PSARA Members On Your Mark “Ready, Set, Go!”

The 2025 legislative session began January 13. PSARA activists prepped for advocacy action on January 7 at our annual legislative conference.

2025 PSARA Legislative Conference

I exaggerate only a tad to say it was SRO at the Seattle office of the Washington State Labor Council on Tuesday, January 7. What a fabulous turnout! We convened at noon, chatted and filled our plates (sometimes two times, but who’s counting) with yummy treats. GRC member Tim Burns cooked up a crockpot of his famous beans, and

vegetarian to boot. Jessica Bonebright has perfected the art of making deviled eggs, a personal favorite. It was lovely to be in person, break bread together, and enjoy each other’s fellowship.

Mike Andrew, our intrepid executive director, and Karen Richter, our gracious and brilliant co-president welcomed attendees. Members came from far and wide representing 14 legislative districts. Former Speaker Frank Chopp and Senator Bob Hasegawa shared heartfelt words. We honored Frank with a photograph of PSARA activists along with him at the House of Representatives dais from a past Lobby Day. Nancy Sapiro, our lobbyist, gave an overview of the session and what we might expect. Yours truly unveiled PSARA’s 2025 legislative agenda as a work in progress. Below you can find the latest iteration. At 2:15 p.m., running overtime a bit, PSARA members headed home with full heads, hearts, and bellies.

Please visit our informative and engaging PSARA website for the PowerPoint created for the conference presentation by Paul Muldoon. You will also find results of our member survey that informed our legislative priorities. Eighty-nine members responded. YOUR VOICE MATTERS! Thank you so much.

Next Up: LOBBY DAY March 18

Mark your calendars and make sure you register. The deadline for Retiree Advocate articles was Jan. 14, so stay tuned to your inbox for messages from Mike with additional details regarding transportation, timing, legislator meetings, and other logistics.

Base Camp will be the Olympia Washington State Labor Council office. We start the day there with an overview of the day’s activities before heading off to campus for meetings with legislators. We plan to meet with both Senate and House leadership and Patty Kuderer, our new Office of Insurance Com- missioner. Participants will also have meetings with their representatives and senators. There will be hearings we can sit in on as well.

Front and center, we will be building relationships with our legislators. We will do that by sharing and advocating for our legislative priorities. The GRC will prep participants with talking points on our legislative priorities and tips for how to speak with legislators. We will do a virtual training before Lobby Day so you feel confident and good to go in Olympia.

March 18 will be a great day for advocacy. We will know what bills are still alive as cut-off for bills to be out of their house of origin is February 21. Our advocacy is necessary for continuing progress on our priorities so that bills pass the second house and make it to Governor Ferguson’s desk for signature. Budget and revenue talk will be heating up.

Uncertainty at the Federal Level and Final Words

The November election brought us a solid Democratic trifecta at the state level, but not so in the other Washing- ton. The D.C. administration will not be a friend to Washington State. We are not sure how that will play out, but our top priorities will be protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and supporting vulnerable communities.

PSARA is an amazing organization. We don’t have to look back far to recognize our impact. We mobilized and organized for months to defeat three of the four conservative, backward-looking initiatives in the November election. When we stand together we create ripples that become waves and change lives for the better. Thank you all.

PSARA 2025 Legislative Agenda

PSARA is a multi-generational grass roots organization advocating for all people, and seniors in particular, to be able to live their lives with economic security, dignity, and respect.

Health Care

PSARA believes that comprehensive, affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate health care is a fundamental human right.

• Promote Leveling the Playing Field in Medicare SJM 8002

• Protect against healthcare program cuts and advance immigrant health equity

• Support efforts to advance universal healthcare SJM 8004

• Ensure quality affordable health care for nursing home workers (WA Essential Worker Healthcare Program)

•  Strengthen and protect WA Cares

Housing and Homelessness

PSARA supports keeping people housed, building more low-income housing, and preventing homelessness in the first place.

•  Ensure reasonable and more predictable rent increases by passing rent stabilization

•  Invest $500 million in the Housing Trust Fund

• RA supports legislation that promotes healthy families and workplaces.

• Extend job protection in the Family & Medical Leave Program to ensure low wage earners can return to their jobs after leave to care for themselves or family members

• Extend unemployment benefits to striking workers and undocumented workers

• Build economic security for low-income families by creating the Washington Future Fund Program (Baby bonds)

Climate and Environmental Justice

PSARA supports the right of all people to live and work in a clean and healthy environment.

• Divest Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) funds from fossil fuels (No Coal Act)

•  Add a Green Amendment to the Washington State Constitution

• Improve solid waste management outcomes by reducing use of plastic wrap and containers

Fiscal Reform and Revenue

PSARA supports a state budget that is transparent, pays a living wage to state workers, and provides services that help our people, economy, and environment thrive.

• Prevent devastating budget cuts by providing new progressive revenues such as a wealth tax that taxes extraordinary financial assets