“I have not aligned myself with any party. Sitting tight waiting for an attractive offer.” Will Rogers
Action has centered around floor debate and voting on proposed bills from the opposite house. As explained previously in the TWIO, if any bill is changed/amended by action in the opposite chamber, the ‘reconciliation’ process must take place. The “*” before a bill below indicates that reconciliation will need to occur. If no changes take place and the proposed bill is adopted by the opposite house, the bill is signed and then sent to the Governor for his response.
March 1st is the last day to consider opposite house bills. All attention will then turn to the budget negotiations and reconciling differences between bills. (The negotiations between the houses over the budget occur in some sort of back room.) The release of the budget will come closer to Sine Die on March 7th.
There are unknown actions yet to come, particularly amendments to proposals, as the deadlines approach. There are also many bills on each chamber’s calendars. Some will advance; some will ‘die’. And then of course, there are bills that are deemed necessary to implement the budget (NTIB) which previously were ‘dead’ can be revived, by whim of legislator, bills can also be resurrected. (zombie bill).
Below is a select summary of proposed legislation and status as of the writing of this report.
Retirement Related Proposals
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 passed the Senate 49/0. It would provide an ad-hoc 3% pension increase in 2024 not to exceed $110/month for TRS1/PERS1 Plan retirees. Once signed by leaders in both Houses, the bill will be sent to the Governor for his action.
HB 2481: Waiving health benefit premiums in the public employees’ benefits board.
Comment: This bill 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 passed House 97/0 and passed the Senate 49/0 and will be sent to the Governor for 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 explanations.
*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. It was amended by the Senate and passed 49/0.
ESHB 1248: Concerning pupil transportation.
Comment: This bill provides that school districts may only enter into, renew, or extend pupil transportation services contracts with private nongovernmental entities that provide employee health and retirement benefits comparable to those received by school employees. • Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to reimburse school districts for increased costs due to providing these benefits and provides a formula for calculating the reimbursement.
It passed the House 57/37/2 and is on the Senate floor calendar awaiting action.
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 and is on the Senate floor calendar awaiting action.
ESHB 1893: Concerning unemployment insurance benefits for striking or lockout workers.
Comment: This bill allows individuals unemployed due to a labor strike to receive up to four weeks of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits following a specified disqualification period and the waiting week, provided that the labor strike is not found to be prohibited by federal or state law in a final judgment, in which case the disqualification resumes as of the date of the judgment. • Removes the provision disqualifying an individual for UI benefits based on an employer-initiated lockout resulting from a strike against another employer in a multi-employer bargaining unit.
It passed the House 53/44/1 and is on the Senate calendar awaiting further action.
SHB 1905: Including protected classes in the Washington Equal Pay and Opportunities Act.
Comment: This 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.
This bill passed the House 63/34/1 and passed the Senate 36/13. It will be sent to the Governor for action.
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 60/37/1 and is on the Senate floor calendar awaiting further action.
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 passed the House 56/41/1 and is on the Senate floor calendar awaiting further action.
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. It passed the Senate 46/0/3 and will be sent to the Governor for further action.
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 passed the House 97/0/1 and is on the Senate calendar awaiting further action.
*SHB 2381: Increasing eligibility for economy and efficiency flexible school calendar waivers.
Comment: This bill expands eligibility for economy and efficiency waivers to the 180-day school year requirement
