MRSC Insight Blog

Posts for Paul Sullivan

Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan Retires

January 14, 2020 by Paul Sullivan
Category: MRSC News and Updates

Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan is retiring after more than 30 years at MRSC.

More Employees Will Soon Be Eligible for Overtime Pay

December 30, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation

There have been changes at both the federal and the state level to determine when workers are eligible for overtime pay. As a result, employers may find many more employees eligible for overtime once these changes go into effect.

Please Stop: Handling Public Requests

October 15, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Public Records Act

Municipal employees sometimes must deal with a variety of requests, and some can be quite challenging. This article looks at what local governments can and cannot broadly do in terms of responding to large public records requests and complaints.

Long-Term Care Trust Act Brings Services and Support to Washington Residents

September 27, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation , New Legislation and Regulations

The newly created Long-Term Care Trust Act will offer an employee-financed program to provide payment or partial payment for long-term services and support to qualified Washington residents who have paid into the program and need assistance.

Warning: Summer Heat, Enclosed Pets, and Animal Fighting

August 1, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Animal Control

With its long days and hot temperatures, summer is a great time to remember that pets should not be left unattended in enclosed vehicles. This blog post also reviews 2019 legislation prohibiting animal fighting.

Pop Quiz: Family Leave and Sick Leave Edition

January 14, 2019 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Take a short quiz to test your understanding of the Paid Family Leave and Sick Leave for employees.

Oh Boy! A Gift!

November 26, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

With the holidays just around the corner, Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan explores the rules surrounding municipal gift "giving" and "receiving."

An Inquiry Response Sampler

October 25, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Governance

This blog post is a grab bag of questions posed to MRSC's consultants through our Ask MRSC service. Covering broad but common local government concerns, the questions (and answers) should interest all our readers.

New Legislation Targeting Firearms

October 8, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: New Legislation and Regulations

In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan offers an overview of a number of bills the 2018 Washington State Legislature adopted relating to firearms regulation.

Action Outside a Public Meeting, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

July 13, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Open Public Meetings Act

This blog reviews some of the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and what can go wrong if those requirements are not met (Hint:a lot).

A Grab Bag of Ask MRSC Questions

May 10, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Legislative Body

This blog post offers several examples of questions MRSC's legal and policy experts get from local government staff and elected officials.

My Can of Coke Costs What?!!!

March 1, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Revenues

Since January 1, 2018, Seattle residents and visitors have found that drinking sweetened drinks cost a little bit more. Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan looks at the city's new sweetened beverage tax, one that is projected to raise almost $15 million in 2018.

Year-End Personnel Topics Pop Quiz

January 9, 2018 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Compensation , Leave Policies , Minimum Wage , Termination and Retirement

Take a short quiz to test your memory of some common, personnel-related legal issues as well as new employment laws that came in to or remained in effect in 2017.

Contracting – Some General Principles for Counties

November 30, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Purchasing and Contracting

This blog article discusses how counties can contract for goods and services, including the role that elected officials other than county commissioners may play in the process.

Municipal Giving and Receiving

October 24, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Gift of Public Funds

The holiday season is approaching. What are the rules surrounding municipal gift "giving" and "receiving?" Consultant Paul Sullivan explores the rules and offers some advice.

Legislature Enacts Paid Family Leave

September 13, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies , New Legislation and Regulations

The state legislature has adopted a bill that provides most employees in Washington State with paid leave to care for their health conditions, the health condition of a family member, or for the birth or placement of an adopted or foster child. This post summarizes the new legislation and some of the differences between it and the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Paid Sick Leave Starts January 1

September 5, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Starting January 1, 2018, all employers in the state, including all local government agencies, must provide paid sick leave for their employees. In this blog post, MRSC Legal Consultant Paul Sullivan responds to some possible questions about the new paid sick leave requirements.

New Law on Restraining Dogs

July 10, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Animal Control , New Legislation and Regulations

In this blog post, Paul Sullivan provides an overview of a new law adopted by the legislature that regulates the tethering of dogs. The new law goes into effect on July 23, 2017.

Paid Sick Leave and Initiative 1433

March 27, 2017 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Leave Policies

Initiative 1433, approved by the voters in November 2016, sets the minimum wage for most employees (currently $11.00 per hour). But the initiative does more than that. Starting January 1, 2018, every employer in the state, including local governments, will be required to provide its employees with paid sick leave. This blog post will explore how this new requirement will affect local governments in Washington State.

New Rule Requires Notice When Transporting Oil

September 28, 2016 by Paul Sullivan
Category: Hazardous Materials and Substances , New Legislation and Regulations

The Department of Ecology (DOE) recently adopted a new regulation, chapter 173-185 WAC, requiring that the DOE receive advance notification when crude oil is moved to certain facilities in the state by railroad car, as well as biannual reports from the owners of certain oil transmission pipelines regarding the volume of crude oil transported through their pipelines. Local governments can, upon request, get this information from the DOE.

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