Elizabeth New (Hovde) believes the unemployment insurance fund is a safety net financed by employers and meant for workers who lose work through no fault of their own; It should not be paying workers who choose not to work. Unions can do that.
Elizabeth New (Hovde)
Washington Policy Center
Gov. Bob Ferguson still has a chance to veto some very bad bills. Read more about three of them I followed this session.
— Senate Bill 5083 will increase health insurance costs for most people and could limit access to services for all Washingtonians by placing price caps on services provided to people who the state insures.
As Chelene Whiteaker with the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) testified in February, hospitals in the state are experiencing continuously negative operating margins of -1.3% in aggregate. “When overall costs exceed payment, hospitals have two choices: Seek higher payment rates from commercial insurers — the only payment rate that is really negotiable — or cut services,” she said.
Rather than seeking cost containment and affordability for all, lawmakers advanced a bill picking winners and losers. Read more here.
— House Bill 1296 is the much-debated bill that eliminates parent notification of medical ongoings a school knows about, offers or arranges for a child. The right for parents to be notified was established by Initiative 2081 just last year.
Keeping parents out of the loop is harmful for child health outcomes. Schools also should not be accomplices to children making life-altering medical decisions on their own. Watch debate on the bill here, and read my blog, “Parents told to have a seat; government knows best” here.
— Senate Bill 5041 allows striking workers to collect unemployment insurance benefits funded by the very employers they’re striking against. Seriously.
The unemployment insurance fund could be harmed. The fund is a safety net financed by employers and meant for workers who lose work through no fault of their own. It should not be paying workers who choose not to work. Unions can do that.
See Washington Policy Center’s concerns about how SB 5041 could harm workers, consumers, businesses and taxpayers on our blog.
My session recap is here with some other bills that are going to become law.
Elizabeth New (Hovde) is a policy analyst and the director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center. She is a Clark County resident.
Also read:
- Opinion: Many important decisions looming as the 2026 session nears the end
Rep. John Ley outlines budget concerns, energy policy debates and several tax proposals as the 2026 legislative session approaches its final days. - Opinion: 106 striking workers already using unemployment insurance benefits
A Washington Policy Center analyst says the state’s new law allowing striking workers to collect unemployment benefits is already affecting the UI system. - POLL: Who should have the primary say in decisions about a student’s gender identity at school?
Clark County Today is asking readers who should have the primary role in decisions about a student’s gender identity at school. - Opinion: Study shows 2025’s record tax increases reduce Washington’s GDP growth and worker pay
Todd Myers writes that a new economic analysis projects Washington’s 2025 tax increases will slow GDP growth and reduce wages over the next several years. - Letter: Facts aren’t political
Brian Kendall writes that disagreements about the LEOFF 1 pension debate should begin with accurate facts rather than misinformation.
