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WA State Legislative session 2026 recap/next Steps Welcome Introduction: Pam Crone, Chair PSARA Government Relations Comm. 2026 Legislative Session Review: Nancy Sapiro, Northwest Justice Consulting LLC HR 1 Healthcare Impacts: Maddie Foutch, SEIU 775 Millionaires Tax: Beth Lindsey, Invest WA Now 2027 Initiatives: Libby Watson, No Hate in WA Campaign Briefing on the timeline and activities around the 2027 WA Session: Pam Crone Closing: Karen Richter Co President PSARA Weds. May 27 @ 10:30 a.m. Webinar (Zoom) Agenda

For more than a quarter century, Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) has been active in fighting for older Americans, retirees, their children and families through social justice activities. P uget S ound A dvocates for R etirement A ction Working across generations for social justice, economic security, dignity, and a healthy planet for all of us. WA State 2026 Legislative Session Recap & Next Steps Weds. May 27 @ 1 p.m. Save the Date more details to follow Upcoming PSARA Events/meetings (Click Here for a complete list of Events and Meetings) PSARA Pierce County Organizing Committee May 14, 5:30 p.m. Central Co-op 4502 N. Pearl St. Tacoma, WA You can attend this event In-person and through Zoom. To receive the Zoom Link contact Lynne Dodson: lynned.dodson@gmail.com PSARA May Retiree Advocate Click here to read the Advocate online In this issue we feature a Page 1 article by Jeff Johnson, "Fighting Food Insecurity in the Face of Climate Chaos." Also in the issue: Anne Watanabe reports on PSARA's meeting with Rep. Adam Smith about WISeR. Peter Harris discusses the proposed construction of new nuclear power facilities to power AI. Katie Harris writes the third in her series on vertical integration in the health care industry. Mike Withey reports on "Saving Our Elections" from the machinations of the Trump administration. Steve Kofahl discusses threats to our Social Security Administration. John Birnel recommends "How to Transition Off Plastics." And more! WA State Legislature Passes Level the Medicare Playing Field Resolution Click here for the Secretary of States Transmittal letter to President Trump and Washington's Congressional Delegation Thank you to all who attended NO Kings Rallies Health Secretary Kennedy is Attacking Traditional Medicare in Washington State In January, the Trump administration will be rolling out a new control on Traditional Medicare in six states, including Washington State. This program is called WISeR. It will affect Medicare benefits by requiring a new prior authorization for a number of medical decisions. This means your doctor will need to receive prior authorization from the Federal government before you get some medical treatments. C lick Here for more on the WISeR Program and what you can do to stop it. On December 6th PSARA Board Members Robby Stern and Anne Watanabe (hosted by Dan Grey and Evegreen State College) discuss the attacks on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Please listen to the interview and share with your friends: Click here to hear the interview. Download and Read PSARA’s Primer on Leveling the Medicare Playing Field Protecting our Assets Protecting our Asses In the last year PSARA’s Co-President, Jeff Johnson, wrote a series of articles for PSARA’s Retiree Advocate highlighting the need to move beyond fossil fuels and the responsibility of unions to insure that their retirement plans stop investing in fossil fuels not just because its good environmentally but also good economics. Unions can play a key role in jump starting our green future. These articles have been consolidated into a single publication: Protecting our Assets Protecting our Asses. Click here to download the pamphlet or read it online. DOWNLOAD JOIN PSARA in making a difference! Back to Top

PSARA advocates on a range of issues. Our committees work in the areas of Social Equity, Environment, Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security. We also publish a monthly newsletter: The Advocate. We welcome New Members and Volunteers. PSARA Committees Meetings/Events Race and Gender Equity (RAGE) Committee Typically meets the 3rd Thursday of the month Contact: organizer@psara.org The Race and Gender Equity Committee works to highlight issues of racial and gender equity and to advocate for diverse and marginalized communities in the Puget Sound region and beyond. Current topics include Black Reparations, immigrant rights, and the impacts of environmental and land use decisions on communities of color. Government Relations Committee Typically meets the 1st Thursday of the month Contact: organizer@psara.org The Government Relations Committee is an active and engaged committee of volunteers that believes PSARA’s advocacy will make a difference in forming our state’s policies and priorities. We meet year around and are open to all PSARA members. Our work helps to center PSARA’s advocacy priorities and lead our members to greater activism in making Washington a healthier and more equitable place to live and thrive. We advocate for the quality of life and well-being of all Washingtonians and particularly seniors emphasizing retirement security, economic and social justice, revenue reform, climate justice, healthcare and housing affordability. Click here for more information. Climate & Environmental Justice Committee Typically meets the 1st Thursday of the month Contact: tplux@comcast.net PSARA's Climate & Environmental Justice Committee was formed out of the urgency of the escalating global climate crisis. We engage with Labor, environmental organizations and indigenous allies to help build a political movement to transition to clean energy and keep the world livable for future generations. We demand a just transition and livable wages for workers displaced by the move to clean energy and we advocate for justice and compensation for low income, communities of color and other communities adversely affected by fossil fuels and inequality. The threat of climate change requires education, advocacy, and direct action now! Fund Raising Committee Typically meets the 2nd Monday of the month Contact: organizer@psara.org The Fundraising Committee raises funds to support the great work of PSARA. Members conduct two major fundraising campaigns annually including Give Big in the spring and an End of Year solicitation. It also sponsors events such as concerts, storytellers, book reading by local authors and more. We reach out to other organizations for annual donations and apply for grants as the opportunity presents itself. Members also support agency events such as organizing our general membership meetings and PSARA’s anniversary celebration. Our work results in significant resources for PSARA and the PSARA Education Fund. We welcome all who want to help and we have fun planning and organizing our events and activities.

