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The Retiree ADVOCATE The Monthly Publication of PSARA EDUCATION FUND “Uniting Generations for a Secure Future” Advocate Print Version April 1, 2026 GiveBIG Challenge, 2026 Robby Stern GiveBIG time is approaching, and we ask our members to donate to PSARA. Read More The Barbed Wire Barbara Flye Barb Flye’s cartoon for April looks at the Administration’s recruitment approach. Read More PSARA Rapid Response Network PSARA is establishing a Rapid Response Network. Please consider joining. Read on for more information. Read More Engagement Without Teeth Is Just a Discussion Jeff Johnson Jeff Johnson analyzes the WSIB response to calls for divestment from fossil fuels. Read More Washington State Lawmakers Approve “Millionaires Tax” Tim Wheeler Tim Wheeler reports on the the historic passage of the Washington State Millionaires Tax Read More Capitol Outlook 2026 Pam Crone Pam Crone recaps the 2026 Legislative Session which had several successes for PSARA supported legislation. Read More Honoring Jesse Jackson Cindy Domingo Cindy Domingo discusses the impact of Jesse Jackson both nationally and within the State of Washington. Read More Trump Escalates War Against Cuba Cindy Domingo Cindy Domingo on Trump's escalating war against Cuba. Read More War Is a Racket, by Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler, USMC Mike Andrew Nearly 100 years ago Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler wrote a book that is still timely today. Mike Andrew provides a review. Read More Big Data, Administrative Subpoenas, and Free Speech Anne Watanabe Anne Watanabe looks at administrative subpoenas and their chilling effect on free speech. Read More

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents April 2026 Trump Escalates War Against Cuba Cindy Domingo Mass rally in Havana, Cuba (Photo: michaelharrison.org.uk ) On March 21, convoys of US citizens traveled to Cuba to meet an international flotilla at Havana’s Malecon, in protest of the Trump-Rubio policy of stopping all oil shipments to Cuba. This policy, announced on January 29, has resulted in a devastating oil shortage, impacting every facet of the Cuban peoples’ lives. Days before, the New York Times revealed that the US and Cuba were engaged in discussions. Cuba’s Deputy Prime Minister, Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, stated that Cuba is open to foreign investment: “Cuba is open to having a fluid commercial relationship with US companies, also with Cubans residing in the United States and their descendants.” The Trump administration has been successful in implementing a policy that has cut Cuba’s sources of oil and hard currency income. The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, and the US takeover of Venezuelan oil, were the first volleys in upping the ante to try to topple Cuba’s government. Since Cuba only produces a little over 30 percent of what the island needs, Cuba has relied heavily on Venezuelan oil, stemming back to the presidency of Hugo Chávez. Mexico is the second biggest provider of oil to Cuba and, although Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has stated that Mexico, as a sovereign nation, can send humanitarian aid to any country, including oil, it has not sent any oil shipments to Cuba since January. The waters surrounding Cuba are also being actively patrolled by US ships to ensure that no oil tankers, small or large, enter into Cuba’s harbors. Without the availability of oil, tourism, the number one source of income for Cuba, has declined significantly, by up to 75 percent. Airlines have cancelled flights into Cuba because arriving jets would have no way to refuel. Tourists have been scared off by long electricity black-outs and electrical grid breakdowns, even though many larger hotels have their own generators. And the ability to travel within the island has been greatly restricted due to lack of gasoline. Cuba’s second source of income that the US has actively sabotaged is the contracts Cuba has with countries where Cuban healthcare teams serve. The US propaganda war, waged against Cuba’s healthcare teams, started during the first Trump administration. The US charges that Cuba’s use of these healthcare teams is akin to human trafficking because host countries pay the Cuban government for these medical teams and their services. Cuba has responded that the healthcare professionals are paid a salary, and that additional monies the government receives from contract payments go to fund Cuba’s educational system, including medical schools, to produce more doctors and other services for the Cuban people. Over the past year, US pressure has resulted in healthcare contracts ending in Paraguay, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Guatemala, and Guyana. Honduras, alone, severed a contract that paid for more than 150 doctors. In response to pressure by the US to end the employment of 500 Cuban doctors in Calabria, Italy, the governor of the region said, “Cuban doctors, who are allowing us to keep hospitals and emergency rooms open, are still a necessity for our region.” During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Calabria received Cuban healthcare professionals to manage the devastating epidemic that hit the region. Overall, the US war against Cuba has resulted in the deprivation of medical care to poor and working class people in many regions of the world. The oil crisis has only exacerbated the economic crisis Cuba has been facing under the 65-year-old US blockade of Cuba. In 2025, the sanctions cost Cuba $7.5 billion, or an average of $20 million per day. That money could guarantee the supply of basic necessities for the entire population for six years. Since the blockade's imposition in 1960, sanctions have cost Cuba a total of $170 billion. In reality, Cuba is in crisis because of US policy towards Cuba. Today, Cubans face blackouts of sometimes up to 30 hours. Food cannot be brought into the cities because there is no gasoline for delivery trucks. Many cannot go to work because buses and taxis cannot get fuel. Fumigation to rid neighbor-hoods of infectious mosquitoes carrying dengue and the more serious chikungunya disease cannot take place, because the machines need gas and the chemicals cannot be imported. People who need to go to hospitals or clinics have no way to get there, and life-saving surgeries often cannot take place because there is no electricity or because the medicines or equipment, needed to save lives or treat patients, cannot be obtained. In mid-March, Trump announced at a press conference that, “I do believe I’ll be having the honor of taking Cuba. That’d be a good honor. It’s a big honor….Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it – I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth.” Trump’s statement says it all. This administration believes that any country that Trump wants is up for the taking, even if it means starving the Cuban people and making their lives miserable until they bow down. But the Cuban people, whether they have criticisms of their government or not, believe, overall, in their right to self-determination. Today, now more than ever, Cuba needs our international solidarity. Thousands of people around the world are donating money, food, and equipment to send to Cuba to aid the people in their fight to survive. For more information on how you can help, please contact womenandcuba@gmail.com or go to www.us-cubanormalization.org . Cindy Domingo is a veteran activist with LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leader-ship & Organizing) and APALA (Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance). She is PSARA's Co-VP for Outreach. Cindy Domingo is a veteran activist with LELO (Legacy of Equality, Leader-ship & Organizing) and APALA (Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance). She is PSARA's Co-VP for Outreach. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents March 2026 Coal: The Low-Hanging Fossil Fuel Jefl Johnson My projected retirement date is 2060, and I would like to retire on a healthy planet, with a healthy pension fund.” Keith Gonzalez, an employee at the Washington State Department of Ecology and a member of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), said this while testifying on the Coal Act, SB 5439, before the Senate Ways and Means Committee on January 29, 2026. Keith made the argument that a fundamental principle of the State Investment Board’s fiduciary duty is impartiality – treating all beneficiary groups equally. This principle has been violated, he said, through the SIB’s investments in coal and other fossil fuels. These investments lock us into high-warming climate investments that accelerate climate disaster and significantly disadvantage future state employee beneficiaries over current beneficiaries. Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and Third Act, testified that, “Washington State is not being asked to do anything novel or revolutionary,” but, rather, to join other institutions and endowments with assets of $41 trillion that have joined the effort to divest from fossil fuels. Bill pointed out that, not only is coal the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, but it is also the fossil fuel asset with the steepest decline in value. Divesting from coal “is the ultimate and easiest no brainer, and I ask you to take action quickly because climate change is happening quickly.” Donna Albert, former state employee and WFSE member, and current Retired Public Employee Council of Washington (RPEC) member, pointed out that the Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) doesn’t use its voice very well in proxy battles over corporate climate and carbon reduction policies; it received a grade of D from the Sierra Club, which evaluates pension fund accountability and divestment actions around climate issues. Andrew Eckels, 350.org Seattle, asked, “Why should a public agency prioritize short-term marginal gains over mitigating the risk of long-term catastrophic damages of investing in coal?” He argued that climate risk from fossil fuel investments is literally playing with fire. Barbara Carey, former WFSE member and current member of RPEC, testified that, while the WSIB still has $2.6 billion invested in coal, New York State, California, Oregon, and New York City have already used the Global Coal Exit list to divest from this dirtiest of fossil fuels. Adam Lough, Physicians for Social Responsibility, testified that “air pollution caused by burning coal is linked to respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, and neurological disorders. No amount of returns on (coal assets) is worth Washington-funded disease.” Anna Joy Gillis, a state employee at the Department of Commerce, testified that she objects to her contributions being invested in coal assets and that these types of investments are antithetical to Washington State’s Climate Commitment Act and energy strategy. It should be noted that testifiers were given 60 seconds (with up to 5-10 seconds overage) to make their cases. I blurted out the following in my one minute: “Madame Chair and Committee Members, my name is Jeff Johnson, former President of the WSLC and current co-president of the Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action. "I support the Coal Act for three fundamental reasons: "First, a decade ago, I testified before this legislature that climate change was an existential crisis. Since then, the financial industry has invested $8 trillion in fossil fuels, dramatically increasing the magnitude of this crisis and the urgency to stop using fossil fuels. "To my way of thinking, maintaining direct fossil fuel assets in the SIB portfolio means we are collectively and willfully building our own gallows. Second, fossil fuel assets are a bad investment. For the past decade, fossil fuel assets have been quite volatile and have significantly underperformed the rate of return of the Standard and Poor Index and most other assets. Under the standard definition of financial prudence and rules of fiduciary responsibility, fossil fuels are a bad investment. Factoring in fossil fuel externalities, these assets become financially imprudent. "Third, Washington State has led on many progressive economic reforms – minimum wage, family leave, and paid safe and sick days. Rebalancing the SIB portfolio out of fossil fuels will be an example to other institutional investors that you can achieve a good rate of return while helping to save the planet at the same time. Not too shabby an idea." Only one group testified against the Coal Act and that was the Washington State Investment Board. If you look at the sign-up sheet, will you see the SIB listed as a NO? Of course not. But what they said repeatedly is we have produced great returns, we know what we are doing. But then they said, “we have our investment beliefs… any kind of investment or asset class restraint you put on our portfolio will likely result in lower returns over time and will also increase costs.” In my next article we will look at this claim and evaluate what type of voice the SIB projects. Jefl Johnson is a retired president of the Washington State Labor Council and Co-President of PSARA. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents March 2025 Photo Spread < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents October 2025 Local Seniors Oppose WISeR Aljoya Community Sends Letter to Elected Representatives This letter will go to Senators Cantwell and Murray; Representative Jayapal; Insurance Commissioner Kudurer; 46th District Senator Valdez and Representatives Pollet and Farivar. Backgound of the letter: PSARA members Robby Stern and Anne Watanabe gave an excellent presentation to Aljoya Residents on the background and current threats to Medicare. The residents wanted a method to express their opposition to WISeR. One suggestion was for everyone to send a letter in opposition to their elected officials. Someone else suggested we all sign on to one letter and send it as a group of residents. Elaine Berman (AFT-NY Re- tired) and Susan Levy (AFT-WA Retired) drafted the letter and collected statements of agreement. And with the help of many other residents we were able to move forward and send this letter: We are some of the over 170 residents at Aljoya Thornton Place a senior living community located in the Northgate Area of Seattle (450 NE 100 St). We are all on Medicare and are deeply concerned about the rising costs and limited availability of our health care. Specifically, we want to keep and improve Medicare for us, our children, and our grandchildren. We have recently learned about a trial project by CMMS to expand prior authorization requirements for Traditional Medicare through their newly proposed “Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) Model" be- ginning next year. Washington will be one of the pilot states. We are strongly opposed to this potential erosion of Medicare benefits, the addition of private for-profit firms to our basic Medicare program, the possible increase in pre-authorization denials of medically necessary services in the interest of profits and possible increased cost to us and the Medicare Trust Fund. We urge you to oppose this pilot program right now. Medicare works well and we don’t want to turn it over to more for profit businesses. Money should go, as it was intended, to provide health care for seniors...not to business profits. Will you support us and let everyone in your political orbit know that you are opposed to WISeR and ask them to join in the opposition to WISeR? We at Aljoya are a politically active community and have been picketing at the corner of NE 100 and 5th Ave NE. almost every Friday afternoon against a lot of the new administration’s anti- humane policies. This newest WISeR program is an immediate threat to our health and ability to live an active life. Please work to get the trial program cancelled BE- FORE it is started. Thanks for your consideration. Do come and join us some Friday at our 3:30 demonstration. Signed by over 90 residents of the Aljoya community. < Back to Table of Contents

Legislative Session Bill Tracker List HB 1214 Expanding eligibility for the working families' tax credit to everyone age 18 and older. 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 Increasing environmental justice by improving government decisions. 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 Concerning the Washington future fund pilot project. HB 1773 Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance. HB 2090 Integrating advanced nuclear energy into the state energy strategy. 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 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. 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 Authorizing certain public entities to contract for the capability of renewable or nonemitting electric generation projects. 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 Concerning immigrant worker protections. HB 2173 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers. 2332 Driver Privacy Protection HB 2409 Placing agricultural employees under the jurisdiction of the public employment relations commission for the purpose of collective bargaining. SB 5380 Increasing environmental justice by improving government decisions. SB 5395 Making improvements to transparency and accountability in the prior authorization determination process. 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. 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 Concerning the Washington future fund pilot project. 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 Creating a wage replacement program for certain Washington workers excluded from unemployment insurance. 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 Expanding eligibility for the working families' tax credit to everyone age 18 and older. SB 5821 Integrating advanced nuclear energy into the state energy strategy. 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 Concerning immigrant worker protections. 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 Concerning the use of face coverings by law enforcement officers. 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 SB 6004 Authorizing certain public entities to contract for the capability of renewable or nonemitting electric generation projects. 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 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. SB 6173 Creating an apple health employer assessment. Sponsors: Alvarado , Robinson , Dhingra , Bateman , Frame , Stanford , Pedersen , Lovelett , Trudeau , Hasegawa , Chapman , Cleveland , Conway , Nobles , Orwall , Riccelli , Saldaña , Valdez , Wilson, C. 6346 Millionaire Tax SMJ 8002 Concerning Medicare. 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.

