Legislative Update #6 from Tree
February 5th, 2026 Update
It’s a short session this year so the legislature is in action January 12 – March 12. Big topics include affordability, a millionaire tax, and a 32-hour work week. In these short sessions, there isn’t a lot of time to get anything big done and with a huge state deficit I’m not anticipating a lot happening this session.
The Adult Family Home Council (AFHC) is still advocating for funding for meaningful day activities, though even our strong advocates in Olympia share that it’s very unlikely to change given the extent of our continued budget deficit.
The other conversation bringing out a passionate response in the AFHC is HB 2261. This is a bill that would require caregivers in adult family home settings to wear credential badges at all times, similar to hospitals, nursing homes, etc. There is fierce opposition to this, as it directly goes against the AFH being a homey setting versus a clinical one.
National News
With the intensity of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramping up in states across the country, the likelihood of another government shutdown is looming as democrats refuse to continue to fund the Department of Homeland Security package as it stands, requesting less funding and more regulation. Four Washington state legislators—Susan DelBene, Marilyn Strickland, Emily Randall, and Pramila Jayapal—are among 140 house members moving to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in response to the intensifying ICE presence in the state.
Amid so many intense things going on and it can be easy to not notice important things happening that don’t make the headlines. In an NPR article, Andrea Hsu describes how the Trump administration is responding to the reality of care being unaffordable for most Americans, by taking away Fair Labor Standards for caregivers and Day Support Professionals.
“The Labor Department has proposed rescinding an Obama-era rule that extended coverage of the Fair Labor Standards Act to home care workers. The 2013 rule granted them labor protections most other workers have had since 1938.
Those include the right to earn at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and overtime, paid at one-and-a-half times their regular rate when they work more than 40 hours a week. At the time, the Labor Department said the change would fulfill President Barack Obama’s promise to “ensure that direct care workers receive a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.”
Our culture has a deep historic root of disrespect for the work that caregivers do, when in reality they are the backbone of our society. They have both skills and compassion that I would guess we have all benefited from in some way in our lives.
So what can you do?
Talk about that. Share your story of the impact good caregivers have had on your life with your legislators and make sure they know how important it is that we improve the job standards for caregivers while finding creative ways to make care more affordable for everyday Americans.
Legislative Update #5 from Hayden
November 5th, 2025 Update
The federal government has now been shut down for over a month with no end in sight. Republicans and Democrats are at a stalemate in the Senate regarding provisions having to do with the Affordable Care Act (the Medicaid expansion program). While the shutdown does not currently affect our community, we will keep an eye on the ways Medicaid funding continues to be a focal point for our federal legislators.
Our local legislators will begin gearing up for the 2026 legislative session where they will most likely have to face more budget difficulties as Federal funding of multiple programs is at risk. We are excited to focus our upcoming “Advocacy Nights” on practicing productive ways to share stories with our legislators in the upcoming session to advocate for continued and expanded funding of the programs that support our Core Member’s lives. Stay tuned for upcoming dates and please reach out to Tree if you have any questions or ideas!
Legislative Update #4 from Hayden
October 2nd 2025 Update
In DC, congress is currently working against the clock to pass a “Continuing Resolution” or a bill that would prevent a government shutdown beginning on October 1st. You might be asking yourself, why is the government going to shut down? Great question!
Every year congress must vote on and pass a budget that serves as the guide for how money will be appropriated (or spent) in the upcoming year. The deadline for this process is the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1st.
However, what often happens is that congress does not pass an appropriations, or money, bill on time and instead tries to pass what’s called a “stopgap bill” to temporarily maintain the government’s funding at current levels while the legislators work to finalize the new budget. This allows the government to continue work as normal however doesn’t allow for funding changes that might be necessary until the new budget is passed.
The reason we want to be keeping a close eye on this is that a coalition of Democrats in the Senate took part in blocking the passage of this Continuing Resolution (CR) last week and asked their Republican colleagues to, among other things, walk back the cuts to the Medicaid program that were passed back in July in order to gain their support for the CR. You may remember that currently, Republicans hold a majority in both the House and Senate. The failure of this bill in the Senate was made possible by two Republican Senators who also voted against the CR, although they cited financial reasons rather than Medicaid as the reason behind their “No” vote.
