HB 1013
SignedHouse
DSHS civil service
Concerning exemption of certain personnel of the department of social and health services from civil service.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill removes certain senior leadership and executive positions within the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) from Washington State’s civil service rules, allowing the governor and DSHS leadership to hire and manage those staff without following standard competitive state hiring procedures. It also removes numerical limits on how many people can hold those exempt roles.
- Exempts the secretary, chief of staff, and deputy chief of staff of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) from state civil service rules.
- Exempts assistant secretaries, deputy assistant secretaries, senior directors, division directors, assistant and deputy division directors, regional administrators, district managers, and executive officers and superintendents of institutions from civil service rules.
- Exempts executive assistants who support the exempted officers listed above.
- Amends RCW 41.06.076 to expand the list of exempt positions beyond previous limits (e.g., no longer limiting the number of assistant secretaries, division directors, etc.).
- Removes the previous cap on exempt positions (e.g., 'not to exceed six assistant secretaries' or 'six regional directors') and replaces it with open-ended authority to exempt these roles.
Who is affected
- DSHS senior leadership and executive staff — Leadership and senior management roles within DSHS (e.g., secretary, chief of staff, division directors, regional administrators, and superintendents of large institutions) would become exempt from state civil service rules, meaning they would no longer be subject to competitive hiring, promotion, or protection rules under the state personnel system.
- Executive support staff in DSHS — Support staff (e.g., executive assistants, confidential secretaries) who work directly for the exempted leadership positions would also be exempt from civil service rules.
- Current DSHS civil service employees — Current civil service employees in DSHS may see changes in how future leaders and managers are hired or promoted, as more positions move outside the competitive hiring system.
- Job applicants seeking DSHS executive roles — Job applicants seeking leadership or executive roles in DSHS may find those positions filled through non-competitive, appointment-based processes rather than open, merit-based competitions.
Pro/Con Analysis
Stronger case for concerns
Potential Benefits (3)
The bill aims to increase leadership agility by allowing the governor and DSHS secretary to appoint trusted executives without being bound by rigid civil service procedures—potentially enabling faster response to emerging public health or social service crises (e.g., opioid epidemic, housing crisis, mental health surge) through more streamlined executive decision-making.
Local GovernmentRef: Sec. 1, amending RCW 41.06.076 to exempt secretary, chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, and other specified leadership positions from civil service rules.By eliminating arbitrary limits on exempt roles, the bill allows DSHS to scale its executive leadership team in response to programmatic growth or reorganization needs—e.g., expanding regional oversight in fast-growing areas like Snohomish or Clark counties—potentially improving service coordination and accountability.
Local GovernmentRef: Sec. 1, removing numerical caps on exempt positions (e.g., assistant secretaries, division directors, regional administrators).Exempting executive assistants ensures that key support staff who handle sensitive or confidential matters (e.g., internal communications, crisis response coordination) can be hired and managed in alignment with the leadership’s operational needs—reducing misalignment risks that could occur under rigid civil service job classifications.
Local GovernmentRef: Sec. 1, adding 'executive assistants' supporting exempt officers to the exemption list.
Potential Concerns (4)
By removing civil service protections and competitive hiring for dozens of DSHS leadership roles, the bill increases executive branch discretion over personnel decisions, potentially weakening merit-based staffing and accountability in a state agency that manages over $20B in annual services—including child welfare, mental health, and long-term care—raising concerns about politicization of critical public services.
Local GovernmentRef: Sec. 1, amending RCW 41.06.076 to remove numerical caps and expand exempt positions to include assistant secretaries, deputy assistant secretaries, senior directors, division directors, assistant and deputy division directors, regional administrators, district managers, and executive officers and superintendents of institutions with ≥100 residents, plus executive assistants supporting them.The elimination of caps on exempt positions may lead to unchecked growth of politically appointed roles, potentially diluting the role of career civil servants and reducing transparency in hiring—especially concerning roles that oversee vulnerable populations (e.g., developmental disability services, child protective services), which could erode public trust in equitable service delivery.
Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 1, removing all previous numerical limits (e.g., 'not to exceed six assistant secretaries' or 'six regional directors') and replacing them with open-ended exemption authority.Expanding exemptions to include executive assistants—many of whom are mid-career civil service employees—may displace or downgrade existing civil service positions, potentially reducing job security and career mobility for non-executive DSHS staff, especially those in unionized roles.
Local GovernmentLean peopleRef: Sec. 1, exempting 'executive assistants' supporting the listed officers from civil service rules.While the bill avoids explicit cost savings, shifting leadership roles out of civil service may reduce administrative overhead from competitive hiring, but could also increase long-term costs if exempt hires lack continuity or institutional knowledge—potentially increasing training, turnover, or oversight costs for DSHS.
Local GovernmentRef: Fiscal Impact section notes 'no specific fiscal impact is identified' and that changes 'may reduce costs related to competitive hiring processes and could affect salary budgeting for exempted roles.'
Who Is Most Affected
Current DSHS civil service employees in non-exempt roles may see reduced opportunities for upward mobility if future leadership is appointed externally and non-competitively, and may experience cultural shifts in workplace norms around merit and transparency.
While the bill may increase hiring flexibility for executive roles, it removes protections against politically motivated dismissals or favoritism—potentially undermining morale and retention among current DSHS leaders who were previously covered by civil service.
Applicants seeking executive roles in DSHS may benefit from faster, more direct appointment paths, but may also face reduced transparency in selection criteria and less recourse if they believe hiring was unfair or discriminatory.
Vulnerable populations served by DSHS (e.g., children in foster care, people with disabilities, low-income seniors) could be indirectly affected if leadership turnover increases or if political considerations outweigh professional expertise in program decisions.
The governor and DSHS secretary gain greater personnel autonomy, enabling alignment of leadership with policy priorities—but this could reduce checks on executive power and weaken institutional memory if frequent leadership changes occur.