AN ACT Relating to membership of wildland or aviation firefighters in the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system;
Summary
SB 6073 amends Washington’s Law Enforcement Officers’ and Fire Fighters’ Retirement System (LEOFF) to address the membership status of wildland and aviation firefighters. The bill reenacts and amends RCW provisions defining who qualifies as an “employee,” “firefighter,” and “member” for purposes of the retirement system, and it specifically adds full-time wildland or aviation firefighters to the categories of personnel covered under the system. It also updates related definitions and cross-references throughout the retirement chapter to reflect the expanded membership and to align benefit calculations, service credit rules, and employer definitions with the new coverage.
The bill is largely a technical but substantive retirement-system measure. It clarifies how service credit is earned, how final average salary is calculated, and how disability, survivor, and medical benefits are administered for covered members. It also preserves existing rules for other LEOFF members while extending system participation to the newly included firefighter classifications, including those employed by the Department of Natural Resources when they meet national wildland fire qualifications.
Impact
The bill would expand the scope of Washington’s LEOFF retirement statutes by bringing full-time wildland and aviation firefighters into the system and by revising multiple statutory definitions and benefit provisions to accommodate them. This affects RCW provisions governing membership, employer status, service credit, retirement allowance calculations, disability retirement, and medical benefits. In practical terms, the Department of Natural Resources and other qualifying public employers of these firefighters would be responsible for retirement-system participation and contributions for covered employees, and those employees would gain access to LEOFF retirement and related benefits under the amended chapter.
Sentiment
The available context shows no recorded committee transcripts or votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to indicate strong opposition or support. Based on the bill text, the measure appears primarily administrative and benefit-oriented, suggesting a generally favorable policy intent toward clarifying and extending retirement coverage for a specific firefighter workforce. The absence of recorded votes or testimony means sentiment cannot be assessed beyond the bill’s apparent purpose.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of concern, based on the text alone, could include the fiscal impact of adding a new employee group to LEOFF, employer contribution obligations for state and local agencies, and whether the new definitions could create boundary issues about which firefighters qualify. However, because there are no transcripts or votes, no stakeholder positions can be confirmed from the record provided.
AN ACT Relating to clarifying eligibility for the tiered multiplier and alternative lump sum benefits in the law enforcement officers and firefighters' retirement system plan 2;
Permitting retired members of the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system plan 2 to serve as chiefs of police in small police departments.
Honoring and commending Steve Nelsen upon his retirement as Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Officers’ and Firefighters’ Plan 2 Retirement Board.