At this point in time the Continuing Resolution (the temporary spending bill) passed through the house and failed in the Senate due in part to the lack of compromise on the Medicaid funding. Right now the US is heading towards a government shutdown on October 1st pending any big changes by congress in the coming week.
We will continue to keep an eye on the ways in which returning Medicaid funding to its original levels continues to be a demand that is used in upcoming congressional budget negotiations.
Legislative Update #3 from Hayden
June 5th 2025 Update
The “Big Beautiful Bill” is currently being worked on in the Senate as legislators work to make alterations in hopes that they will be able to get it passed in the next week.
A little reminder on the current makeup of our Senate:
Each state elects two senators for a total of 50 senators. The Republicans hold the majority with 53 and, therefore, 47 Democrats. The two Senators that represent us here in Washington state are both democrats and will presumably vote against this bill. However, the Republicans that are on the fence about it seem most concerned with how much it would add to our national debt. Publicly, more traditional Republicans want our government to focus on lowering the national debt which would require cuts to programs.
This is where we come in!
Right now Medicaid is one of the major items on the chopping block. One of the items in this proposal is the addition of work requirements that would require some people receiving Medicaid services to report their work hours to prove that they are holding a job. A similar program to this has been tried at the state level and failed due to its complicated nature. Most important for us, this would involve a very complicated reporting system that would not be accessible to those with disabilities. The concern this brings is that folks with disabilities could lose access to some or all of their services simply because they are unable to log their hours correctly.
Some in support of this bill have shared a desire to move more of the financial burden of Medicaid back to the states. Right now Medicaid is funded via matching between federal and state budgets. As a reminder, Washington State is currently working with a massive budget deficit which means that there is no extra money available if we lose the federal funds we are counting on.
So what happens after the Senate votes on the bill?
As a reminder this bill was originally voted on and passed in the House of Representatives. If it is passed in the Senate, it must return to the House of Representatives so that whatever changes the Senate has made can also be approved. If or when both of these things happen, the bill will then move to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
Republicans have made it clear they hope to have this done by July 4th!
So now is the time to act! Reach out to your representatives. Tell them your stories! If you happen to live in the Yakima or Spokane area or have friends or family who do, reach out to Dan Newhouse or Michael Baumgartner respectively as they are the most likely to vote “yes” once the bill goes back to the house.
I also encourage you to stay up to date on any calls to action that come from The Arc as they are one of the leading organizations in the fight to protect the rights and services that allow folks with disabilities to live a healthy and meaningful life!
We are also still planning to start our Advocacy learning sessions at LTH in the next month or so so please look for updates if you are interested in joining us!
In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or just want more info: [email protected]
June 5th 2025 Update
Legislative Update #2 from Hayden
Governor Bob Ferguson signed the state congress’ budget proposal into law the week of May 19th without vetoing any of the portions of the bill that directly impacted us. A brief reminder of what these things are…
1. The annual bed-licensing fee we have to pay each year to renew our ability for each of our Residential Core Members to remain in their homes will increase from $225 to $450 annually beginning this year. For us that means an annual fee of $7200 for our 16 residentials Core Members, a 100% increase from previous years. While we are expecting some Medicaid reimbursements, there is no denying that this will have a financial impact on our organization.
2. Cuts were made to Meaningful Day services which is a program designed to provide funds for folks like our Core Members to get the support they need to participate in activities outside of our community. While folks who already receive this service will remain in the program, DSHS will no longer be accepting new applications.
This year Washington State faced the biggest budget deficit we’ve seen in over a decade and our legislators had a lot of difficult decisions to make throughout the session. To everyone who reached out to their representatives and participated in the Adult Family Home Council’s Calls to Action, thank you! The work that was done this year in advocating for the rights of our Core Members was essential to building a foundation of awareness amongst our representatives and is something we look forward to building on in the years to come.
At the federal level in Washington DC, the House of Representatives passed their “Big Beautiful Bill” that proposes extensive cuts to the Medicaid program. Now that it has passed the House, it moves to the Senate. There is still a ways to go before this bill can become law: however, we cannot deny that some of the potential cuts are frightening for organizations like ours that depend on Medicaid funding. Returning back to my previous mention of the increase in licensing fees and the overall tight WA state budget, these threats to essential programs are very real.
However, our voices still matter! Many people in Congress have said that possible Medicaid cuts could upend the majority’s hopes for their “Big Beautiful Bill” because of how many of their constituents rely on the essential services that Medicaid provides.If you are interested in finding out ways you can make your voice heard check out the Arc’s website and subscribe to their email list.
