What to do?
There are two pension bills being considered by the Senate Ways and Means Committee SB 5652 for LEOFF 2 and SB 5791 for LEOFF 1. Both bills address the same subject, an enhanced benefit, a payment to members and surviving spouses out of each pension system surplus. SB 5652 provides a benefit improvement for LEOFF 2. SB 5791 provides a benefit improvement for LEOFF 1.
The benefit is a minimum payment of $20,000.00 or a payment of $100.00 for each month of service. Years of service credit x twelve months total months x $100.00.
- Twenty years of service = $24,000.00
- Twenty-five years of service = $30,000.00
- Thirty years of service = #36,000.00
- $100.00 per month for each month of service thereafter
There was a hearing on both bills in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. There was lot of support for the LEOFF 2 bill, but we were a little less persuasive for LEOFF 1. We were disappointed when the meeting ended without an opportunity to testify. We have contacted each Senator and forwarded a written statement. We also sent letters to the Committee Chair Senator Christine Rolfes with a copy to each Senator addressing the needs of the LEOFF 1 retirees and the amount of the LEOFF 1 retirement fund surplus.
This is now being considered by the committee members so we have to do everything we can before they put this to a vote.
You can help if you and your spouse separately contact each Senator to ask for their support and vote. You can be brief, give your name, identify yourself as a LEOFF member, have your wife identify herself as a spouse or surviving spouse of a LEOFF member and ask for his or her support. You can state your age, that you have been sick, how many years you and your spouse worked in the police department, how long you worked or contributed to the system, or anything else you want to add or just ask for their support for the bill. Be sure to give the bill number SB 5791.
| Senate Ways & Means Emails | 2022 | |
| Democrat | Republican |
| Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov | Lynda.Wilson@leg.wa.gov |
| june.robinson@leg.wa.gov | sharon.brown@leg.wa.gov |
| david.frockt@leg.wa.gov | mark.schoesler@leg.wa.gov |
| kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov | Jim.Honeyford@leg.wa.gov |
| jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov | John.Braun@leg.wa.gov |
| Marko.Liias@leg.wa.gov | Ron.Muzzall@leg.wa.gov |
| karen.keiser@leg.wa.gov | Ann.Rivers@leg.wa.gov |
| lisa.wellman@leg.wa.gov | Keith.wagoner@leg.wa.gov |
| manka.dhingra@leg.wa.gov | Judith.Warnick@leg.wa.gov |
| sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov | |
| bob.hasegawa@leg.wa.gov | |
| steve.conway@leg.wa.gov | |
| reuven.carlyle@leg.wa.gov | |
| Senate Committee Services | |
| P.O. Box 40466 | |
| Olympia, WA 98504-0466 | |
| FAX: | 360.786.7899 |
| Legislative Hotline Operators: | 1-800-562-6000 |
Click here for a list of the names, phone numbers and email addresses for each Senator on the committee. If you email Senator Rolfes be sure to say “Chair, Senate Ways and Means Committee.”
If you prefer you can call a phone operator at the Legislative Hot Line 1-800-562-6000. Give the name of the Senator you want to leave a message for and leave a short message, maybe your name that you are a LEOFF 1 retiree, number of years worked and ask for their support of SB 5791.
You may be able to leave the same message for more than one senator, if so I don’t know how many. Ask the operator.
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