H-1098.2
HOUSE BILL 1842
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Steele and Barnard
Read first time 02/05/25. Referred to Committee on Environment & Energy.
AN ACT Relating to allowing public utility districts to form, own, or use captive insurers; amending RCW 48.62.011 , 48.62.031 , and 48.201.020 ; and adding a new section to chapter 54.04 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 48.62.011 and 2019 c 26 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) This chapter is intended to provide the exclusive source of local government entity authority to individually or jointly self-insure risks, jointly purchase insurance or reinsurance, become a captive owner as defined in RCW 48.201.020 , and to contract for risk management, claims, and administrative services. This chapter shall be liberally construed to grant local government entities maximum flexibility in self-insuring to the extent the self-insurance programs are operated in a safe and sound manner. This chapter is intended to require prior approval for the establishment of every individual local government self-insured employee health and welfare benefit program and every joint local government self-insurance program. In addition, this chapter is intended to require every local government entity that establishes a self-insurance program not subject to prior approval to notify the state of the existence of the program and to comply with the regulatory and statutory standards governing the management and operation of the programs as provided in this chapter. This chapter is not intended to authorize or regulate self-insurance of unemployment compensation under chapter 50.44 RCW, or industrial insurance under chapter 51.14 RCW.