Committee quickly hears, passes WFSE/AFSCME-initiated bill to raise shared leave cap

The House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee within 10 minutes held a public hearing and passed the Federation-initiated bill to raise the cap on how much shared leave longtime employees can receive.

The committee passed out HB 3063 after testimony of support from Ecology worker Andy McMillan and Federation Lobbyist Alia Griffing.

HB 3063 would help longtime employees facing the need for more than the current limit of 261 total shared leave days. Under HB 3063, employees with between 10 and 20 years of service could receive 522 days of shared leave. Those with more than 20 years of service, 788 shared leave days.

Committee chair Rep. Sam Hunt, D-22nd Dist., said he will likely amend the bill on the floor of the House to remove the cap entirely. He said concerns about overuse of shared leave contemplated when the law first passed in 1989 have never materialized.