Providing leave from employment for participating in a child's educational activities (HB 2444)

This bill would authorize unpaid leave to an employee, who is otherwise entitled to other leave under chapter 49.78 RCW (family leave) or federal law, to participate in a child’s educational activities.

Specifically, an employee would be entitled to a total of four hours of unpaid leave during any twelve-month period to attend or participate in a child's educational activities. Leave would be subject to the following conditions:

The time of the leave must be mutually agreed upon by the employer and the employee;
An employer may require an employee to provide the employer with a written request for leave at least forty-eight hours before the anticipated time of the leave; and
An employer may require an employee to provide written verification from the child's school that the employee attended or otherwise participated in the child time of the leave.

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday, January 19 at 10 am.

Concerning employee meal and rest breaks (HB 2737)

This bill would require employers to allow employees a thirty-minute meal break, on the employee's time, if the employee works five or more consecutive hours. Meal breaks must begin no less than two hours or more than five hours from the beginning of the shift. Meal breaks are on the employer's time when the employee is required by the employer to remain on duty on the premises or at a prescribed work site in the interest of the employer.

Employers must allow employees working three or more hours longer than a normal workday at least one thirty-minute meal break prior to or during the overtime period. Employers must allow employees a rest break of ten minutes, on the employer's time, for each four hours of working time. Rest breaks must be scheduled as near as possible to the midpoint of the work period. Employers may not require employees to work more than three hours without a rest break.

Where the nature of the work allows employees to take intermittent rest breaks equivalent to ten minutes for each four hours worked, employers may obtain a waiver of the scheduled rest break requirements from the director of the Department of Labor and Industries. The director shall develop, by rule, a process for employers to apply for waivers from the department. Until July 12, 2012, an employer that allowed employees to take intermittent rest breaks before or on the effective date of this section may continue the practice while the employer applies for a waiver from the department.

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Commerce & Labor Committee on Tuesday, January 19 at 10 am.

Concerning military leave for public employees (SB 6196/HB 2403)

Introduced at the request of the Military Department, this bill would expand the use of military leave to include state active duty. It also would clarify that military leave may only be charged for the days the person is scheduled to work.

The House version of this bill was heard in the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee on Friday, January 15. The Senate version of this bill will be heard in the Senate Government Operations & Elections Committee on Monday, January 18 at 10 am.

Addressing duty-related death benefits for public safety employees (HB 2519)

This bill, requested by the LEOFF Plan 2 Retirement Board, would provide a comprehensive package of benefits to augment the existing duty-related death benefits for LEOFF 2 members. Specifics about the bill can be found in last week’s Bulletin. The bill will be heard in the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, January 19 at 3:30 pm.

[ previous article ] [ return to top ]