2026 PSARA WA State Legislative Agenda Activity Report (week of March 8, 2026) Dear PSARA Executive Board and Activists, By now you have likely heard the Governor will sign SB 6346, the millionaires tax , if/when it comes to his desk. The House is expected to take the bill up as early as Monday. The debate is expected to last several hours. The Republicans will resist by loading the bill with amendments and much speechifying. Thank you for all of your calls to the hotline in support. It is not too late if you have not done so. The Speaker of the House and President of the Senate have now signed SJM 8002 . I am currently working on learning what happens next, when and how the Joint Memorial will be transmitted to the other Washington. PSARA’s Level the Playing Field committee will meet and strategize on how we might best leverage our success in Washington State to assist in the effort to stem the tide of privatization of Medicare. Session ends Thursday, March 12. It will be a busy week. The millionaires tax must pass the House and go back to the Senate for concurrence. The Legislature must also unveil and pass its final budget. Mark your calendars for May 27, 1 p.m. for a session debrief and a "look ahead" to our work during the interim. In the coming days, Paul and I will update the website with a final tally on how our 2026 legislative priorities fared. Thanks for all of your advocacy. It matters! Best, Pam

Lobby Day Training Page The Labor Council is 7 Blocks from the Labor Council at 906 Columbia Street SW Parking is tight around the State Capitol, options include: On street parking throughout Olympia, WA State Capital building Parking @ 1139 Washington St SE Olympia, WA. 4-5 blocks from the Labor Council. The South Diagonal and North Diagonal on the Capitol Campus has on street parking that fills up early in the morning.

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.

PSARA Signs an Open Letter Rejecting the House Homeland Security Committee’s Unfounded Inquiries into 200+ Nonprofit Organizations In the Advocate August 2025: PSARA Signs an Open Letter Rejecting the House Homeland Security Committee’s Unfounded Inquiries into 200+ Nonprofit Organizations We, the undersigned more than [...] nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations and community leaders, stand united inopposition to the House Homeland Security Committee’s and Senator Josh Hawley’s unfounded demands for information from hundreds of nonprofit organizations. These charities and organizations have done nothing but carry out their work, including what is outlined in the federal grants some of them were awarded, and include religious organizations and groups working on advocacy and services for immigrants, workers, youth, and a vast array of other organizations serving their communities. These letters of inquiry target civic organizations that have provided services under valid federal contracts that were authorized and appropriated by Congress, filling a need the government cannot perform itself. No allegations of wrongdoing, or evidence is provided for these extraordinary and burdensome inquiries. This effort appears to be an attempt to weaponize Congressional power and create the appearance of wrongdoing against those who the signers believe disagree with their political agenda. The process these lawmakers intend to drag these law abiding, community serving organizations through is the punishment. As nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations and community leaders, we work in communities across the country to feed the hungry; house those without shelter; protect our air and water, our rights to vote, worship, and organize; we fight for consumers, workers, and our children; we advocate for civil and human rights at home and abroad; we have made it safer to drive on our roads, easier to start a business, and healthier to live in our cities. We span the full ideological spectrum. And today, we stand together for our democracy and in solidarity with those nonprofit organizations unjustly targeted by these Congressional letters. Let us be clear – this investigation is Congress weaponizing its powers to target and intimidate nonprofit organizations that are fulfilling the guidelines of federal grants, simply because they disagree with the policy those grants advance. This unfounded inquiry is not about protecting Americans, rooting out waste and fraud, or defending the public interest. It is about using un- checked power to chill constitutionally protected activity, community activism, and voices those sending the letters may disagree with. That is un-American and flies in the face of the Constitution. This specific attack on nonprofits is not happening in a vacuum. Rather, this attack exists in the context of a wholesale offensive against organizations and individuals the administration and its allies find objectionable. We are standing in solidarity with the organizations targeted in this unfounded investigation because nonprofits of all types, members of the clergy and religious groups, advocates, and community serving organizations should not be punished for their work – even if those in power find it threatening to their policy agenda. Our government is meant to serve the people, not those in office. Efforts by members of Congress to attack nonprofit groups they disagree with are reprehensible, dangerous, and a violation offundamental American freedoms. Speaking out for the voice- less is, and has always been, our collective mission. As such,we stand with those organizations wrongly targeted, and with one another. BACK TO THE ADVOCATE

