(1) Except with regard to institutions of higher education as defined in RCW
28B.10.016, any official of the state or of any political subdivision, municipal corporation, or quasi-municipal corporation authorized to disburse funds in payment of salaries and wages of employees is authorized upon written request of at least twenty-five employees to pay all or part of such salaries or wages to any financial institution for either: (a) Credit to the employees' accounts in such financial institution; or (b) immediate transfer therefrom to the employees' accounts in any other financial institutions.
(2) In disbursing funds for payment of salaries and wages of employees, institutions of higher education as defined in RCW
28B.10.016 are authorized to require the following payment methods:
(a) For employees who have an account in a financial institution, payment to any financial institution for either: (i) Credit to the employees' accounts in such financial institution; or (ii) immediate transfer therefrom to the employees' accounts in any other financial institutions; and
(b) For employees who do not have an account in a financial institution, payment by alternate methods such as payroll cards.
(3) Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing any employer to require the employees to have an account in any particular financial institution or type of financial institution. A single warrant may be drawn in favor of such financial institution, for the total amount due the employees involved, and written directions provided to such financial institution of the amount to be credited to the account of an employee or to be transferred to an account in another financial institution for such employee. The issuance and delivery by the disbursing officer of a warrant in accordance with the procedure set forth herein and proper indorsement thereof by the financial institution shall have the same legal effect as payment directly to the employee.
(4) Conservation districts as established and authorized under chapter
89.08 RCW are exempt from the requirement to obtain a written request of twenty-five employees as required in subsection (1) of this section, and may disburse funds in payment of salaries and wages of employees consistent with this chapter and RCW
89.08.215.
(5) For the purposes of this section "financial institution" means any bank or trust company established in this state pursuant to chapter 2, Title 12, United States Code, or *Title
30 RCW, and any credit union established in this state pursuant to chapter 14, Title 12, United States Code, or chapter
31.12 RCW, and any mutual savings bank established in this state pursuant to Title
32 RCW, and any savings and loan association established in this state pursuant to chapter 12, Title 12, United States Code, or Title
33 RCW.
