Dear Neighbors,
The 2026 session is upon us! This is a “short” session, where we’ll establish a supplemental budget, continue work on bills introduced last session, and work to pass new legislation. These short sessions go fast, with near-weekly cutoffs and deadlines.
Great news (for those of you following my public banking effort)!
SB 5754 (creating the Washington state public bank) has been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee this coming Thursday, Jan. 15 at 4:00 pm. Before the bill hearing though, the Committee will have a work session primer on public banking. Tune in to TVW to watch the hearing and work session and learn more about public banking.
During the work session, the President and CEO of the Bank of North Dakota (BND) (est. 1919) will be there to answer any questions from the committee. BND is the only publicly owned bank in the US, even though the rest of the world uses publicly owned banks to finance public projects and programs. Instead, here in the US, we use private commercial banks to finance public projects. This is an unsustainable system that bleeds profits out of our public resources.
After many years of fighting off high financiers and politicians’ attempts to kill or privatize it, the BND now consistently returns record, or near record profits for the people of North Dakota every year and you’ll be hard pressed to find any North Dakotan that doesn’t appreciate their bank.
My ask of you: Please do register your support for SB 5754 at the Committee Sign In page using the link below:
(If you need more instructions on how to use the Committee Sign In page, they are at the end of this message)
Last year, SB 5754 advanced out of the Business, Financial Services & Trade Committee with a DO PASS recommendation and was sent to Ways & Means, where it didn’t get a hearing. This year can be much different. Public banking is a game-changer and no brainer. We can recapture our public tax dollars from Wall Street and put them to work for the benefit of our communities’ needs rather than exporting them as profits to Wall Street.
How to State Your Position on a Bill Without Testifying
- Choose the committee and meeting date and time, then choose the bill for which you would like to register.
- Choose “I would like my position noted for the legislative record.” Registration will close 1 hour before the start time of the meeting.
- Enter your registration information. Your registered position will be made available to legislative members and staff of the committee, and will be included in the legislative record.
How to Submit Written Testimony
- Choose the committee name and meeting date and time, then choose the bill for which you would like to submit written testimony.
- Choose “I would like to submit written testimony.” This is available up to 24 hours after the start time of the meeting.
- Provide your written comments and/or attachments. Your comments will be made available to legislative members and staff of the committee, and will be included in the legislative record.
How to Register to Testify in a Committee Meeting
- Choose the committee name and meeting date and time, then choose the bill for which you would like to testify.
- Testimony registration closes 1 hour before the start time of the meeting. Anyone who does not register before this deadline will be unable to testify before the committee.
- To testify in person: Choose “I would like to testify in person during the hearing.” Enter your registration information.
- To testify remotely: Choose “I would like to testify remotely.” Enter your registration information.
- All testifiers (in person or remote) are automatically sent a Zoom link for the meeting.
- Registration information is part of the legislative record.
What else I’m focusing on
This session, I’m also focusing on universal health care in Washington state and dedicated to making meaningful progress on the issue. Washingtonians deserve quality and affordable health care without profit-seeking middlemen. I’ve met with trusted stakeholders in the field and together we’ve put forward a suite of health care bills to bring us closer to this goal. SB 5947 would establish a Washington Health Care Board and SB 5948 will set deadlines for the Universal Health Care Commission. SB 5946 will increase the Medicaid qualification threshold to 300% of the federal poverty line, drastically expanding those eligible for state health care. SB 5955 will move Washington toward de-privatizing Medicaid. The purpose of this act is to create more efficiencies from the state Medicaid program and to establish a publicly accountable, managed fee-for-service system that centers care coordination, community oversight, and health equity. And finally, SJR 8206 would allow voters to potentially amend the Washington State Constitution to guarantee the right to affordable health care. I’ll continue to update you on these important bills!
Page program
The Senate Page Program is accepting applications! Pages are sponsored by senators for one week during session and spend their time learning about the legislative process, delivering materials across the Capitol, working on the Senate floor, and carrying flags at the start of each day. This is a great program and one of the most unique looks into our state government.
The program is open to students between 14 and 17 years old with parent or guardian permission and a recommendation letter from a teacher. Apply to the program here.
Contact
Below are some great ways to contact and keep in touch with my office.
Phone: 360-786-7616 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through session).
Email me!
If you’d like me to speak with your organization to talk about my important initiatives on public banking, social housing, universal health care, or other issues, please schedule something with my executive legislative office manager and scheduler, Sarah Ellerbrock, at sarah.ellerbrock@leg.wa.gov.
Thank you for reading and following along this session and trusting me in this role to represent our 11th District.
Talk to you soon,
Bob
