Washington state Democrats have found a new way to defund the police.
Democratic Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a new state budget into law in April that will tap $880 million in rainy day reserves while transferring $375 million from the Public Works Assistance Account — which finances infrastructure projects — to balance the budget. However, the law will also raid and then terminate a pension fund for retired police officers and firefighters, sweeping $880 million back into the rainy day account by June 2029, the next budget cycle. (RELATED: Seattle Implodes After Defunding The Police)
The move, backed by a slim majority of Democrats in the state House, is expected to ultimately drain nearly $4 billion from the fund, Law Enforcement Officers’ and Firefighters’ System Plan 1, The Washington State Standard reported.
Police officers and firefighters are now fighting back, launching a lawsuit in April that argues the plan is not only risky but violates contract clauses of the Washington state and U.S. constitutions. Steve Berman, the plaintiffs’ attorney, called the move a “gross miscarriage of justice.”
SEATTLE, WA – JULY 01: Police officers block a street as city crews dismantle the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) area outside of the Seattle Police Department’s vacated East Precinct on July 1, 2020, in Seattle, Washington. Police reported making at least 31 arrests while clearing the CHOP area this morning. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
“Our state lawmakers are flirting with a very dangerous move that jeopardizes the futures and securities of Washington’s first responders and retired law enforcement officers,” Berman said in a statement.
Democratic state Rep. Timm Ormsby, the bill’s co-sponsor, doesn’t believe the law “runs afoul of any court precedent” and claims the redirected funding will benefit all Washingtonians.
“Whatever pension those firefighters and law enforcement signed when they came into service, those benefits are guaranteed,” Ormsby said.
The Washington State Standard noted that it might be the first time a state has ever terminated a public employee pension fund, and that the state will need permission from the IRS to proceed.
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