HB 2657: School employee benefits brd

Summary

• Conditions mandatory participation in the School Employees' Benefits Board (SEBB) on: (1) the monthly insurance benefit allocation to school districts in the state budget being no less than the state agency funding rate; (2) the state budget assuming a full monthly benefit allocation for the portion of staff that work 630 hours or more; and (3) that the Legislature not achieve equivalent funding by reducing the value of state employee benefit plans.
• Adds two voting members to the SEBB, one additional member from associations representing classified employees and one additional member representing certificated employees.
• Provides the HCA with authority to pay school districts for the cost of substitute employees, if needed, for periods when school district employees are serving as members of the SEBB.
• Prohibits the SEBB from enacting more restrictive benefits eligibility criteria.
• Permits school districts to negotiate eligibility for employees that work fewer than 630 hours per year, and fund the additional benefits as an enrichment to basic education.
• Requires school employee benefit trusts offering basic benefits to school district employees to do so at a generally equivalent cost for individual employees or families.

From the House Bill Analysis 2018 (HB 2657), written by the Legislature's nonpartisan staff. Read the full report ↗