State employees'' group insurance-county employees.

2015
STATE OF WYOMING
15LSO-0283
ENGROSSED
3.1

HOUSE BILL

NO.

HB0065

State employees' group insurance-county employees.

Sponsored by:
Joint Appropriations Interim Committee

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to administration of government; providing counties an option to participate in the state employees' and officials' group insurance plan; specifying participation and contribution requirements and procedures; implementing payment mechanisms for participating counties; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
201(a), (e) and (f), 9
‑
3
‑
203(a)(iv),
(xvi), by creating a new paragraph (x
v
ii)
and by renumbering (x
vii
) as (xvii
i
),
9
‑
3
‑
210
by creating a new subsection (
g
) and
18
‑
2
‑
10
1
(a)
(vi), (viii) and
by creating a new paragraph (ix) are amended to read:

9
‑
3
‑
201
.

Group prepaid plans authorized; agreements with insurance companies authorized; limitation on authorized plans and companies; payroll deductions; self
‑
insurance programs; optional school district
and county
participation in plan.

(a)

The state of Wyoming and its political subdivisions and school districts may obtain group prepaid plans or insurance for life, health, accident or hospitalization for their employees and for elected officials, except for members of the legislature, and enter into agreements with prepaid plans or insurance companies to provide this coverage. Insurance coverage for school district
, county
or board of cooperative educational services employees meeting the definition of employee under W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
203(
a)(iv), shall, if elected by the district
, county
or board under subsection (e) of this section, be provided through the state employees
'
and officials
'
group insurance plan in accordance with W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
202 through 9
‑
3
‑
218. Insurance coverage for retired school district
, county
or board of cooperative educational services employees shall, if elected by the board
, county

or district under subsection (e) of this section and if the
retired employee was continuously covered under the board
'
s
, county
'
s
or district
'
s insurance plan prior to the election, be provided through the state employees
'
and officials
'
group insurance plan in accordance with W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
202 through 9
‑
3
‑
218. If a school district
, county
or board of cooperative educational services elects to cease participation in the group insurance plan pursuant to subsection (f) of this section, the election shall apply to retired employees of that board
, county
or district who are receiving coverage under this subsection.

(e)

Any school district
, county
or board of cooperative educational services may elect to participate in the state employees
'
and officials
'
group insurance plan by filing notification of election with the department of administration and information on a form and in a manner as prescribed by the department. Participation in the plan for any electing board
, county
or district shall commence not less than one hundred twenty (120) days following the date on which the board
,
county
or district filed notification under this subsection and shall be identical to plans and coverage provided other enrollees under this act. The department shall notify the electing board
,
county
or district of the date on which the board
, county
or district is eligible to participate in the state group insurance plan. An election by a board
, county
or district to participate in the state group insurance plan under this subsection is irrevocable for a period of five (5) years from the date on which plan participation originally commenced. In addition to all other remedies available to the department, if a district
, county
or board withdraws from the state group insurance plan during the period of irrevocability, the department may assess against the withdrawing board
, county
or district the amount by which all claims paid on behalf of employees of the board
, county
or district exceeds total premiums paid by the board
, county
or district and their employees. A board
, county
or district may renew its initial participation in the state group insurance plan without interruption upon submitting notification of renewal to the department prior to expiration of the initial five (5) year participation period. Renewal of plan participation shall be irrevocable for an additional period of not less than five (5) years.

(f)

Any school district
, county
or board of cooperative educational services which has elected to
participate in the state employees
'
and officials
'
group insurance plan under subsection (e) of this section may, upon expiration of the initial five (5) years of plan participation required under subsection (e) of this section, elect to cease participation in the state group insurance plan by filing notification of the election to the department on a form and in a manner prescribed by the department. An election under this subsection shall prohibit the board
, county
or district from participation in the state group insurance plan for a period of five (5) years commencing on the date plan participation ceased. Participation in the plan for any board
, county
or district electing to cease plan participation under this subsection shall be discontinued on a date determined by the department in consultation with the board
, county
or district, but in no event later than one hundred twenty (120) days following the date on which the board
, county
or district filed notification under this subsection.

