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• Introduced by Sen. Margarita Prentice, (D-Renton) (D) on January 15, 2010, directs state agenciies to close one day per month from March 2010 through June 2011. Provides exceptions for a number of agencies characterized as necessary for the protection of state assets and public safety. The closures will result in the furlough of affected employees .
  • Referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee on January 15, 2010.
    • Substitute offered in the Senate on January 21, 2010, to direct state agencies to achieve a $69.154 million reduction in employee compensation costs from the near General Fund through mandatory and voluntary furloughs, leave without pay, reduced work hours, voluntary retirements and separations, layoffs, and other methods. Agency compensation reduction plans must be submitted by May 15 and approved by the Office of Financial Management by June 1. Agencies that fail to submit an approved compensation reduction plan will be subject to 13 specified agency closure dates beginning in June 2010. Agencies are encouraged to preserve family wage jobs. The list of exemptions from the agency closure dates is expanded. The substitute passed in the Senate by voice vote on January 21, 2010.
  • Referred to the Senate Rules Committee on January 22, 2010.
• Passed in the Senate (27 to 17) on January 22, 2010, as the substitute bill that requires state agencies, including institutions of higher education, to achieve the specified reduction in employee compensation costs and submit a plan to that effect to the Office of Financial Management. Requires an agency or institution, that does not have an approved plan by June 1, 2010, to close once per month on specified dates. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the House on January 25, 2010.
  • Referred to the House Ways & Means Committee on January 25, 2010.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Joseph Zarelli, (R-Ridgefield) (R) on January 22, 2010, to directs state agencies to achieve reductions in employee compensation costs of $69.154 million from near General Fund- State expenditures for the 2009-11 fiscal biennium and $138 million for the 2011-13 fiscal biennium. The amendment failed in the Senate by voice vote on January 22, 2010.
    • Amendment offered in the House on February 1, 2010, to reduce the amount of savings that must be achieved by agencies through closures from $69 million to $50 million. The amendments by the House committee also removes mandatory language requiring submittal of alternative plans by agencies and instead allows an agencies to propose alternative closure methods. For agencies not submitting a plan the total closure days is reduced to 11 days. The amendment also provides additional exemptions to various agencies. The amendment passed in the House by voice vote on February 1, 2010.
  • Referred to the House Rules Committee on February 2, 2010.
• Received in the Senate on March 16, 2010.
  • Referred to the Senate Rules Committee on March 11, 2010.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Margarita Prentice, (D-Renton) (D) on March 16, 2010, to establish tareted agency compensation reductions to provide cost savings. This act requires a state agency to submit a plan to meet the targeted reductions submitted by OFM. State employees receiving less than $30,000 per year may use annual leave or shared leave to avoid temporary leave. The amendment passed in the Senate by voice vote on March 16, 2010.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Karen Keiser, (D-Kent) (D) on March 16, 2010, to add complaint investigators and licensors and surveyors in residential care services in the Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Health to the list of employees exempt from the temporary layoffs. The amendment passed in the Senate by voice vote on March 16, 2010.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Adam Kline, (D-Seattle) (D) on March 16, 2010, to direct that state agencies and institutions reduce expenditures on salaries and benefits for Washington Management Service and exempt management positions by amounts provided in the omnibus appropriations act. The reductions shall be sufficient to save $10 million General Fund-State in Fiscal Year 2011. The amendment passed in the Senate by voice vote on March 16, 2010.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, (D-Seattle) (D) on March 16, 2010, to exempt student employees from the compensation reduction plans and the agency closure dates. The amendment passed in the Senate by voice vote on March 16, 2010.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Joe McDermott, (D-West Seattle) (D) on March 16, 2010, to delete the section of the bill that establishes special collective bargaining procedures for the compensation reduction plans and the agency closures. Collective bargaining will be conducted under the existing procedures of the Personnel System Reform Act. The amendment failed in the Senate by voice vote on March 16, 2010.
    • Amendment offered by Sen. Joe McDermott, (D-West Seattle) (D) on March 16, 2010, to remove the provisions of the bill exempting the Labor Relations Office and the Office of Financial Management from the compensation reduction plans and the agency closures. The amendment passed in the Senate by voice vote on March 16, 2010.
• Passed in the Senate (30 to 11) on March 16, 2010. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the House on March 16, 2010.