Ann Widger, Director, AFSCME Retirees Letter to Retired Federal Employees I have been working to protect Social Security for almost 30 years and I’ve never seen so many attacks against the Social Security system and the people who depend on it. They’re hoping you’ll stay quiet while they trample over many seniors' only source of income after retirement. Do you still trust them to protect the benefits you earned? Tell us where you stand. Just look at what they’ve done to Social Security — and it’s only June. Project 2025 architect Russell Vought — who admitted he wants to slash Social Security — is now running the federal budget. DOGE, under Elon Musk, demanded access to private Social Security data — and forced the acting Commissioner to resign when she said no. The SSA announced office cuts that guarantee longer wait times, delayed benefits, and total chaos for retirees and disabled workers. Musk went on national TV, called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme”, and declared it “the big one to eliminate.” Social Security is YOUR money and you are entitled to it. When a federal judge blocked DOGE from accessing your personal data, Commissioner Leland Dudek threw a tantrum and threatened to shut the whole program down. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicly mocked seniors, saying his 94-year-old mother-in-law wouldn’t miss a Social Security check — and that only “fraudsters” complain. Reports surfaced that wait times for benefits are projected to skyrocket — from 236 days to 412. Deaths while waiting for disability could more than double, reaching 67,000 people a year. DOGE falsely declared living Americans dead or undocumented, cutting off their benefits without warning and putting their ability to pay their rent and buy groceries at risk. The Senate confirmed Frank Bisignano, a billionaire known for gutting jobs and services, to run the SSA. The White House announced plans to defund the Social Security Advisory Board — eliminating oversight just as the attacks ramp up. And that new commissioner? Bisignano admitted he had to Google the job. He didn’t even know what the SSA did — and now he controls benefits for 70 million Americans. And just last week, the Supreme Court ruled to give DOGE access to your personal Social Security information, even though many DOGE staffers are not properly training on accessing personal data and are not qualified to have access to such sensitive information. This isn’t politics. It’s sabotage. What This Means for You: Reports indicate a surge in early retirement claims, as individuals fear benefit reductions or disruptions to what is their main source of income. Social Security recipients have started noticing changes. Longer drives to reach the nearest office. Longer wait times on the phone. No response. One AFSCME Retiree — Louisa Pedraza — was told she would hear back soon about her Social Security. She heard nothing. The attacks not only strained the SSA's resources but the misinformation and lies spread by Elon Musk and his minions have also eroded trust in the system — paving the way for even more cuts. They said they wouldn’t touch Social Security. Instead, they infiltrated it, accessed private information, fired the staff, closed the offices, spread lies about fraud and threatened to shut the entire program down. Did they think you wouldn’t notice? Do you trust them with your Social Security? Tell us what you think here. In Solidarity, Ann Widger P.S. Social Security is more than just a program; it's a promise made to every American. It’s food on the table and a roof over the heads of millions of Americans. Let's ensure that promise is kept and that we’re not cheated out of everything we’ve worked for. Contributions or gifts to the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees PEOPLE (AFSCME PEOPLE) are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. All contributions to AFSCME PEOPLE are voluntary and will be used to support pro-worker candidates in federal, state and local elections. Contributions are not a condition of membership or employment and refusal to contribute is free of reprisal. Any contribution guideline is only a suggestion, and you may contribute more or less than that amount or nothing at all, and you will not be favored or disadvantaged because of your contribution amount or decision not to contribute. In accordance with federal law, AFSCME PEOPLE accepts contributions only from AFSCME members, executive and administrative personnel, and their families. Contributions from other persons will be returned. If you would prefer to donate to AFSCME PEOPLE offline, please click here . All content © 2025 AFSCME Retirees Privacy Policy

-5198757490226798476 IMG_0563 20230321_115056_edited -5198757490226798476 1/5 Meetings & Events IMG_0137 (1) IMG_6872 France Giddings Karen Richter, Jeff Johnson and Robby Stern IMG_0137 (1) 1/9 PSARA committee meetings and events will be virtual unless otherwise noted, to attend any of these meetings, email organizer@psara.org for the link. Non PSARA events on this calendar will are identified as such and have link to the sponsoring agency in the description. Thursday May 7, 2026 10:30 AM Climate & Environmental Justice Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Thursday May 7, 2026 12:30 PM PSARA Government Relations Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Friday May 8, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Saturday May 9, 2026 11:00 AM Metropole Seattle 423 2nd Ave Ext S, Seattle Solidarities: Black Liberation and Asian American Activism in PNW Join us to hear from leaders of To RSVP: the Black Panther Party as they share the intersections of Black liberation movements and Asian American activism in the Pacific Nothwest, examining how communities have built coalitions across racial lines in pursuit of shared justice. Click Here to RSVP Questions? Please contact Amy Leong, apalawa@gmail.com Co-Sponsored by: APALA Seattle, Black Panther Party Legacy Project, LELO Thursday May 14, 2026 5:30 PM Central Co-op 4502 N. Pearl St. Tacoma, WA PSARA Pierce County Organizing Committee You can attend this meeting either in person or via Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Friday May 15, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Tuesday May 19, 