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Staff briefs committee on proposal to change community college cost‑of‑living index
Summary
Senate Bill 57‑90 would change the annual COLA for community and technical college employees from the Seattle CPI to the implicit price deflator; staff said the FY26 difference would be roughly $3 million and the change mirrors a prior move for K‑12 employees.
House staff briefed members on Senate Bill 57‑90, which would change the statutory annual cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) provided to certain community and technical college employees from the Seattle Consumer Price Index to the implicit price deflator (IPD). Staff noted initiative 732 (passed in 2000) originally used the Seattle CPI and that K‑12 employees were moved to IPD after enactment of EHB 2242 in 2017; this bill would align community and technical college employees with that earlier change.
Why it matters: The choice of inflation index affects annual salary adjustments and the community and technical colleges’ compensation costs. Staff presented a sample calculation showing a relatively small difference for FY26 (CPI 3.181% vs. IPD 3.0%) and estimated an FY26 budgetary difference on the order of $3 million for the eligible workforce portion identified by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
Hearing and outcome Staff concluded the briefing and no public testimony was recorded. Several members asked clarifying questions about methodology and affected employee groups.
Ending The committee received the briefing; no vote or formal action was recorded in the hearing.
