House votes to revamp state sick-leave benefit

After more than a hour of debate Monday and several lengthy GOP caucus meetings the House approved a bill that changes how state employee sick leave can be calculated in the future.

HB213 is not being watched by Utahns in general, but the 25,000 full- and part-time state employees know it well.

Through a complicated change in how unused sick leave is calculated and translated at the time of retirement, state workers after Jan. 1, 2006, won't be able to "buy" health insurance premiums between their retirement and the time that Medicare kicks in.

Rep. Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, and a group of other House members have studied the issue for a year. And Clark says that if something isn't done now, within 10 years the "unfunded" sick-leave conversion will end up costing the state around $250 million.

It's money that won't be available for state employee pay raises and could drown the state in red ink, he warns.

But other House members tried to amend his bill to give more time for study or give the unused sick-leave option down the road to more employees. All those attempts failed.

"This is a slap in the face to all state employees without due process," claimed Rep. Dave Hogue, R-Riverton.

It is not, said Clark and others. "It's being fiscally responsible and looking out after all the taxpayers," who won't be able to afford the huge bill coming, said House Majority Leader Jeff Alexander, R-Provo. HB213 passed 38-36 and goes to the Senate.