2026 10:30 AM Fund Raising Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Wednesday May 20, 2026 10:00 AM Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Go Birding Support PSARA Want to go birding? Our past fundraising trips have been very successful so we are offering it again. Join us as we go to theBilly Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in the beautiful Nisqually Delta on Wednesday May 20th. (Rain date is Thurs-day May 28th.)Meet us at the Visitor Center at 10:00 am. For information about the Wildlife Refuge search Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge and you will find a map, species lists and much more. Our leaders are wildlife expert Noelle Congdon and Karen Richter. Beginners are especially welcome as we search for all the spring warblers and other migrating birds. The trails are allhandicapped accessible and are about three miles in length. Plan to be standing and walking most of the time so wear your sturdy walking shoes. We will stop to watch Nisqually wildlife.Tree frogs should be plentiful. Bring your lunch, binoculars if you have them, and a donation to PSARA. We should be done about 2:00 pm although some of us may stay later. Email Karen at kerichter100@gmail to let her know you are coming. She will send you a phone number to answer yourquestions and to provide addi-tional details. We are looking forward to spending a beautiful spring day in nature. Thursday May 21, 2026 11:00 AM Race and Gender Equity Comm. Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Thursday May 21, 2026 12:30 PM PSARA Executive Board Unless otherwise specified all meetings are Zoom. Please contact Organizer@psara.org for Zoom link. Friday May 22, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Friday May 29, 2026 11:30 AM Federal Bldg. 909 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 Support our Federal Workforce Saturday May 30, 2026 12:00 PM Peace Arch Historical State Park, 123 2nd St. Blaine, WA 98230 PNW Cross-Border Day of Solidarity for a People’s Trade Agenda Join Trade Justice Education Fund May 30 in highlighting the struggles and resistance of workers, migrants, and many others in the face of corporate rule, and to celebrate a people’s trade agenda! Click here for additional information

Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) Archive collection of PSARA Advocate Newsletters (a monthly publication) on current issues in the area of Social and Economic Equity, Environment, Labor Justice. Advocate Newsletter Print Version Advocate Archives (You can scroll down to review the Archive or use the search window to search by file title. To open an Advocate issue click on the file. When the window opens click on the button "open in drive ” to read in full screen or download. The Advocate issue will open in a new window)

PSARA monthly newsletter, The Advocate.(PSARA): A monthly publication on current issues in the areas of Social and Economic Equity, Environment, Labor Justice. The Retiree ADVOCATE Our Retire Advocate newsletters are sent to our current members but we also provide the current print edition below. Click here to read the Advocate Online Please consider joining PSARA or donating to support our work. Looking for past newsletters? Click here for the Advocate Archives.

The Retiree ADVOCATE The Monthly Publication of PSARA EDUCATION FUND “Uniting Generations for a Secure Future” Advocate Print Version May 1, 2026 Fighting Food Insecurity in the Face of Climate Chaos Jeff Johnson Jeff Johnson discusses the climate crisis effect on agriculture and solutions being developed in Morocco and Washington State. Read More GiveBIG 2026 Karen Richter Karen Richter discusses this years Give Big Campaign and how your donations are helping PSARA’s work in educating our membership and others on a range of issues. Read More PSARA Meets with Congressman Adam Smith to Talk About WISeR Anne Watanabe Anne Watanabe reports on PSARA's meeting with Rep. Adam Smith about WISeR. Read More Nuclear Power for AI? Peter Harris Peter Harris discusses the proposed construction of new nuclear power facilities to power AI. Read More Vertical Integration: Fighting Monopoly Katie Harris Katie Harris writes the third in her series on vertical integration in the health care industry. Read More Saving our Elections Mike Withey Mike Withey reports on "Saving Our Elections" from the machinations of the Trump administration. Read More Wrong Time for Chaos at the SSA Steve Kofahl Steve Kofahl discusses threats to our Social Security Administration. Read More Trump Escalates War Against Cuba Cindy Domingo Cindy Domingo on Trump's escalating war against Cuba. Read More How To Transition Off Plastics John Birnel John Birnel recommends "How to Transition Off Plastics." Read More Go Birding Support PSARA Noelle Congdon and Karen Richter invite you to join them on a Birding walk in Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. Read More Recognizing Vannetta Molson PSARA member Vanetta Molson is recognized by Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Association Read More The Barbed Wire Barbara Flye Barbara Flye’s comment on the Artemus II Moon Mission Read More

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents May 2026 Go Birding Support PSARA Want to go birding? Our past fundraising trips have been very successful so we are offering it again. Join us as we go to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wild-life Refuge in the beautiful Nisqually Delta on Wednesday May 20th. (Rain date is Thursday May 28th.) Meet us at the Visitor Center at 10:00 am. For information about the Wildlife Refuge search Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge and you will find a map, species lists and much more. Our leaders are wildlife ex-pert Noelle Congdon and Karen Richter. Beginners are especially welcome as we search for all the spring warblers and other migrating birds. The trails are all handicapped accessible and are about three miles in length. Plan to be standing and walking most of the time so wear your sturdy walking shoes. We will stop to watch Nisqually wildlife. Tree frogs should be plentiful. Bring your lunch, binoculars if you have them, and a donation to PSARA. We should be done about 2:00 pm although some of us may stay later. Email Karen at kerichter100@gmail to let her know you are coming. She will send you a phone number to answer your questions and to provide additional details. We are looking forward to spending a beautiful spring day in nature. