WASHINGTON MANAGEMENT SERVICE

The Federation-initiated bill to bring transparency to the hiring and compensation in the Washington Management Service had a good hearing Thursday in the Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee.

The bill is scheduled for a committee vote on Monday.

ESHB 2049 requires each agency to report every year on the number of WMS employees and the number and cost of bonuses and performance-based incentives. The bill also makes it harder to exempt a vacant classified position.

Kerry Graber, an Ecology member of Local 443, said ESHB 2049 would correct the barrier her co-workers hit when trying to get information used in a thorough analysis they did. They had to file a public disclosure request.

The bill is a “start to shine the light through data disclosure,” Graber told the committee.

Federation Lobbyist Matt Zuvich said the bill is a long overdue opportunity to re-examine WMS, which has grown to several thousands from several hundreds when it began in 1993.

“We think that it’s time to take a good look at the top of the pyramid because that’s truly where reform can start,” Zuvich said.