All of this information can feel very overwhelming and inaccessible due to its complex nature. That is why we are also excited to begin our LTH Advocacy Info Sessions next month so we can spend some time breaking down how these processes work and what we can do to advocate for ourselves and one another! Our first session will be Wednesday June 25th from 4-5pm in the Welcome Center Gathering space. We invite you to come with your questions and insights as we begin to unpack these important topics!
Please reach out to me ([email protected]) any time before then if you have any questions!
May 2nd 2025 Update
Tree’s Report on the Disability Policy Seminar, Washington DC
by Tree Hershberger, Residential Director
While at the Disability Policy Seminar in Washington DC, self Advocate Shawn Aleong ended his story of how Medicaid has impacted his life with this statement: “Medicaid is not just a service. It’s an integral part of humanity so all people can be seen as equal.” Another self advocate declared at the end of her story “I am not fraud. I am not waste.”
As I’m writing this, we are still uncertain of what the final product of budget reconciliation in congress will leave us with. An eye-popping goal of cutting 880 billion dollars from Energy and Commerce, which oversees Medicaid and Medicare, leaves our vulnerable people extra vulnerable right now. The fact that basic services like Home and Community Based Supports (HCBS- which funds the waivers that allow us to support our residential core members) are optional Medicaid supports is certainly unnerving.
With looming doom and gloom budget cuts at both our federal and state levels of government, I find myself drawn back to our community and the relentless hope that is our namesake and keeps us moving forward. Being able to navigate the tumultuous social and political climate in the context of a caring and supportive community of people is no small gift. It’s easy to feel powerless and inconsequential in these political environments and forget the impact and influence we have in our own everyday circles.
We can share our stories – with our legislators, our friends, our community. We can practice listening well to each other, not just to prove points, but to understand a different perspective. We can lovingly hold each other accountable to treating each other with respect. We can offer kindness to everyone from the grocery store clerk to the first person we see in the morning before our coffee has fully kicked in. We can reach out to those around us who often go unnoticed. We can remind each other that none of us are a waste, but rather worth the investment.
At the end of the day, these are the things that give me hope and the energy to keep moving forward. I have to trust that it is these actions that create ripples and lead to real transformation in our community and the larger world. Let me leave you with these questions:
What kind of ripples are you creating in your circle of influence? Do those ripples move you toward the kind of society you want to be part of?
Where do you find hope and stay grounded in the midst of chaos?
Legislative Update #1 from Hayden
by Hayden Hubbs, Residential Coordinator
There are a lot of things happening at the local and federal legislative level this year, and a lot of them impact our funding at L’Arche Tahoma Hope!
In Olympia, state legislators are working to fully fund our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) via negotiations with the Adult Family Home Council. This year our state is also in a 12 billion dollar deficit which means that many programs are on the chopping block. One of these is the “Meaningful Day Program” which designates funds for people with disabilities to be able to participate in fun and meaningful activities that enhance their quality of life. As we all know, our Core Members deserve more than basic medical care to live their best lives and therefore programs like these are essential for making sure we have the funds to do that!
In Washington DC we are seeing a frightening situation play out with lawmakers in both the Senate and the House passing a budget this week that, right now, would call for MAJOR cuts to the Medicaid Program.
What is medicaid you might ask? Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that allows low income people or those with disabilities to access healthcare and other essential health programs. What this means is that the federal government (those folks working up in DC) give the state of Washington a certain amount of money, and the state adds in a certain amount of money, and that money is distributed to our folks which is how we exist as an organization as L’Arche Tahoma Hope.
So as you might imagine, the threat of cutting this funding is something that is very concerning to us as an organization!
However there is still hope! Back in 2017 a similar bill was introduced in DC and it failed due in large part to the incredible advocacy that came out of the Disability Community around the country. While the initial bills have been passed, we now enter into a period of negotiations where it is essential that our voices are heard!
In the coming weeks we will be hosting Advocacy Sessions where we can all learn about these complicated processes and what we can do to make sure that our legislators know what cutting our funding would mean! We will also be emailing out resources and Calls to Action so please keep your eyes peeled for those. I cannot stress enough how impactful taking five minutes to share your story with a legislator can be in moments like these.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Tree or me. Democracy works best when we are all active in it!