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents July 2025 Tim Wheeler Reads From His Latest Book No Power Greater: The Life & Times of George A. Meyers Saturday, July 26, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. WSLC Offices, 321 16th Avenue S, Seattle Please join PSARA and our own Tim Wheeler for the Washington state debut of Tim’s latest book, No Power Greater: The Life &Times of George A. Meyers. Tim will read from the book, take questions and comments, and also lead us in song with his trusty autoharp. Copies of No Power Greater will be available for purchase. Tim has generously offered to donate all proceeds from book sales at this event to PSARA. The Retiree Advocate published a review of the book in our May issue. To read the review, go to PSARA.org, click “Newsletter,” then “Advocate Archives,” and search for “202505 May Advocate.” The remainder of this article is an excerpt from this fascinating book: A couple of days before Christmas, 1941, the Maryland Council of the CIO met at a convention in Baltimore. The nation was reeling from the December 7 sneak attack on Pearl Harbor two weeks earlier by Imperial Japan; the US was suddenly plunged into war. Yet even so, sharp partisan politics intruded when the industrial union leaders met in Baltimore. John T. Jones, a leader of the United Mine Workers, had quit as President of the Maryland- DC branch of the CIO. He was following the lead of UMW President, John L. Lewis… John L. Lewis was furious at FDR for rejecting his appeal that he supports the steelworkers in the 1937 “Little Steel” strike marked by the infamous massacre by Chicago police of steel union strikers. Lewis was so angry at FDR that one week before the November 1940 presidential election, Lewis urged union workers to vote for Republican Wendell Wilkie. Lewis vowed that he would resign as CIO President if Roosevelt was reelected. The overwhelming majority of union workers rejected Lewis’ appeal and Roosevelt won in a landslide. Lewis followed through, announcing his resignation as President of the CIO, pulling the UMW out of the CIO. All UMW leaders who held leadership posts in the CIO, including Jones, also resigned. George was chosen unanimously to replace Jones. George Meyers said of his election to lead the Maryland-DC CIO: To my great surprise, at the Council convention…I was unanimously proposed to succeed him. Need- less to say, I was both surprised and honored but only agreed to run if the convention elected an African American as one of our vice presidents. It did, and Joe Neal, a leader of the Steel Local at Sparrows Point near Baltimore, became the first black officer of the Maryland-DC Council. George A. Meyers gave unstinting leadership to the Maryland-DC CIO during his two-year tenure as President. His highest priority was to build labor support for the war effort. For him defeating fascism and organizing unorganized workers were two sides of the same coin... Equally high on the CIO agenda was fighting Jim Crow exclusion of African American workers at plants like Glen L. Martin, Fairchild Aircraft, Beth Steel, the shipyards, and all other jobs in Maryland. Along with fighting racist hiring practices, the CIO demanded equal hiring and equal pay for women workers < Back to Table of Contents

This page outlines why privatization of Medicare is bad for the Medicare Trust Fund and for all Americans. Stop Privatization of Medicare Watch PSARA Co President Jeff Johnson lay out PSARA’s Plans for getting Medicare out of the Hands of Private Equity by Leveling the Playing Field Resources on preventing privatization of Medicare: PSARA’s Level the playing field resources page Read and Download PSARA’s Primer on Leveling the Playing Field Traditional Medicare was created in 1965 as a public good to provide a national health care system for seniors and the disabled in the United States and has proven to be our most efficient and effective public health care program with administrative costs accounting for only 2-3% of Medicare spending. However over the last 20 years the federal government has created various for-profit privatized health care programs within Medicare including Medicare Part D (prescription drugs), MediGap (Part B) (supplemental plans to cover Medicare’s 20% copays), and Medicare Advantage (Part C) which is permitted to take up to 15% of every Medicare dollar for administration and profits for managing Medicare claims. Additionally, the Trump administration doubled down on privatizing Medicare through the Direct Contracting Pilot, rebranded under the Biden Administration as ACO-REACH, which allows private equity firms and Wall Street companies to take up to 25% or more of every Medicare dollar for administration and profits for managing Medicare claims. Recent reports by the HHS Inspector General, academic researchers, and investigative journalists have uncovered wide-ranging fraudulent practices, confirming that upcoding, delaying medically necessary care, and the denial of claims by insurers and other private businesses managing Medicare claims, together account for defrauding the Medicare Trust Fund and Medicare beneficiaries of many billions of dollars annually. PSARA is working with groups across the nation that recognize privatization of Medicare is unacceptable and are fighting for major changes to fix it. Our campaign to terminate Medicare privatization and to protect and strengthen traditional Medicare is grounded in the following seven goals: 1. Expose and educate PSARA members, policy makers, and the wider public on how Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Shared Savings plans, and other “innovative” reimbursement plans are undermining traditional Medicare, fleecing the Medicare Trust Fund and taxpayers, and delaying and denying critical care to seniors. 2. Level the playing field by allowing Medicare to offer the same level of benefits to beneficiaries as the Medicare Advantage plans. 3. Require private insurers and companies to pay back to the Medicare Trust Fund, with interest, the money they stole and make restitution to the Medicare beneficiaries to whom they delayed or denied care. 4. Remove fraudulent actors from the Medicare system. 5. The DCE/ACO REACH pilot can and should be terminated immediately. Until then, no further corporate participants should be allowed into the pilot. 6. Allow Medicare beneficiaries to move from Medicare Advantage plans to traditional Medicare during the annual open enrollment periods seamlessly. 7. Support Reps. Pocan and Khanna’s bill, the Save Medicare Act, relabeling Medicare Advantage plans “alternative private health plans” and fining private insurers that use Medicare in plan titles or advertisements. PSARA’s goal is to create a movement around protecting and strengthening traditional Medicare, ending Medicare as a profit center for private enterprise, and building a sound foundation for Medicare for All. We hope you will join us in this fight. More Resources Here

