Hagens Berman Prepares to Defend Retirement Rights of Washington State First Responders as State Senate Weighs Bill Threatening to Strip Away $3.3B in Benefits

SEATTLE – The Washington state Senate Ways and Means Committee is considering a bill that could jeopardize the retirement benefits of first responders, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman, and the firm is investigating the rights of retired police officers and firefighters to defend their rightly earned pensions.

In 1969, Washington state passed the Washington Law Enforcement Officers’ and Fire Fighters’ Retirement System Act which created a retirement plan for the exclusive benefit of all law enforcement officers and firefighters in the state, known as LEOFF Plan 1. According to a recent House Bill Report, as of 2024 approximately 5,945 members of LEOFF Plan 1 were receiving benefits.

The state is now poised to enact a law designed to raid the LEOFF 1 fund and transfer at least $3.3 billion to other state funds to cover a shortfall in other areas of the state budget. HB 2034 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Feb. 26, 2026, at 1:30 pm Pacific.

“We want our message to be clear that should Washington’s Senate Ways and Means Committee pass HB 2034, our firm will be ready to bring litigation against the state of Washington and its Department of Retirement Systems on behalf of our state’s first responders,” said Steve W. Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman.

“We believe HB 2034 would have devastating effects for thousands of members of LEOFF 1, and for the state Senate to even consider an action that would leave them stripped of their earned pensions, is unconscionable,” Berman added.

LEOFF Board Members Speak Out

Dave Reichert currently serves as the secretary for the LEOFF 1 coalition and was hired under the LEOFF 1 pension and benefits plan, of which he has paid into since 1972 when hired. Mr. Reichert served as a patrol cop, detective, patrol sergeant, lieutenant, SWAT team commander, captain, precinct commander and finally as King County Sheriff.

“Since my retirement in 2005 I have received benefits from the LEOFF 1 retirement plan which has stood as a contractual agreement between the state of Washington and the LEOFF retirees for decades,” he said. “For the past 20 years the state legislature has attempted to dissolve and or change the contract.
This continued attack on retired police officers and deputies is legally and morally wrong.”

Mr. Reichert was wounded and injured in the line of duty and received valor awards and commendations for his service, protecting the lives of Washingtonians.

“These are cops that put their lives on the line for years and some for decades, working in life-or-death situations, some still battling PTSD and other job-related disabilities,” he said. “The remaining members are in their 70s and 80s, and we are taking this personally. The state should do what’s right and honor this contract.”

John Nordlund is the current president of the Retired Seattle Police Officers' Association (RSPOA), which boasts more than 700 members. He served on the Seattle Police Department for over 30 years, retiring in 2001.

“Since that time, I have received the benefits of an LEOFF I retirement, and this pension system is a contractual right between the state and the retirees,” Mr. Nordlund said. “Over the years the state legislature has made assaults against the LEOFF I pension, the latest being SHB-2034. As a matter of principle, we cannot let the legislature in any way change the LEOFF I pension.”

“Our firm stands alongside our state’s bravest, and we intend to defend their rights under the Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act, should the state Senate choose to enact this under law,” Berman said.

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About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation law firm with a tenacious drive for achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. Since its founding in 1993, the firm’s determination has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of “Most Feared Plaintiff’s Firm,” MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.

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