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents July 2025 4,000 Attend No Kings Event at People’s Park, Tacoma! John Alessio Our Vote, Our Choice, Our Power, Our Voice!” “Power to the People, We Insist-Billionaires Should Not Exist!” “Say it Once,Say it Twice, We Will Not Put Up With ICE!” These are just a few of the chants heard at People’s Park Saturday, June 14th. PSARA joined Indivisible Tacoma and many other organizations to create an informative, riveting, and festive event on “No Kings Day”. Other participating groups were: 350 Tacoma; AF- SCME Council 28; Evergreen Resistance Tacoma; Black Panther Party, The TSM Shop; Jewish Voice for Peace Tacoma; La Resistencia; Rainbow Center; The Tacoma Urban League; LD27, LD28, and LD29 Democrats; Oscar’s Enemies; Pierce County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO; Pierce County Immigration Alliance; Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America; Tacoma Fellowship of Reconciliation; Tacoma for All; Tacoma Veterans for Peace; The Conversation 253; Washington Wildlife First; and United Food & Commercial Workers Local 367. Careful planning included meetings and continuous communication between the leaders of many of these organizations to assure a safe and meaningful protest of the Trump administration’s immoral and unconstitutional activities. Preparation included de-escalation training sessions that resulted in a roaming Safety Team during the event. A First Aid Sation was created, with drinking water, snacks, and other relevant supplies. Various groups had their own information booths, plus a booth for sign-making, and even a face painting booth. People’s Park was humming with excitement and enthusiasm. Four thousand people, peacefully demonstrating, were completely rapt for two and a half hours listening to inspiring speeches about what is being done, and what still needs to be done, to stop Trump and his minions from destroying our democracy and inflicting more grievous harm on large segments of our population. The event started and ended with lively protest music, and there were clever chants interspersed throughout. The importance of local elections was emphasized, and people were encouraged to get involved by door-knocking, providing support to progressive candidates, and especially voting in the upcoming 2025 Primary on August 5 and again in the General on November 4th! Action events were announced, such as a June 18th “Door-Knocking for Introverts” to help people become effective doorknockers. On July 9th Indivisible Tacoma endorsed candidates will participate in a Candidate Forum at 6:30PM at Tahoma Unitarian Universalist Church, 1115 So. 56th, Tacoma. La Resistencia and others will continue to strategize and call for united actions against the activities of ICE and the Northwest Detention Center - a critical court hearing is set for September. Some people may want to attend the “Breakfast With the Sheriff” meetings to remind Pierce county Sheriff Keith Swank that Washington state laws protect people from unconstitutional harassment and arrest. The next scheduled breakfast is 7-9AM Saturday, June 21st. We know he would love to see us. A Facebook message to a friend read: “I was at People’s Park with my brother who is blind and paralyzed on his left side. We had the best day. He felt part of society.” That statement captures the mood and inclusive spirit of the Tacoma “No Kings Day”. Let’s keep it going! John Alessio is a member of PSARA and Indivisible Tacoma. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents April 2026 Washington State Lawmakers Approve “Millionaires Tax” Tim Wheeler Rejecting scores of Republican poison pill amendments, the Washington State House of Representatives on March 11 approved by a 51 to 46 vote a “Millionaires Tax” of 9.9% on annual income over one million dollars. The Senate approved the measure March 10 by a vote of 27 to 21. The measure is now on Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk and he has promised to sign it into law. The Governor had expressed unhappiness with the Senate approved version arguing that it fails to earmark enough in funding for state programs that serve low-income families, children, and small businesses. But April Berg, an African American legislator from Legislative District 44 northeast of Seattle, pushed through a massive re-write of the 107-page bill, including an amendment that 5 percent of the revenues will be earmarked for the Fair Start for Kids Act. Ferguson hailed the amendment and vowed to sign the bill he called “historic.” The wealth tax is a victory for the labor movement and a grassroots movement that has sprung up in the Evergreen State. The people are outraged by billionaires like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Microsoft’s Bill Gates who reap billions in untaxed profits each year since Washington has no state income tax. Relying solely on a regressive 8 percent plus sales tax and property taxes, Washington State struggles with multi-billion dollar deficits in covering public services like public education, health care, and transportation costs. The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, hailed passage of the tax, posting on its Facebook page in banner-sized letters, “Thank You!” An AFL-CIO statement declared, “Special thanks for Speaker Laurie Jinkins for navigating the (Democratic) caucus through the longest floor debate in state