2026 PSARA Legislative Priorities talking points HB 1214 SB 5768 / Expanding eligibility for the working families' tax credit to everyone age 18 and older. PSARA Posit: Pro In 2025, the bill passed Senate Ways & Means, but did not pass out of Rules. The Working Families Tax Credit, passed in 2021, helps mitigate the regressivity of Washington’s tax code by providing modest credits to low- and moderate-income state residents. Currently the credit is restricted to 25–64-year-olds. Extending it to all income qualifying residents over 18 will give a financial boost to younger and older Washingtonians struggling with affordability. The Working Families Tax Credit program is administered by the Department of Revenue. Income eligibility is based on eligibility for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) which is established by the federal government. Combat Washington’s regressive tax code Provide financial stability to young adults (18-24) and seniors (65+) Reduce poverty HB 1303 SB 5380 / Increasing environmental justice by improving government decisions. PSARA Posit: Sponsors: Senators Lovelett, Trudeau, Hasegawa, Nobles, Saldana, Stanford, Valdez; Representatives Mena, Berry, Reeves, Redd, Ormsby, Salahuddin, Ramel, Pollet, Nance, Doglio and Scott. Formerly known as the Cumulative Risk Burden (CURB) Pollution Act. SB 5380/HB 1303 focus on integrating environmental justice into the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). No matter who you are or where you live, we all deserve to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and be safe from toxic pollution. But across Washington State, communities of color and Indigenous peoples carry the greatest burden when it comes to environmental pollution, affecting their health, well-being, and life expectancy. Why do our frontline communities face these challenges? It’s because of decades of racist practices that placed polluting facilities in our neighborhoods. It’s because of big businesses who were given permits to pollute by our state government. Communities that have historically borne the worst effects of pollution due to redlining and institutional racism shouldn’t have to bear the ongoing harm being inflicted on their health, well-being, and even life expectancy today. Yet under current laws, reviews of project proposals that may have an environmental impact are not required to consider the ongoing legacy of environmental racism and the very real health concerns that our state’s most impacted communities face. HB 1661 SB 5541 / Concerning the Washington future fund pilot project. PSARA Posit: Pro HB 1773 SB 5626 / Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance. PSARA Posit: Pro HB 2090 SB 5821 / Integrating advanced nuclear energy into the state energy strategy. PSARA Posit: Pro After review of Senate Bill 5821 we have the following concerns: This legislation is not an analysis of the current state of nuclear power. The legislation as written has no guard rails or limits to the expansion of nuclear power. Advances in nuclear technology that it vaguely references in its justification for adding nuclear power to WA State’s Energy Strategy have not been commercially deployed or fully tested. Most news articles have it deployed no sooner than 2030 – 2035. Based on our reading, if the legislation passes as is it currently written there is no limit to the number of small or large nuclear power plants that could be built in WA State Of particular concern is the management of nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is a liability that has to be handled safely and securely for thousands of years. Any legislation should require development of a life cycle plan and costing for managing nuclear waste. We are not opposed to an independent study that helps us understand better current technologies broadly in energy development. This legislation is not that. It is an attempt by the nuclear industry and other interests to introduce nuclear energy into WA States Energy Strategy. This is premature and deserves further study. HB 2100 SB 6093 / Enacting an excise tax on large operating companies on the amount of payroll expenses above the minimum wage threshold of the additional medicare tax to fund services to benefit Washingtonians and establishing the Well Washington fund account. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors: Scott, Mena, Thomas, Reed Parshley, Hill, Ryu, Doglio, Simmons, Peterson, Berry, Pollet. New progressive sources of revenue are essential to safeguard and strengthen programs that keep people across Washington housed, fed, and healthy. The affordability crisis has hit Washington’s working families and seniors hard. Federal cuts, tariffs, and the chaos and fear sown by the current federal administration are further harming our economy and communities. Meanwhile, billionaire investors are enjoying further gains in wealth. More than ever, we need our state government to step up. We can protect state services and our children’s future by finally asking the very wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes. Rep. Shaun Scott and Sen. Rebecca Saldaña are introducing companion bills to create a Well Washington Fund financed by a new tax on our state’s largest employers, amounting to 5% of their payroll on employees making more than $125,000 annually. These additional revenues will help finance health care, housing, higher ed, and nutrition