SB 628

Bill Subjects

Abstract

The Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) provides that an employee or annuitant is eligible to enroll in an approved health benefit plan, as specified. PEMHCA authorizes a contracting agency, as specified, to elect to become subject to the act, along with the agency's employees and annuitants. Existing law establishes certain minimum rates for contracting employer contributions in this regard and requires that the employer contribution be equal for both employees and annuitants. This bill would permit a contracting agency of PEMHCA, that is an instrumentality of either Placer County or Shasta County, and the exclusive representative of employees of that agency to agree through collective bargaining that the employer contribution for employee and annuitant health benefits coverage for employees first hired on or after the effective date of a memorandum of understanding may differ from the employer contribution provided to existing employees and annuitants. The bill would provide that these provisions are not subject to labor negotiation impasse procedures. The bill would require a contracting agency that applies a different contribution rate to employees not represented by a bargaining unit to certify that, with regard to those employees, there is not an applicable memorandum of understanding. The bill would provide that an agreement reached in this regard is not valid if it provides an employer contribution for employees with less than five years of credited service with the contracting agency. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Counties of Placer and Shasta.