Including standby pay as basic salary in the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' retirement system plan 2.

HB 2561 amends Washington's retirement law to include standby pay as part of the "basic salary" used to calculate retirement benefits for law enforcement officers and firefighters enrolled in Plan 2. Specifically, it requires that compensation received while in "standby status" (paid time when not working but required to be available for immediate duty) be counted toward retirement benefits, alongside regular wages. This change directly affects current and future Plan 2 members in these professions, ensuring their retirement income reflects all earned compensation during standby periods. The bill explicitly excludes vacation pay, sick leave, and severance from this calculation. It does not alter existing retirement benefit formulas but clarifies which compensation types are included in the base salary calculation.