Answers to Pam Crone’s February Advocate Article Questions What You Have Always Wanted to Know and Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know Here is the key to the questions I posed in the February Retiree Advocate. I hope you learned something, and, if not, had some fun. 1. How long does the Governor have before signing a bill after passed by the Legislature? Once the house speaker and senate president sign the bill, it’s delivered to the governor’s office. This process can take several days following the passage of a bill by the Legislature. Bills that are delivered to the governor more than five days before the Legislature adjourns have five days to be acted on. Bills that are delivered fewer than five days before the Legislature adjourns have 20 days to be acted on by the governor. Days are calendar days, not counting Sundays. 2. To what does “on the Bar” refer? Placing a bill or amendment "on the bar" is a procedural step required to introduce it for consideration. They must be handed to the Chief Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate to be officially considered. A final vote on a major budget bill generally requires it to be on the third reading calendar for at least 24 hours, but this rule can be suspended by a two-thirds vote. 3. To what does “they are in caucus, AGAIN” refer? There are four major caucuses, Senate Republican, Senate Democrat, House Republican, House Democrat. Caucuses meet throughout the legislative session to discuss bills before they are brought to the floor for a vote. “They are in caucus, AGAIN” refers to a lament expressed by advocates as they watch the clock tick by approaching the deadline for bringing bills to the floor. The anxiety increases as the likelihood grows dimmer for getting a vote on your bill. 4. How is the House Speaker elected? The majority party in an internal vote selects its speaker. Then all members of the House regardless of party vote for the Speaker. 5. Is the Senate Majority Leader chosen the same way? No. The Washington State Senate Majority Leader is elected by a vote of the majority party caucus members 6. Blast from the past: what is a Gulchette? The Gulch was the colloquial term short for “ulcer gulch” where lobbyists could make phone calls, receive messages, and use copying services. There were usually 2-3 women called “gulchettes” who provided these services and were paid by lobbyists’ dues who comprised the “third house.” There is no longer an “ulcer gulch.” Smart phones and other technology made the services provided redundant. 7. Who gets to eat in the Senate Dining Room? While it was once very exclusive, the Washington Senate Dining Room has gradually opened its doors to a wider range of legislative personnel and guests. Generally, legislators and staff, other elected officials and guests can eat in the senate dining room.

“If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare… I will stop them!” President Joe Biden, 2024 State of the Union Address, March 7, 2024 (This is a reprint from PSARA’s April 2024 Advocate) By Jeff Johnson Jeff Johnson and Floyd Since 2021, PSARA has launched a full-court press against attacks on Traditional Medicare and now against House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Fiscal Commission to undermine the health and retirement income security of seniors. “Over the past several years there has been a gold rush to privatize Medicare…. If we don’t ‘level the playing field’ between Traditional Medicare and privatized Medicare, healthcare decisions for seniors will be completely at the mercy of corporations…by the end of the decade.” (Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, from the forward to Give Us a Real Choice! Level the Playing Field Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage, PSARA 2024). Congresswoman Jayapal’s warning and President Biden’s declaration could not have come at a more important moment in history for protecting and strengthening the quality of life for seniors. As the leader of the Democratic party, we need President Biden to do everything he can, and by all means necessary, to provide seniors with a level playing field, a fair choice, in choosing between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage/ACO REACH for their healthcare needs. Traditional Medicare is a legacy democratic issue that is being systemically dismantled by private industry. If Trump and MAGA Republicans prevail at the ballot box in November, Traditional Medicare and Social Security as we know it will end. And so too will an important part of our democratic and social justice legacy. To level the playing field, President Biden needs to lead the effort to jettison the need for Medigap insurance policies (which were part of a historically racist policy to keep as many Black people out of the doctors’ offices and hospitals that primarily served white people); place a cap on out-of-pocket expenditures; equalize the benefits between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (e.g., hearing, dental, vision, transportation, home visits, etc.); and put an end to the overpayments to private industry for managing Medicare claims, and the fraudulent practices private industry uses to bilk the Medicare Trust Fund out of tens of billions of dollars a year. Returning this money to the Medicare Trust Fund will pay for leveling the playing field. How is President Biden supposed to do this? Direct the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to incentivize Traditional Medicare; create pilot programs with cost parity for beneficiaries choosing Traditional Medicare Plans; claw back overpayments to, and fraudulent charges from Medicare Advantage and ACO REACH Programs; and put an end to fraudulent charges going forward. Lead on legislative and budgetary proposals. Use the power of executive orders where possible, in the face of Congressional resistance. Use the courts where necessary (Equal Protection Clause, e.g.). Educate the public through a concerted and strategic communications and organizing campaign. What can PSARA members and allies do? PSARA has drafted a letter to President Biden as well as a Resolution that outlines the need for and the consequences of not “Leveling the Playing Field” between Traditional Medicare and privatized Medicare. We are asking leaders and organizations to sign on to the letter with PSARA as well as to pass the resolution, in the case of organizations. We hope to demonstrate to President Biden the need for, and urgency of, creating a fair choice for seniors over their health care and the quality of their lives. We hope you will sign on to the letter. We hope you will also take the letter and resolution to organizations that you belong to and community leaders that you know for their endorsements. This is a national effort, so please reach out to relatives, friends, and organizations across the country. PSARA has also published a Medicare primer on making the case for “Leveling the Playing Field.” The primer, the letter to President Biden, and the Resolution can all be found on the PSARA website at PSARA.org. In this hyper-political environment we find ourselves in, Democrats need basic issues that will unite the majority of voters. Fulfilling the original promise of Medicare – to provide the health care seniors need when they most need it – is one of those fundamental issues. Jeff Johnson is Co-President of PSARA and a retired President of the WashingtonState Labor Council.