9
‑
3
‑
203
.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this act:

(iv)

"
Employee
"
means any employee of a participating school district
, participating county
or participating board of cooperative educational services whose salary is paid by funds of the district
, county
or board, or any official or employee of the state of Wyoming whose salary is paid by state funds, including employees and faculty members of the University of Wyoming and various community colleges in the state, except persons employed on intermittent, irregular, or less than halftime basis and any at
‑
will contract employee who does not meet the requirements established under W.S. 9
‑
2
‑
1022(a)(xi)(F)(III) or (IV).
"
Employee
"
shall not include employees of the agricultural extension service of the University of Wyoming who hold federal civil service appointments, are required to participate in federal civil service retirement and who elect to participate in the federal employees
'
health benefit program as authorized in W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
210(d);

(xvi)

"
Voluntary participating employer
"
includes a participating board of cooperative educational services
, participating county
and participating school district;

(xvii)

"
Participating county
"
means
a
county which has elected to participate in the state employees
'
and officials
'
group insurance plan under W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
201(e) and which has not discontinued plan participation pursuant to an election under W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
201(f);

(xvii)
(xviii)

"
This act
"
means W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
202 through 9
‑
3
‑
218.

9
‑
3
‑
210
.

Amount of state
'
s contribution; estimates submitted to state budget officer; specified
employees
participation in federal program; participating employers
and county
contributions.

(
g
)

A participating
county
shall pay to the department the monthly premium established by the department for coverage of each eligible employee
or official
of the
county
electing to become covered by any portion of the group insurance
plan.
Additionally, each participating
county
shall pay to the department a monthly amount equal to the lowest premium for
nonsupplemental
coverage for each eligible employee
or official
of the
county
not electing to become covered under the
nonsupplemental
portion of the group insurance plan. For purposes of this subsection an employee shall not be considered as not electing coverage if that employee is covered by other
group
insurance with benefits comparable to or greater than the coverage provid
ed by the least expensive
non
supplemental
plan available under this act. Monthly premiums shall be at minimum no less than rates assessed for coverage of other enrollees qualified under W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
203(
a)(iv), and shall be based upon information reported by the participating
county
to the department, to be in a form and manner prescribed by the department.

18
‑
2
‑
101
.

General
powers
.

(a)

Each organized county in the state is a body corporate and politic. The powers of the county shall be exercised by a board of county commissioners which may:

(vi)

Establish
a surface water drainage system, utilities and drainage management;
and

(viii)

Declare and abate nuisances which the commission determines to be a threat to health or safety as provided in W.S. 18
‑
2
‑
115. No person shall create, continue or permit nuisances to exist in violation of a final order issued pursuant to W.S. 18
‑
2
‑
115. Any resolution passed by a board of county commissioners pursuant to this paragraph is enforceable, in addition to other remedies provided by law, by injunction, mandamus or abatement. Whoever fails to comply with a final order shall be assessed a civil penalty of up to one hundred dollars ($100.00) per day for each day the violation continues. No resolution issued pursuant to this paragraph shall regulate
any permitted
industrial facility or oil and gas or mining operations necessary to the extraction, production or exploration of the mineral resources. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to impair or modify any rights afforded to farm or ranch operations pursuant to the Wyoming Right to Farm and Ranch Act
;
.

and

(ix)

Provide insurance under the state employees
'
and officials
'
group insurance plan pursuant to W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
201(e), for
county
employees meeting the definition of employee under W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
203(a)(iv), as
provided by W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
202 through 9
‑
3
‑
218. Each participating
county
shall report to the department of administration and information as specified by W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
20
1
(
e) and make payments for employer and employee contributions as provided by W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
210 and 9
‑
3
‑
211. The amount of contributions paid under W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
211
for each employee electing coverage
shall be deducted from the employee
'
s monthly salary in accordance with W.S. 9
‑
3
‑
211. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to limit the
county
'
s authority to provide insurance for its employees as otherwise provided by law.

Section
2
.

This
act is effective July 1,
2015
.

(END)

1
HB0065