The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday amended legislation providing additional snow days for schools due to this year’s extreme weather, sending the bill to the House floor for consideration.

HB 4206, which would permanently waive days that schools are closed during a state of emergency declared by the governor, passed out of the House Education Committee in March without language that would hold hourly employees harmless in terms of lost pay for those days.  Wednesday’s amendment complicates matters for some of those employees, allowing districts that have missed more than 14 days to add time to existing school days to make up time this year only, instead of adding full days.

MEA understands that the impacts of this legislation are different for different employee groups – and there is a need for quick resolution to this issue to make schedule changes for the end of the school year.  We continue to believe that the bill should be amended to help hourly employees who are being hurt financially by the large number of snow days in many districts – MEA will work to get them amended on the House floor and in the Senate as they move forward. Contact your lawmakers today and urge them to make that important change and quickly address snow day legislation.