Concerning payment of expenses from the earnings of retirement system trust funds.
SB 5834 allows Washington state retirement systems (including public employees', teachers', law enforcement, and judicial systems) to pay certain protective expenses from their trust fund interest earnings. It specifically permits covering legal costs (like court fees and expert witnesses), medical exams for members, and administrative expenses (such as audits, cybersecurity, and fraud investigations) that directly protect the retirement funds. The bill requires that any recovered funds from fraud investigations or overpayment collections be returned to the trust funds. This change streamlines how systems manage operational costs tied to safeguarding retirement assets, without affecting benefit payments.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Dec 5, 2025
Signed Mar 16, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Substitute Bill
→
Substitute Passed Legislature
·
3 edits
MINOR
The document was updated from a draft version (S-4285.1) to the final certified version of Substitute Senate Bill 5834. This change formally certifies that the bill has successfully passed both the Senate and the House of Representatives and is now enrolled for the Governor's signature. The substantive policy content of the bill remains unchanged; the modifications are purely administrative and procedural.
TECHNICAL
Added a formal certification block confirming the bill passed the Senate on February 11, 2026, and the House on March 4, 2026, with zero opposition votes.
Added a signature line for the Secretary of the Senate to certify the enrolled bill.
Removed the draft bill number (S-4285.1) and replaced it with the official title 'CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT'.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2026 · House Mar 4, 2026
How they voted
51–0
Passed
Total votes 51
Feb 11, 2026
D
Democratic31
100% Yea
R
Republican20
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
27
Key actions
11
Committee
7
Mar 16, 2026
Signed into law
Governor signed.
executive
Mar 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Speaker signed.
lower
Mar 5, 2026
Upper · Passed
President signed.
upper
Mar 4, 2026
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (99-0-1)
house
Mar 2, 2026
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
APP - Majority; do pass.
lower
Feb 27, 2026
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.
lower
Feb 18, 2026
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 4:00 PM.
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (51-0)
senate
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Minority; without recommendation.
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
upper
Jan 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 4:00 PM.
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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