Staggering Impact of the Bill: The Congressional Budget Office projects that this bill will slash $912 billion over the next decade, with $715 billion coming directly from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act— more than the initial target of $880 billion. These cuts will cause approximately 8.6 million people to lose their health coverage. Who […]
Sine Die: 2025 Legislative Session Wrap-Up On Sunday afternoon, the gavel fell, and just like that, the 2025 legislative session came to a close. It was a session filled with highs and lows, drama, controversy, and moments so intense they were “better than TV.” In the end, a budget was passed, compromises were made, […]
Disability Rights: From History to Action I love history—especially learning how movements begin, how ordinary people make extraordinary differences, and how the threads of their work are still woven into our lives today. Recently, I watched several powerful documentaries about the civil rights movement for people with disabilities. One that stood out was “Change Not […]
Legislative Update: Wait! Just When We Thought We Were Coming to the End! On March 24th, both the House and Senate released their budgets, and we thought we were on the downhill slope of the legislative session. Then, on the afternoon of April 1st, Governor Ferguson held a press conference stating that he would not […]
Your Voices Are Being Heard Spring is in full swing, and so is our advocacy work—both at the state and federal levels. We are over halfway through the 105-day state legislative session. At this point in the year, when the sun starts coming out more but the long slog of reading news and testifying on […]
Last Wednesday, spring was in the air—the sun was shining, and a few early daffodils peeked through the grounds of the Capitol. It was a beautiful day, made even more powerful by the nearly 300 advocates who gathered on the steps of the Capitol to rally for community services. SAIL, The Arc, The DDC, Community […]
Navigating the Budget Crisis: Looking to the Past or Investing in the Future? This has been a relatively quiet time at the Legislature. The quiet is likely because legislators are contemplating the reality of the 10- to 12-billion-dollar budget hole and how they are going to manage it. Devastating cuts could be looming, and it […]
Medicaid Matters Medicaid is often seen just as healthcare, but it plays a much larger role, especially for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). For these individuals, Medicaid provides critical funding for vital services, including residential, personal care, respite, and job support. In fact, nearly all services from the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) are […]
Welcome to the 2025 Legislative Session! Our first live Advocacy Day since the pandemic took place on Wednesday, the 15th. We were thrilled to see 90 advocates in person and 30 more joining us online! It was wonderful to see your enthusiasm and commitment to advocacy. The day was filled with excitement, including the inauguration […]
The 2025 Legislative Session begins on January 13th, presenting us with challenges as the legislature anticipates a $10-12 billion shortfall over the next four years. This means significant cuts, increased revenues, or a combination of both may be necessary. What does this mean for developmental disability services? We need to advocate for the protection of […]
Address: The Arc of Washington State, 2638 State Avenue NE Olympia, WA 98506
Phone: (360) 357-5596 | Toll Free: (888) 754-8798 | Fax: (360) 357-3279 | Email: info@arcwa.org
