As the legislature winds down it appears that the two bills attacking LEOFF1, HB2034 and SB5085 have failed to pass and are now dead–at least for this session. In our judgement both of these bill were illegal and would have failed in a law suit that would have surely been filed.
The legislature is instructing the Select Committee on Pension Policy to study the issue during the interim. Hopefully that committee will work with the LEOFF1 organizations and other stakeholders to find a resolution to the recurring efforts to merge or terminate this pension system.
Everyone should thank the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters and their president Dennis Lawson and lobbyist Al Johnson for their tireless work in opposing these bills. In like manner the Washington State Retired Fire Fighters, the Retired Seattle Police Officers Association and the LEOFF1 Coalition all fought against these bills. It is important that every LEOFF1 member be a member of at least one of these organizations. Opposition to these attacks takes time and money. By working with your organization you can multiply the impact of your efforts.
This was a strange session. The bills came at us like a train in a tunnel. Almost no time was given to prepare a response and hearings were scheduled on short notice. Of course no legislator consulted with any of the organizations prior to advancing these bills. When hearings were held testimony was restricted to one minute.
Let us hope that these bill are truly dead for now and that we are able to work effectively with the legislature during the interim.
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