Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civil Service Hiring topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears support for limiting postgraduate degree requirements in classified service jobs
Summary
At a hearing on House Bill 2309, OFM, the bill sponsor and community advocates said prohibiting postgraduate degrees as the sole qualification would expand the applicant pool and support economic justice; no committee vote was taken.
OLYMPIA — The state government tribal relations committee heard testimony supporting House Bill 2309, which would prohibit agencies’ classification plans from requiring a postgraduate degree as the only way to show qualifications for classified‑service positions, unless a law specifically requires that degree.
Sherry Sawyer of the Office of Financial Management told the committee the agency supports the bill, noting that an executive order earlier applied to cabinet agencies and that codifying the limitation in statute would broaden the approach across state government. "We are asking you to limit our agency's ability to do something," Sawyer said, arguing the change would expand the applicant pool and remove unnecessary barriers to state employment.
Representative Levitt, the bill’s sponsor, urged lawmakers to continue bipartisan work removing degree barriers so qualified candidates with relevant experience can access state jobs. Community advocate Amy Rourke, who said she helped craft Washington's "tenure plan to reduce poverty," testified the measure advances economic justice by turning short stipends and ad‑hoc participation into real hiring pathways.
No amendments were adopted and the hearing was suspended for later action. The committee took no final action on HB 2309 during the meeting; the bill will remain on the committee calendar for future consideration.