programs that are all now threatened by federal cuts. In November, voters across our state were clear: they support a vision of our state that stands up to Trump, protects our most vulnerable, and invests in shared community prosperity. In 2026, state legislators need to be bold in finally asking Washington’s wealthiest residents to pay their fair share to continue making Washington a great place to live and do business. The Well Washington tax is similar to Seattle’s successful Jump Start Tax. Employers already paying that tax will be able to take a credit off their state tax. Last session, the state legislature passed a 2-year budget that included both tax increases (in capital gains, estate, and business taxes) and major cuts to health care, early learning, education, and other state services. In 2026, they will pass a supplemental budget. We have already seen major cuts in federal funding and will likely face even more cuts in the coming year. We need our state to step up to protect health care affordability, funding for foodbanks and housing, and access to childcare, preschool, and higher ed. Washington’s tax system is highly regressive, with low- and moderate- income Washingtonians paying at far higher rates than the wealthy. Small businesses also pay higher rates than large profitable corporations. Continued growth in economic inequality helps feed the state budget crisis. HB 2103 SB 6004 / Authorizing certain public entities to contract for the capability of renewable or nonemitting electric generation projects. PSARA Posit: con Sponsors: Stearns , Parshley , Zahn , Barnard , Ryu , Leavitt , Simmons , Reed , Fitzgibbon , Bernbaum Sec.8.2 requires Agencies to be liable for construction costs even if the energy production facility is not successfully completed: "...means that the contract may provide that the city, district, or operating agency must make the payments required by the contract whether or not the project is completed, operable, or operating and notwithstanding the suspension, interruption, interference, reduction, or curtailment of the output of the project or the power and energy contracted for." "Such contract may also provide that payments under the contract are not subject to reduction, whether by offset or otherwise, and may not be conditioned upon the performance or nonperformance of the operating agency, public or private project owner, or publicly or privately owned public utility, or a city, district, or operating agency under the contract or other instrument." "Washington spent much of the 1970s trying to become a center for nuclear power, with plans for five huge fission reactors at Richland and Satsop. Then came cost overruns, construction problems, and one of the biggest municipal bond defaults in Wall Street history in 1983." Source: Washington Standard January 2, 2026 HB 2105 SB 5852 / Concerning immigrant worker protections. PSARA Posit: Pro HB 2173 SB 5855 / Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers. PSARA Posit: Pro 2332 / Driver Privacy Protection PSARA Posit: HB 2409 SB 6045 / Placing agricultural employees under the jurisdiction of the public employment relations commission for the purpose of collective bargaining. PSARA Posit: SB 5380 HB 1303 / Increasing environmental justice by improving government decisions. PSARA Posit: Pro SB 5395 HB 1566 / Making improvements to transparency and accountability in the prior authorization determination process. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors: Senators Orwall, Muzzall, Hasegawa, Lovelett, Nobles, Slatter House: Reps. Rule, Marshall, Shavers, Pollet, Kloba This legislation is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the negative impact of insurance carrier prior authorization processes on patients' access to care and on the practice of medicine for physicians and health care practitioners. The bill would require the following: Physician-led decisions: Health plans must have medical necessity determinations made by a licensed physician or health care practitioner working within their scope of practice. No AI as sole basis for denial: Artificial intelligence or other tools cannot be the only factor in denying a prior authorization request. Any denial must be made by a human professional. Transparency in decisions: Health plans must identify the person who made the prior authorization determination and provide their credentials in notifications. Reporting and accountability: Health plans must now report more detailed information on prior authorization requests, approvals, and denials, including the percentage of denials that involved AI tools. Prior Authorization is a barrier to healthcare Prior Authorization causes delays and denials of medically necessary healthcare Prior Authorization can lead to treatment abandonment Prior Authorization overburdens physicians and healthcare providers in mounds of paperwork. Prior Authorization decisions by AI and Machine Learning magnify and exacerbate the perils of PA as stated above. SB 5439 / Concerning divestment of funds under management by the state investment board from thermal coal. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors: Senators Frame, Lovelett, Hasegawa, Nobles, Ramos, Saldana, Stanford The Washington State Investment Board manages pension funds for 912,000 public employees who work or have worked for the state and in municipalities, public schools, law enforcement and firefighting. The WSIB is required by law to act in the best interest of public employees and retirees. WA Coal Act directs Washington State Investment Board to: Phase out publicly traded investments in coal Halt new investments in coal Report annually on the phase out of coal investments Complete divestment from coal funds by TBA Comply with its fiduciary duty to protect pension retirement funds Coal is damaging to the environment, climate and public health. Coal pollutes air, soil, and water. Human health impacts include cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease, mental health problems, adverse birth outcomes, impaired child development, and others. Coal is notorious for harming vulnerable populations disproportionately. The WA Coal Act is necessary to enable the WSIB to avoid future coal investments. The legislature must clarify that investing in coal is not aligned with Washington values and climate goals and is not in the best interest of Washingtonians. The WA Coal Act moves the WSIB to get out of the dirty coal business by phasing out their coal investments while protecting pensioners. SB 5541 HB 1661 / Concerning the Washington future fund pilot project. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors: By Request State Treasurer; Senators: Trudeau, Harris, Valdez, Lovick, Salomon, Dhingra, Hasegawa, Kauffman, Wilson (C), Saldana, Ricceli, Frame, Nobles, Slatter House: Stonier, Waters, Goodman, Reeves, Fosse, Bronoske, Paul, Salahuddin, Leavitt, Doglio, Obras, Street, Reed, Cortes, Ramel, Thomas, Parshley, Simmons, Timmons, Shavers The Washington Future Fund Coalition and members of the Washington Future Fund advisory committee have worked for years to establish a “baby bonds” program called the Washington Future Fund that would create wealth-building opportunities for Washingtonians living in generational poverty. A baby’s future economic security is largely determined by the amount of wealth they are born into - nearly HALF of babies in Washington are born into poverty. Children in rural areas of our state and those who are Black, Latinx, or Indigenous are more likely to be born into families with little or no wealth, hindering future economic opportunities and financial stability. Establishes a small-scale pilot of the WA Futures Fund granting $25,000 to individuals who would have received the benefit to use on a wealth building activity including going to school, creating a business or purchasing a home. Would provide important data to evaluate how “baby bonds” would increase economic opportunity, reduce wealth disparity, and promote broader economic opportunity, well-being and stability. SB 5626 HB 1773 / Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors : Senators Saldaña, Lovelett, Valdez, Cortes, Alvarado, Orwall, Kauffman, Slatter, Dhingra, Frame, Hasegawa, Nobles, Stanford and Wilson, C. House:Cortes, Mena, Taylor, Farivar, Berry, Walen, Ormsby, Thai, Stonier, Ryu, Ramel, Macri, Berg, Grege rson, Zahn, Simmons, Scott, Parshley, Salahuddin, Fosse, Duerr, Doglio, Pollet, Reed, Ortiz-Self In Washington state, all workers deserve a safety net if they lose their jobs. Access to public benefits like unemployment insurance (UI) keeps workers and families safe when they face a crisis like job loss through no fault of their own. However, thousands of people in Washington are unfairly excluded from vital public benefits and left without a safety net. Despite the millions in tax contributions that undocumented immigrants pay the state, they are unable to access UI and other vital public benefits when they face hard times. Immigrants are invaluable to Washington’s vibrant communities, robust workforce and healthy economy. Not only are they essential to our workforce, but they are also major tax contributors who help uphold our public programs. It is time that our systems reflect the true value of our immigrant workers. Establishes a Wage Replacement Program to provide benefits to claimants, who are ineligible for unemployment benefits and who meet certain qualifications. Requires the Employment Security Department to select a third-party administrator for the Wage Replacement Program. Creates a Wage Replacement Account to be funded by a wage replacement surcharge on employers and reduces an unemployment administrative rate contribution. Creates an advisory committee to review issues related to wage replacement. It is the just and fair thing to do. All workers and their families deserve a safety net when times are hard. Our immigrant workers and families are under additional stress and pressure. SB 5768 HB 1214 / Expanding eligibility for the working families' tax credit to everyone age 18 and older. PSARA Posit: Pro SB 5821 HB 2090 / Integrating advanced nuclear energy into the state energy strategy. PSARA Posit: Con After review of Senate Bill 5821 we have the following concerns: This legislation is not an analysis of the current state of nuclear power. The legislation as written has no guard rails or limits to the expansion of nuclear power. Advances in nuclear technology that it vaguely references in its justification for adding nuclear power to WA State’s Energy Strategy have not been commercially deployed or fully tested. Most news articles have it deployed no sooner than 2030 – 2035. Based on our reading, if the legislation passes as is it currently written there is no limit to the number of small or large nuclear power plants that could be built in WA State Of particular concern is the management of nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is a liability that has to be handled safely and securely for thousands of years. Any legislation should require development of a life cycle plan and costing for managing nuclear waste. We are not opposed to an independent study that helps us understand better current technologies broadly in energy development. This legislation is not that. It is an attempt by the nuclear industry and other interests to introduce nuclear energy into WA States Energy Strategy. This is premature and deserves further study. SB 5852 HB 2105 / Concerning immigrant worker protections. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors : Senate: Saldaña, Shewmake, Conway, Wellman, Stanford, Hasegawa, Kauffman, Wilson, C., Hunt, Valdez, Slatter, Cortes, Lovick, Lovelett, Alvarado, Chapman, Pedersen, Orwall, Nobles, Clevel and, Robinson, Trudeau. House: Mena, Farivar, Cortes, Berry, Ramel, Fosse, Parshley, Ryu, Stearns, Doglio, Simmons, Peterson Ortiz-Self. The Immigrant Worker Protection Act will provide Washington workers with greater security and guard against abusive ICE practices on the job. Senator Saldaña and Rep. Ortiz-Self are introducing the bill in cooperation with Attorney General Nick Brown. Similar laws have been passed in California, Oregon, and Illinois. The bill will: Require employers to notify employees when the federal administration requests an audit of employment eligibility information: Allow employers to share employees’ personal information with the federal government only when there is a judicial warrant or subpoena; and Remind employers that they do not need to provide federal officials access to non-public