SB 5420 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Ensuring access to state benefits and opportunities for veterans, uniformed service members, and military spouses.

Senate Bill 5420 aims to ensure veterans, uniformed service members, and military spouses have access to state benefits and employment opportunities in Washington. The bill expands the definition of "service member" to include those in the U.S. Public Health Service and NOAA commissioned corps, ensuring they receive similar benefits. It also allows firefighters to receive service credit for time spent in these expanded uniformed services for pension calculations. The legislation seeks to provide hiring preference for veterans and military spouses in public service employment within the state.

Issues: ✓ Veterans

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Mar 2026

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Signed Mar 24, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Passed Legislature · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates veteran preference and military leave policies to align with modern terminology and expand protections. It replaces outdated terms like 'physical discharge' with 'medical discharge' and adds 'airmen' to the list of protected service members. The changes also clarify eligibility for credit on military service and ensure spouses of active duty members are consistently included in preference programs.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of protected service members to include airmen and clarifies the definition of a veteran to include current reservists deployed to armed conflicts.

ELIGIBILITY

Replaced the term 'physical discharge' with 'medical discharge' in multiple sections to reflect modern medical terminology and ensure broader eligibility for veterans with non-combat medical separations.

Added 'airmen' to the list of military personnel eligible for employment preference and service credit, ensuring equal treatment for Air Force service members.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'veteran' to explicitly include current members of the National Guard or armed forces reserves who have been deployed to serve in an armed conflict.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new subsection requiring proof of honorable service and death while serving for surviving spouses to claim service credit for deceased members.

Revised the requirement for restoring withdrawn contributions to apply to members completing 25 years of creditable service, regardless of whether they left employment to enter the military.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 9, 2026 · House Mar 5, 2026

How they voted

50–1

Passed

Total votes 51

Mar 9, 2026

D Democratic31

30 Yea 1 Nay

96% Yea

R Republican20

20 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 24, 2026

Signed into law

Governor signed.

executive

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Speaker signed.

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

President signed.

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed final passage; yeas, 48; nays, 1; absent, 0; excused, 0.

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Senate concurred in House amendments.

upper

Mar 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

Committee amendment(s) adopted as amended.

lower

Mar 5, 2026

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (97-0-3)

house

Mar 2, 2026

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Mar 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

APP - Majority; do pass with amendment(s) but without amendment(s) by Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans.

lower

Mar 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.

lower

Feb 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 10:30 AM.

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

TEDV - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM.

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 8:00 AM.

lower

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Apr 8, 2025

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Apr 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

APP - Majority; do pass with amendment(s) by Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans.

lower

Apr 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Appropriations at 9:00 AM.

lower

Apr 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Appropriations at 1:30 PM.

lower

Mar 25, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Mar 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

TEDV - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).

lower

Mar 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM.

lower

Mar 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM.

lower

Feb 17, 2025

Committee

On motion, referred to Rules Committee for second reading.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

SGTE - Majority; do pass.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 10:30 AM.

upper

Feb 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections at 1:30 PM.

upper

1 primary · 4 co-sponsors