January 27, 2018

This is an urgent legislative action alert. You need to act if a Plan 1 COLA is important to you.

Four Plan 1 COLA bills have received public hearings and are sitting in committee waiting for a vote. House Bill 2511 is in the House Appropriations Committee. Senate Bills 6290, 6305, and 6340 are in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The deadline to move these bills out of committee is February 6th.

If your legislators are on House Appropriations or Senate Ways & Means Committees, please ask them to vote Plan 1 COLA legislation out of committee. If they are not on those committees, ask them to talk with their colleagues who are. A draft message could read:

Senator / Representative ______ , Please vote a Plan 1 COLA bill out of committee. This is extremely important to me and my former colleagues. It has been nearly eight years since the state has granted a COLA for Plan 1 retirees. Every other retirement plan receives a COLA EVERY YEAR! This is unfair and inequitable, especially since these plans are predominately women and widows, while the plans that receive COLAs are dominated by men. It's not about money, it's about priorities. When will retirees who devoted their careers to the children of the this state be a priority?

The time to act is now. If a COLA is important to you, this is your chance. The legislature will not be in session again until 2019. Contact information for House Appropriations Committee Members and Senate Ways and Means Committee Members is listed below.

For contact information, click here: Legislator Contact Information. Personal legislator emails all use the format of firstname.lastname@leg.wa.gov. If you don't want to send an email, you can call the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000.

Senate Ways and Means Committee:

Christine Rolfes, Chair, 23rd (Kitsap County) (360) 786-7644

David Frockt, Vice-Chair, 46th (Seattle) (360) 786-7690

Andy Billig, 3rd (Spokane) (360) 786-7604

Reuven Carlyle, 36th (Seattle) (360) 786-7670

Steve Conway, 29th (Tacoma) (360) 786-7656

Jeannie Darneille, 27th (Tacoma) (360) 786-7652

Bob Hasegawa, 11th (Renton) (360) 786-7616

Sam Hunt, 22nd (Olympia) (360) 786-7642

Karen Keiser, 33rd (Sea-Tac) (360) 786-7664

Mark Mullet, 5th (Snoqualmie) (360) 786-7608

Kevin Ranker, 40th (San Juan County) (360) 786-7678

Jamie Pedersen, 43rd (Seattle) (360) 786-7628

Guy Palumbo, 1st (Bothell) (360) 786-7600

Kevin Van De Wege, 24th (Port Angeles) (360) 786-7646

John Braun, 20th (Chehalis) (360) 786-7638

Jim Honeyford, 15th (Yakima) (360) 786-7684

Barbara Bailey, 10th (Island County) (360) 786-7618

Randi Becker, 2nd (Yelm) (360) 786-7602

Sharon Brown, 8th (Tri-Cities) (360) 786-7614

Joe Fain, 47th (Covington) (360) 786-7692

Ann Rivers, 17th (Clark County) (360) 786-7632

Mark Schoesler, 9th (Ritzville) (360) 786-7620

Judy Warnick, 13th(Kittitas County) (360) 786-7624

Keith Wagoner, 39th (Monroe) (360) 786-7676

House Appropriations Committee:

Timm Ormsby, Chair, 3rd (Spokane) (360) 786-7604

June Robinson, Vice-Chair, 38th (Everett) (360) 786-7864

Steve Bergquist, 11th (Renton) (360) 786-7862

Eileen Cody, 34th (Seattle) (360) 786-7978

Joe Fitzgibbon, 34th (Seattle) (360) 786-7952

Drew Hansen, 23rd (Kitsap County) (360) 786-7842

Zack Hudgins, 11th (Renton) (360) 786-7956

Laurie Jinkins, 27th (Tacoma) (360) 786-7930

Ruth Kagi, 32nd (Seattle) (360) 786-7910

Kristine Lytton, 40th (San Juan County) (360) 786-7910

Eric Pettigrew, 37th (South Seattle) (360) 786-7838

Gerry Pollet, 46th (Seattle) (360) 786-7886

David Sawyer, 29th (Tacoma) (360) 786-7906

Tana Senn, 41st (Mercer Island) (360) 786-7894

Larry Springer, 45th (Kirkland) (360) 786-7822

Derek Stanford, 1st (Bothell) (360) 786-7928

Pat Sullivan, 47th (Covington) (360) 786-7858

Steve Tharinger, 24th (Port Angeles) (360) 786-7904

Bruce Chandler, 15th (Yakima) (360) 786-7960

Drew MacEwan, 35th (Mason County) (360) 786-7902

Drew Stokesbary, 31st (Auburn) (360) 786-7846

Vincent Buys, 42nd (Whatcom County) (360) 786-7854

Michelle Caldier, 26th (Bremerton) (360) 786-7802

Cary Condotta, 12th (Wenatchee) (360) 786-7954

Larry Haler, 8th (Tri-Cities) (360) 786-7986

Paul Harris, 17th (Clark County) (360) 786-7986

Matt Manweller, 13th (Ellensburg) (360) 786-7808

Terry Nealy, 16th (Walla Walla) (360) 786-7828

Joe Schmick, 9th (SE Washington) (360) 786-7844

David Taylor, 15th (Yakima) (360) 786-7874

Brandon Vick, 18th (Clark County) (360) 786-7850

Mike Volz, 6th (Spokane County) (360) 786-7922

JT Wilcox, 2nd (Yelm) (360) 786-7912

If you have questions, contact CDSRA: Mary Perkins (509) 884-7671