As expected they managed to dredge up enough votes to pass the endorsement of HB2350 by the LEOFF 2 Board. Even with all the pressure applied some board members held fast in opposition. We have been arguing here that this bill is a bad deal for LEOFF 2 as well as for LEOFF 1. Ryan Martin seems to be the only one who recognizes this danger. He articulates his position very well. Unfortunately after the machinations around this reconsideration Ryan is the voice in the wilderness. If a LEOFF 2 can't get a reasonable consideration from his fellow LEOFF 2 members how will a LEOFF 1 representative ever hope to have a voice,

This is the week for the Washington Council of Fire Fighters legislative meeting. A whole bunch of them have gathered at the Red Lion in Olympia. From there they are dispatched to the hill to corner their legislators and push the WSCFF agenda. That is a lot of fire fighters on the hill at the same time and they have had some success.
Today they managed to get a companion bill to HB2350 launched in the Senate, SB6563. They were able to drum up ten sponsors.

For LEOFF 1 folks this means it is time to redouble our efforts to contact and speak directly to our legislators and any other legislator you can corner. So pick up the phone and call the legislative hot line at 1.800.562.6000. Write an email to your legislators. Call them directly. Send snail mail. Best of all, come to Olympia and go to their offices.
This is hard work and the other side has high paid full-time lobbyists doing the grunt work. We don’t have those kinds of resources so we need individual action from our members.
Go get em!