Retired Public Employees Council of WA Working to protect and enhance the pension and health care benefits of Washington retired state, county and local government employees
RPEC Weekly ACTION Newsletter – 2-18-2022
In This Edition
- SB 5676 – Plan 1 COLA Bill in House Appropriations
- Governor Inslee to Lift Mask Mandate March 21
- Legislative Bill Summary
SB 5676 – Plan 1 COLA Bill in House Appropriations
SB 5676, a one-time 3% Plan 1 COLA, passed the Senate earlier this month and is currently on the schedule for a hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, February 22 at 3:30pm.
HB 1721, the identical House bill was left on the House floor without a vote. SB 5676 is the vessel being pushed through for the Plan 1 COLA.
Action Item – Your voice still needs to be heard on SB 5676! We need you to sign up in support of this bill being heard in Appropriations. This is not to testify, only to sign onto the bill supporting it. To do so, please follow the simple instructions below:
To sign up in support, start here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/
- Select chamber [House]
- Select committee and hearing date: Appropriations, 2-22-22
- Select bill SB 5676: PERS/TRS 1 Benefit Increase.
- Scroll down and select type of testimony:
- Select “I would like my position noted for the legislative record”
- Enter position “Pro”
- Enter Name and email address
- Under Organization, enter “RPEC member, Plan (1, 2 or 3) retiree”
- Under “panel” select “no“
- Enter City, State, Zip & phone
- Make sure to click “Submit Registration” at the bottom of the page
Governor Inslee to Lift Mask Mandate March 21
From the Governor’s website:
“Masks no longer required in most places beginning March 21
“Beginning March 21, face masks will no longer be required in most settings, including K-12 schools and childcare facilities.
“Masks will still be required in health care settings such as hospitals, outpatient and dental offices, long term care settings, and correctional facilities.
“In addition, beginning March 1, vaccine verification for large events will no longer be required.
“Businesses and local governments can still choose to implement vaccination or face mask requirements for workers or customers, and school districts can still choose to have students and teachers wear masks. Federal law still requires face masks in certain settings such as public transportation and school buses.”
Legislative Bill Summary
Below is a link to the bills we are tracking as they move through the legislative process. Full Text and updates on these bills can be found by searching for the bill number at: https://app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/
Please visit https://rpecwa.org/2022-legislative-bill-summary/ for a list of bills currently of focus to RPEC.