history---over 24 hours.” In their drive to block the measure in both houses, the Republicans offered more than 60 poison pill amendments scheming to stall passage during this “short session” of the legislature---only 60 days. But Speaker Jinkins and the Democratic lawmakers refused to yield, voting down one killer amendment after another for a full 24 hours. Speaker Jinkins said of the millionaire tax bill, “Our 90-year-old tax code simply cannot meet the needs of our state.” The Washington State tax code, she added, “asks low-income Washingtonians to pay nearly four times more in taxes than the wealthiest among us relative to income. We need to do better.” The millionaire tax applies to only about 20,000 wealthy Washingtonians and is expected to generate an estimated $3.5 billion to $4 billion in new revenues annually. It grants the wealthy exemptions for houses, investments, and personal property. It does not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2028. During Senate debate several Democratic female members argued that the wealth tax is urgent to replace funds for Medicaid and SNAP nutrition benefits stripped from the Federal budget by President Trump’s “Big Beautiful” budget bill, the trillion dollar cut given to the rich as a tax cut. A Republican Senator called these lawmakers on a “point-of-order” to terminate any references to Trump. The Republican efforts to block the wealth tax instigated a flood of vicious phone calls and email attacks from MAGA extremists targeting the House Democratic Caucus. The email and phone messages “directed at them….include hateful language, racial epithets, and slurs, threats and intimidation.” The lawmakers have “safety concerns for our family members, our staffs, ourselves” and some are taking “safety precautions…that should never be necessary for those simply carrying out the duties of their public office.” Tim Wheeler is a veteran activist and journalist and a leader of PSARA's organizing committee in Clallam County. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents February 2026 Capitol Outlook 2026 A Peak Inside Pam Crone The 2026 Washington State Legislature commenced its 60-day “short” session January 12. Reflection My last year lobbying was the 2020 legislative session. I did not know at the time it would be my last session, with all of us heading home in March. It was the beginning of the pandemic and, my, oh my, how things would change. The next two legislative sessions, 2021 and 2022, were conducted remotely, forever changing the way advocates and legislators did their work. There was both more access and less. How could that be? More access because Washingtonians could testify in hearings from anywhere using their at-home computers or phones. Testifying and having your voice heard would not require a trek up and down I-5 or over I-90 to do so. Less access because health concerns drove legislators to limit in-person meetings with advocates and each other. Something deeply human is lost without that person-to-person contact. But what I remember at the beginning of that last session and the 19 that preceded it was the air of excitement, anticipation, and yes, some dread at embarking on the exhausting legislative marathon. The second Monday in January had the feel of the beginning of a new school term, seeing old friends and the classroom bullies, and gearing up for academic endeavors and a new season of extracurricular activities. In that spirit of reminiscence, here is a haiku for you. A fluttering heart As legislators convene May they do justice PSARA Makes Good on its Commitment PSARA members were out of the gate running in December and early January, meeting with their legislators to advocate for “leveling the playing field,” progressive revenues, affordable housing, climate justice, immigrant fairness and safety, and much more. (See our PSARA legislative webpage for our updated agenda and talking points). Our members met with 25 legislators and/or staff from 11 districts. District leads were Laurie Weidner, Richard Burton, Amy Davis, Bobby Righi, Marilyn Watkins, Angie Bartels, Karen Richter, Vicky Stanich, France Giddings, Tim Burns, Lisa Dekker, Pam and Tom Lux, and Ronnie Schure. It was an Impressive showing pre-session. District leads scheduled the legislator meetings, organized PSARA members in their respective districts, convened planning sessions to prepare for the meetings, and shared information with me, and provided any needed follow up with the legislators. We met our goal of meeting with our legislators early before the crush of a short 60-day session to lay out our 2026 policy priorities. What You Have Always Wanted to Know and Didn’t Know You Wanted to Know Here we go. Test yourself. Take a gander here for the key. How long does the Governor have, before signing a bill passed by the Legislature? To what does “on the Bar” refer? To what does “they are in caucus, again ” refer? How is the House Speaker elected Is the Senate Majority Leader chosen the same way? Blast from the past: what is a Gulchette? Who gets to eat in the Senate Dining Room Making Good Trouble We at PSARA know how to make good trouble. Advocacy and activism begin with being informed. PSARA provides the tools to do that. You can find our dedicated legislative page on the psara.org website. You will find our legislative agenda, talking points on our priorities, a weekly calendar of hearings of interest, and bill links to sign in your support or opposition. Throughout the session, our intrepid Executive Director, Mike Andrew, will send out alerts asking you to contact your legislators. We won’t flood you with alerts so when you do hear from us … it matters. If you are interested in being a part of or contributing to our Government Relations Committee, let Mike know. That’s it for now. Signing off until March. Pam Crone is a retired lobbyist and Chair of PSARA's Government Relations Committee (GRC). Michael Righi is a retired economics professor and a member of the Retiree Advocate Editorial Board. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents January 2026 Trump Administration Abandons Attack on Older Disabled Americans Steve Kofahl Late last month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) withdrew a proposed rule that would have made it far more difficult for older workers to access their earned Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Medicare benefits. The rule would have also denied Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid benefits to older low-in-come individuals. The rule would have directly affected entitlement to cash SSDI and SSI payments, but the loss of Medicare and Medicaid benefit eligibility for disabled individuals would have constituted severe collateral damage. SSA disability determinations are based on medical evidence, work history, jobs available in the U.S., education, and age. The rule would have limited age consideration to applicants over age 60, or eliminated age as a factor altogether. A September 18 analysis by Jack Smalligan, of the Urban Institute, estimated that eligibility for SSDI applicants alone could be reduced by as much as 20% overall, and by up to 30% for older workers. Even a 10% reduction could cause 500,000 people to lose access to $82 billion in benefits over 10 years, including 80,000 widows and children. Many older workers, denied SSDI benefits, would likely claim early retirement benefits at age 62, reducing their lifetime benefits by 30 percent compared to what they would have received in SSDI, which converts to unreduced retirement benefits at full retirement age (67). House Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John Larson and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz led the effort by only 165 (should have been more) Democratic members in calling on SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano to halt the plan. Their October 20 press release identified the proposed rule as a priority of Project 2025 architect Russell Vought, Trump’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget. It noted that the average SSDI beneficiary is 56 years old, many had worked physically demanding jobs, and that nearly 42% were found to be eligible because age was considered in the decision. They noted that adaptability to new skills and jobs generally decreases with age, as do the effects of disabling impairments. The letter closed with an appeal to reverse recent SSA staff losses, and to present a plan to rebuild frontline and adjudicative capacity in order to eliminate backlogs and meet statutory obligations to claimants and beneficiaries. President Trump has repeatedly assured Americans that he will not cut, or even touch, Social Security. He has demonstrated, however, through his remarks and actions, that he has little regard for disabled Americans. Nevertheless, in this case, advocates and enough House Democrats pushed back hard, and prevailed rather quickly. The great Social Security Act programs are a principal focus of PSARA efforts. The 1935 Social Security Act that established retirement benefits (Title 2) has been amended since that date to add SSDI in 1956, Medicare (Title 18) and Medicaid (Title 19) in 1965, and SSI (Title 16) in 1972. Another amendment extended coverage to self employed individuals in 1951, and there have been many other expansions and improvements over the 90 years since FDR signed the first iteration of the Act. However, there have been no improvements for 43 years, which was when President Nixon signed the 1972 amendment that created SSI, establishing Federal benefits for low-income aged, blind, and disabled individuals. It is time for additional improvements. Not only do we need to protect existing programs, let's collectively determine to expand these vital programs and ensure that wealthy individuals pay their fair share. We must not allow discouragement and despair to defeat our efforts to make a better America for ourselves, neighbors, children, and grandchildren. Whether it’s addressing environmental degradation, race and gender discrimination, homelessness, health care, income inequality, immigration, oligarchy, or any of our priorities, we need to educate ourselves and others, and push back hard against the cruel and incompetent elected and appointed officials who plague us. We can win these battles, and we must. Steve Kofahl is a retired President of AFGE 3937, representing Social Security workers, and a member of PSARA's Executive Board. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents July 2025 The “Big, Ugly, Cruel Bill” Michael Righi The actual name for Trump’s domestic policy bill is One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). It is hard to imagine the sycophancy of Republicans, who named it that in order to please our Dear Leader. The bill is not finalized yet, and there are still some differences between the House and Senate versions, but Republicans have crafted it with a variety of gimmicks so that it can be passed on a majority vote with narrow Republican majorities in both houses. A War on the Public Good It is a tax cut bill for the rich, but it’s much more than that. Buried within its more than a thousand pages is the right-wing plan for the future, a war on the public good. Public institutions, collective care for the planet and each other – all of that is to be flattened. There are too many examples. What follows are just a few. Start with the militarization of immigration policy, which we are seeing in the news and on our streets daily. It started with ICE performative cruelty; the bill would add $150 billion to Stephen Miller’s mass deportation campaign. That’s 10,000 more masked and armed ICE goons and a massive increase in detention facilities. That is a police state intruding into our communities. Funding tax credits for clean energy or tax cuts for the wealthy? It’s clear what has to go. Not only will OBBBA cut clean energy programs, it would grant a tax break to oil and gas companies, essentially exempting them from a corporate minimum tax. The bill establishes as a goal to have school voucher programs in every state, despite the fact that these have been voted down several times, even in deep red states. Despite being pushed and funded by institutions like the Gates Foundation, studies of voucher schools prove they underperform public schools. Is that the point, to punish poor and working class families? There’s more, but let’s get to the tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. OBBBA mainly extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, plus some “lipstick on a pig” additional cuts for overtime pay and tips. The bill slashes Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps, cuts that fall overwhelmingly on working class families. This is unprecedentedly ugly. Past Republican-sponsored tax cuts favored the wealthy and increased inequality. But they didn’t actually take from the poor. The OBBBA benefit cuts reduce the income of the poorest by about $2,000 per year while raising the income of the richest 10% by $12,000. The decline in well-being likely for the lower half of the income distribution would then be similar to a severe recession. Low-income folks are even worse off when tariffs, which are also regressive, are factored in. This is how Republicans are becoming the “party of the working class”. They will piss on you, and explain that it’s raining. And it’s your fault. The Yale School of Public Health estimates that OBBBA will lead to 51,000 additional deaths annually. Debts and Deficits Republican claims that tax cuts will unleash economic growth and so raise tax revenue are complete hogwash; no study, not one, has found any validity in trickle-down economics. That’s just more rain. Reliable analysis of OBBBA predicts it will raise the national debt by somewhere between $3 and $6 tril- lion over the next decade. That’s a wide range, but of course there is a lot of uncertainty. Let’s review some principles. Having the government spend more than it gets in revenue (run a budget deficit) was crucial in 2008, to prevent the financial crisis from becoming a depression. It was crucial in 2020 when COVID shut down the economy. It would also be great if it funded investments in clean energy, schooling, housing or infrastructure. But running deficits to fund tax cuts for the already wealthy? That is what has been happening for the last 45 years, driven by the demands of the rich unwilling to pay even modest taxes. Are deficits and debt becoming a problem? Yes. Bond investors are going to require higher interest rates to lend to the government. Interest costs are becoming a larger and larger part of the government’s budget. Higher interest rates are going to make it harder to buy a house or car, or for governments and firms to build climate investments. Usually it is Republicans who are the “debt scolds”; they use fear of debt to oppose social programs. If they were really worried about debt, they would go after tax cheats (that’s $600 billion a year) and refuse further tax cuts for the rich. But they won’t. They are hypocrites. Will the Trump clown show have serious consequences for the economy? Will ‘the bond market” get nervous about debt and restrain the orgy of tax cutting? It’s not clear yet, but it would surely be a lot better if OBBBA were trashed. That is what would happen in a democracy. Michael Righi is a retired economics professor and a member of the Retiree Advocate editorial board. < Back to Table of Contents