areas of the workplace without a warrant. SB 5855 HB 2173 / Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors: Senate:Valdez, Chapman, Lovick, Trudeau, Wellman, Slatter, Bateman, Frame, Cortes, Saldaña, Robinson, Stanford, Kauffman, Cleveland, Nobles, Lovelett, Orwall, Hasegawa, Pedersen, Riccel li, Shewmake, Alvarado, Wilson, C., Hunt House:Cortes, Reed, Salahuddin, Parshley, Tharinger, Hall, Fosse, Ryu, Callan, Mena, Kloba, Ra mel, Simmons, Scott, Stearns, Peterson, Berry, Pollet The bill would ensure proper identification of law enforcement by requiring officers to wear or display official insignia, uniforms, or badges clearly visible to the public, preventing the use of unmarked cars or anonymous-looking individuals acting as law enforcement. Enhances transparency and accountability: Clearly identifiable officers prevent tactics that resemble "secret police" by making sure the public can see who is conducting law enforcement actions. Discourages the use of intimidation: Officers wearing masks and extreme face coverings create fear, intimidate and terrorize the public. Protects against violations of law: Would prevent federal and local officers from operating in a way that may violate their own agency's rules requiring them to identify themselves when practical and safe. 6002 / Driver Privacy Protection PSARA Posit: SB 6004 HB 2103 / Authorizing certain public entities to contract for the capability of renewable or nonemitting electric generation projects. PSARA Posit: Con Sponsors: Boehnke , Shewmake Sec.8.2 requires Agencies to be liable for construction costs even if the energy production facility is not successfully completed: "...means that the contract may provide that the city, district, or operating agency must make the payments required by the contract whether or not the project is completed, operable, or operating and notwithstanding the suspension, interruption, interference, reduction, or curtailment of the output of the project or the power and energy contracted for." "Such contract may also provide that payments under the contract are not subject to reduction, whether by offset or otherwise, and may not be conditioned upon the performance or nonperformance of the operating agency, public or private project owner, or publicly or privately owned public utility, or a city, district, or operating agency under the contract or other instrument." "Washington spent much of the 1970s trying to become a center for nuclear power, with plans for five huge fission reactors at Richland and Satsop. Then came cost overruns, construction problems, and one of the biggest municipal bond defaults in Wall Street history in 1983." Source: Washington Standard January 2, 2026 6045 / Collective Bargaining Farmworkers PSARA Posit: SB 6093 HB 2100 / Enacting an excise tax on large operating companies on the amount of payroll expenses above the minimum wage threshold of the additional medicare tax to fund services to benefit Washingtonians and establishing the Well Washington fund account. PSARA Posit: Pro SB 6173 / Creating an apple health employer assessment. PSARA Posit: Pro Sponsors: Alvarado , Robinson , Dhingra , Bateman , Frame , Stanford , Pedersen , Lovelett , Trudeau , Hasegawa , Chapman , Cleveland , Conway , Nobles , Orwall , Riccelli , Saldaña , Valdez , Wilson, C. 6346 / Millionaire Tax PSARA Posit: SMJ 8002 / Concerning Medicare. PSARA Posit: Pro Urge Congress to Level the Playing Field between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Status : Senate Rules (In 2025 it passed the Senate on a party line vote and died in House Rules.) Sponsors: Hasegawa, Chapman, Stanford, Trudeau, Valdez Medicare is a core part of our health care system, especially for seniors, but is in danger. Investors and private insurance companies are taking advantage of lax rules in the Medicare Advantage part of the program to increase profits and drive-up costs – too often by limiting or denying access to needed care. Improving benefits in Original Medicare, the public part of the program, and cracking down on fraud and abuse in private Medicare Advantage programs will save billions in taxpayer money and strengthen our whole healthcare system. 1.5 million Washington residents are Medicare beneficiaries. When first enrolling, people must choose between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Original Medicare has many advantages: beneficiaries can choose almost any doctor or hospital, and rarely experience delays or denials due to prior authorization requirements. However, Original Medicare has a 20% co-pay with no cap, so many purchase supplemental insurance which averages over $200 per month. Medicare Advantage (MA) is private, usually for-profit insurance that has significantly lower monthly premiums than Original Medicare plus supplemental insurance, making it seem more attractive. But its plans have limited provider networks, often require prior authorization, and can end up bein very costly for people needing extensive care. Many seniors opt for MA plans, especially those with limited incomes, disproportionately people of color. However, when they face a complex problem like cancer or a stroke, many discover the doctor or hospital they want is out of network, and insurance gatekeepers frequently delay or deny prescribed care, potentially causing serious harm. Medicare Advantage insurers take significantly more money per beneficiary from the Medicare Trust Fund than Original Medicare, because they do their own risk assessment on each beneficiary and bill the Medicare Trust Fund upfront. Government and academic studies estimate that overpaymentsthrough upcoding, fraud and other abuses cost Medicare between $85 billion to $140 billion annually. SJM 8002 requests Congress to simply create equity and fairness between the two options by: Recouping the billions that the Medicare Advantage corporations have overcharged the Medicare Trust Fund and changing the practice that leads to upcoding, delays, and denials of care. Leveling the playing field for all Medicare beneficiaries by 1) capping out-of-pocket costs and eliminating the 20% co-pays in Medicare Part B that force Original Medicarebeneficiaries to buy expensive supplemental insurance and 2) providing all Medicare beneficiaries vision, hearing and dental coverage.