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

Read American Medical Association’s (AMA) In Opposition to the Medicare WISeR Program

The Fiscal Commission Is a "Death Panel" for Medicare and Social Security (This is a reprint from PSARA’s March 2024 Advocate) By Jaisri Lingappa and Robby Stern Jaisri Lingappa Robby Stern Republicans and a few “business” Democrats in Congress are determined to set up a fast-track process to cut Social Security and Medicare. They know from experience that they can’t do this out in the open – their previous attempts resulted in massive public outcries. Indeed, polling from Data for Progress last month showed that 70 percent of voters, including 71 percent of Republican voters, oppose the idea of cutting Social Security and Medicare. Instead, the GOP is using a backdoor approach to achieve their goal by demanding a bipartisan fiscal commission to examine potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare as a means of reducing the debt. The House Budget Committee voted on Jan 18, 2024, to advance this fiscal commission (HR 5779) to the floor of the House. The legislation provides that the commission will develop its recommendations behind closed doors. Four non-voting members of this 16-member commission would be from outside of Congress. Thus, the discussions that will decide the fate of these critical social insurance programs will be held in secret with a small number of unelected individuals influencing the outcome. The favorable vote of two of the Democrats appointed to the commission is all that it will take to forward the proposal to Congress. The commission’s voting process is designed to make it likely that the recommendation will be to cut earned benefits, a stated goal of the Republican Party. The legislation also sets up a fast-track vote by Congress on the commission’s recommendations, with a limit of a two hour debate, no amendments permitted, followed by an up or down vote in each chamber. Removing the vote from the democratic process provided by “regular order” means our elected representatives will be prevented from proposing changes to the commission recommendations. Initially, the GOP intended to insert this bill into one of the two budget bills that need to be passed to keep the government running. As of this writing, one of those bills remains to be voted on and could still be linked to the fiscal commission bill. But even if the budget passes without this bill, there will be many other opportunities for the fiscal commission legislation to be pushed through, including during the lame-duck session after the election. So voters will need to stay vigilant. The White House has called the commission a “death panel for Medicare and Social Security.” Biden likely had the fiscal commission in mind when he said during his March 7 State of the Union speech: “If anyone here tries to cut Social Security or Medicare or raise the retirement age, I will stop them.” He went on to say “I will protect and strengthen Social Security and make the wealthy pay their fair share!” Currently the wealthy pay into Social Security only for their first $168,000 in wages annually. The White House wants to raise that cap. Moreover, in a March 7, 2024, fact sheet, the White House proposed to “modestly increase the Medicare tax rate on income above $400,000” and close loopholes in existing Medicare taxes. These proposals would go a long way in funding Social Security and Medicare without increasing the debt or increasing the tax burden on lower- and middle-income earners. Even though President Biden appears to be on our side, it would not be wise to count on a Presidential veto in the event that Congress passes the fiscal commission legislation as part of another piece of “must pass” legislation. Shortly after President Biden’s State of the Union speech, former President Trump showed his willingness to consider cuts to Social Security and Medicare in a CNBC interview. This is no surprise. The GOP has long prioritized cuts to Social Security and Medicare, with strategies such as raising the eligibility age, reducing cost-of-living adjustments, and reducing benefit amounts. We should not take any chances. We must prevent the bill enacting the fiscal commission from passing the full House of Representatives, since it would then have a high likelihood of being passed in the Senate. And we shouldn’t stop at just preserving Social Security and Medicare. A big part of what is needed is to make these programs work better. Excellent legislative proposals exist that would fix the Social Security funding gap and even expand benefits for the first time in 50 years. And to fix Medicare, we need to “Level the Playing Field” between the Medicare Advantage plans offered by the for-profit insurance industry and Traditional Medicare, which is currently hamstrung by rules limiting what it can offer. PSARA will try to keep you as up-to-date as we can on the attacks that are being mounted on Social Security and Medicare and what we can do to deny success to those who attack the programs while cynically saying they are saving them. Jaisri Lingappa is a University of Washington Professor Emeritus of Global Health and a member of PSARA's Jefferson County Organizing Committee. Robby Stern is President of the PSARA Education Fund and a member of PSARA's Executive Board

Medicare Advantage is proving to be a bad investment for many health insurance companies and private equity.

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)