The Retire Advocate < Back to Table of Contents February 2025 PSARA Members On Your Mark “Ready, Set, Go!” Pam Crone The 2025 legislative session began January 13. PSARA activists prepped for advocacy action on January 7 at our annual legislative conference. 2025 PSARA Legislative Conference I exaggerate only a tad to say it was SRO at the Seattle office of the Washington State Labor Council on Tuesday, January 7. What a fabulous turnout! We convened at noon, chatted and filled our plates (sometimes two times, but who’s counting) with yummy treats. GRC member Tim Burns cooked up a crockpot of his famous beans, and vegetarian to boot. Jessica Bonebright has perfected the art of making deviled eggs, a personal favorite. It was lovely to be in person, break bread together, and enjoy each other’s fellowship. Mike Andrew, our intrepid executive director, and Karen Richter, our gracious and brilliant co-president welcomed attendees. Members came from far and wide representing 14 legislative districts. Former Speaker Frank Chopp and Senator Bob Hasegawa shared heartfelt words. We honored Frank with a photograph of PSARA activists along with him at the House of Representatives dais from a past Lobby Day. Nancy Sapiro, our lobbyist, gave an overview of the session and what we might expect. Yours truly unveiled PSARA’s 2025 legislative agenda as a work in progress. Below you can find the latest iteration. At 2:15 p.m., running overtime a bit, PSARA members headed home with full heads, hearts, and bellies. Please visit our informative and engaging PSARA website for the PowerPoint created for the conference presentation by Paul Muldoon. You will also find results of our member survey that informed our legislative priorities. Eighty-nine members responded. YOUR VOICE MATTERS! Thank you so much. Next Up: LOBBY DAY March 18 Mark your calendars and make sure you register. The deadline for Retiree Advocate articles was Jan. 14, so stay tuned to your inbox for messages from Mike with additional details regarding transportation, timing, legislator meetings, and other logistics. Base Camp will be the Olympia Washington State Labor Council office. We start the day there with an overview of the day’s activities before heading off to campus for meetings with legislators. We plan to meet with both Senate and House leadership and Patty Kuderer, our new Office of Insurance Com- missioner. Participants will also have meetings with their representatives and senators. There will be hearings we can sit in on as well. Front and center, we will be building relationships with our legislators. We will do that by sharing and advocating for our legislative priorities. The GRC will prep participants with talking points on our legislative priorities and tips for how to speak with legislators. We will do a virtual training before Lobby Day so you feel confident and good to go in Olympia. March 18 will be a great day for advocacy. We will know what bills are still alive as cut-off for bills to be out of their house of origin is February 21. Our advocacy is necessary for continuing progress on our priorities so that bills pass the second house and make it to Governor Ferguson’s desk for signature. Budget and revenue talk will be heating up. Uncertainty at the Federal Level and Final Words The November election brought us a solid Democratic trifecta at the state level, but not so in the other Washing- ton. The D.C. administration will not be a friend to Washington State. We are not sure how that will play out, but our top priorities will be protecting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and supporting vulnerable communities. PSARA is an amazing organization. We don’t have to look back far to recognize our impact. We mobilized and organized for months to defeat three of the four conservative, backward-looking initiatives in the November election. When we stand together we create ripples that become waves and change lives for the better. Thank you all. PSARA 2025 Legislative Agenda PSARA is a multi-generational grass roots organization advocating for all people, and seniors in particular, to be able to live their lives with economic security, dignity, and respect. Health Care PSARA believes that comprehensive, affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate health care is a fundamental human right. Promote Leveling the Playing Field in Medicare SJM 8002 Protect against healthcare program cuts and advance immigrant health equity Support efforts to advance universal healthcare SJM 8004 Ensure quality affordable health care for nursing home workers (WA Essential Worker Healthcare Program) Strengthen and protect WA Cares Housing and Homelessness PSARA supports keeping people housed, building more low-income housing, and preventing homelessness in the first place. Ensure reasonable and more predictable rent increases by passing rent stabilization Invest $500 million in the Housing Trust Fund RA supports legislation that promotes healthy families and workplaces. Extend job protection in the Family & Medical Leave Program to ensure low wage earners can return to their jobs after leave to care for themselves or family members Extend unemployment benefits to striking workers and undocumented workers Build economic security for low-income families by creating the Washington Future Fund Program (Baby bonds) Climate and Environmental Justice PSARA supports the right of all people to live and work in a clean and healthy environment. Divest Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) funds from fossil fuels (No Coal Act) Add a Green Amendment to the Washington State Constitution Improve solid waste management outcomes by reducing use of plastic wrap and containers Fiscal Reform and Revenue PSARA supports a state budget that is transparent, pays a living wage to state workers, and provides services that help our people, economy, and environment thrive. Prevent devastating budget cuts by providing new progressive revenues such as a wealth tax that taxes extraordinary financial assets Pam Crone is Chair of PSARA's Government Relations Committee and a member of PSARA's Executive Board. < Back to Table of Contents