changes constantly, so the summaries below are just as they were when this report was written.

A reminder that regardless of deadlines, bills can be ruled as ‘necessary to implement the budget’ so can be revived under that justification which can be arbitrary at times.

Retirement Related Proposals

SHB 1105: Requiring public agencies to provide notice for public comment that includes the last date by which such public comment must be submitted.

Comment: This bill requires public agency notices for public comment to include the last date by which public comment must be submitted. • • Establishes penalties for agencies failing to provide the notice.

It passed the House 98/0 and is before Senate Government and Elections.

SHB 1985: Providing a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement system plan 1.

Comment: This bill passed House 97/0 and will be sent to Senate Ways and Means. This bill would provide an ad-hoc 3% increase in 2024 not to exceed $110/month for TRS1/PERS1 Plan retirees.

HB 2481: Waiving health benefit premiums in the public employees’ benefits board.

Comment: This is a late entry into Introductions. It is intended to replace HB 2013 mentioned above. It would waive, as the title suggests, the health benefit premium of the deceased during the month of one’s death. The survivors, if covered by insurance, would still pay the balance of the premium.

It is in House Rules awaiting action.

Other Areas of Potential Fiscal Impact (and often unfunded) to Districts

Below are selected titles and brief summaries of proposed bills that may have potential impact to the business operations of districts. The TWIO has a more extensive list and explanation.

E2SHB 1618: Concerning the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse.

Comment: It eliminates the statute of limitations for recovery of damages as a result of childhood sexual abuse for all intentional actions occurring after June 6, 2024.

The bill as amended passed the House 93/0/5. It had a public hearing before the Senate Committee on Law and Justice Jan. 30^th.

SHB 1905 –  Including protected classes in the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act. 

Comment: This bill amends the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act to prohibit an employer from discriminating in compensation and career advancement opportunities against similarly employed employees based on the employee’s age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.  

This bill is in House Rules awaiting action. Its companion, SSB 5894, is in Senate Rules awaiting movement to the floor for action.

Comment: The Senate bill extends the prohibitions on discrimination in wages and career advancement opportunities and the remedies to a person’s membership in a protected class. • Provides that protected class means a person’s age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability.

HB 1927: Reducing the number of days that a worker’s temporary total disability must continue to receive industrial insurance compensation for the day of an injury and the three-day period following the injury.

Comment:  It reduces the number of days – from 14 to 7 – that a temporary total disability must continue to receive workers’ compensation time loss benefits for the first three days following the injury.

It passed the House 60/37 and is before Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.

HB 2044: An act relating to standardizing limitations on voter-approved property tax levies.

Comment: This bill removes the restriction on levy lid lift funds supplanting existing funds.

This bill is in House Rules awaiting further movement.

HB 2058: Increasing student access to free meals served at public schools. 

Comment: TWIO has covered this previously. There is no fiscal note to date, although press reports that the state’s cost will be in excess of $80 million dollars. It is indeterminate what other local school district unfunded costs will be.

This bill was moved to Appropriations and is awaiting scheduling. This is an example of a bill that may be ‘necessary to implement the budget’ so may still be alive. Its purpose has support among members.

SHB 2127 – 2023-24: Concerning workers’ compensation incentives to return to work.

Comment: This bill modifies certain return to work policies and reimbursement amounts under the workers’ compensation program. • Increases the maximum amounts of reimbursements paid to employers participating in the Stay at Work Program and Preferred Worker Program by the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I). • Increases the maximum amount paid to qualifying employers for job modification costs by L&I. • Allows L&I to authorize payments for basic skills development for qualifying injured workers.

This bill passed the House 97/0. A public hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15^th before Senate Labor and Commerce.

HB 2246: Concerning vacation leave accrual for state employees.

Comment: This bill increases the annual cap on the accrual of unused vacation leave for state employees from 240 hours to 280 hours.

This bill is before House Rules awaiting action.

SHB 2381: Increasing eligibility for economy and efficiency flexible school calendar waivers.

Comment: This bill authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to grant waivers to reduce the minimum number of school days required in a school year to school districts with fewer than 1,000 students.

This bill passed the House 97/0 and will likely be assigned to Senate Education.

SB 5344: Establishing a public-school revolving fund.

Comment: This bill establishes the Public-School Revolving Fund in the State Treasury for the purpose of issuing low-interest or interest-free loans to qualifying school districts for capital projects. • Establishes the Public-School Revolving Fund Board to administer loans from the fund.

The bill is in House Rules with little expected movement. It is likely ‘dead.’

E2SSB 5670:  Permitting 10th grade students to participate in running start in online settings.

Comment: This bill pe