Retirement, Health Benefits, and Beyond for Feb. 19, 2026

Legislative committees are currently holding hearings for possible executive action on bills they have received from the opposite house. Meanwhile, all parties—legislators and the public—are awaiting the release of the budgets. The House budget (SHB 2289) will be released to the public on Feb. 22 at 4:00 PM with a hearing on Feb. 25 at 4:00 PM; the Senate budget (SSB 5998) at 3:00 PM on Feb. 22 with a hearing on Feb. 23 at 4:00 PM.

A few bills of note although any bill deemed ‘necessary to implement the budget’ (NTIB) may well reappear. 

Pensions/Health Care:

E2SHB 2034: An act relating to termination and restatement of Plan 1 of the law enforcement officers’ and firefighters’ retirement system.

At the end of the 27-29 biennium, LEOFF 1 is projected to have a surplus of +$4 billion dollars. What to do with that excess? This bill transfers $569 million into the Climate Commitment Act Fund. The rest can be deposited in the state’s General Fund.

The controversy is whether these excess dollars could be used to fund an ongoing  COLA for TRS/PERS Plans 1 members and eliminate the employer surcharge related to retiring the unfunded liability within those plans. The R’s are in support of this option. “Use pensions dollars for pension issues.” The D’s are opposed. 

The bill passed the House (55/39) and is scheduled for a public hearing on Feb. 26 before the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

SSB 5862: An act relating to providing a cost-of-living adjustment for Plan 1 retirees of the teachers’ retirement system and public employees’ retirement system. 

This bill provides a one-time, 3 percent (up to a maximum of $110 per month) increase to the retirement benefits of retirees in the PERS/TRS Plans 1.

This bill passed Senate (48/0) and is awaiting action before the House Appropriations’ Committee.

Selected Other Bills that are Workload Issues:

SSB 5956: Addressing artificial intelligence, student discipline, and surveillance in public schools.

This bill prohibits school districts and public schools from using automated decision systems, facial recognition services, and other school surveillance technology or biometric data to make certain decisions or take specified actions.

This bill passed Senate and is scheduled for public hearing before House Education on Feb. 23.

ESHB 2557: An act relating to parental access to special education evaluation reports.

This bill requires a school district to provide a student’s parent or guardian with a copy of the special education evaluation report no later than the thirty-fifth school day following receipt of consent to evaluate the student, unless an exception or waiver applies. It also requires a school district to convene a special education eligibility determination meeting no sooner than five school days after providing the evaluation report and no later than the fortieth school day following the receipt of consent.

The bill passed the House and is waiting executive action before Senate Early Learning/K-12 committee.

SHB 2594: An act relating to ensuring that unhoused children and youths in Washington have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education that is provided to other children and youths. 

This bill establishes state-based requirements for ensuring that homeless children and youths have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as is provided to other children and youths. 

This bill specifies among other requirements obligations for school districts, including determining, according to the  child or youth’s best interest, whether to continue the homeless child or youth’s education in the school of origin or enroll the child in a public school in the attendance area in which the homeless child or youth lives; obligating school districts to provide education and transportation services for which the child or youth qualifies as a result of a best-interest determination process; requiring school districts to have liaisons for homeless children and youths and requiring that the liaisons meet specified responsibilities, including ensuring that homeless children and youths are identified by school personnel through outreach and coordination activities and have a full and equal opportunity to succeed in schools of the district; requiring school districts that receive funding in the state budget for implementing the bill to review and revise policies that may act as barriers to identifying homeless children and youths or enrolling homeless children and youths in schools that are selected in accordance with best-interest determinations for the students.

The bill passed the House and is waiting executive action before Senate Early Learning/K-12 committee.

ESB 5272: This act expands the school-related crimes of Interference by Force or Violence and Intimidation by Threat of Force or Violence and increases the penalties for Interference by Force or Violence.

Having supervised many a sporting event in particular, these instances can often occur during or after an event. 

This bill passed the Senate and is in House Rules awaiting further action.