Bills offer financial health for residents, state
By The Herald Editorial Board
With just days remaining in the Legislature’s session, state lawmakers are on the cusp of adopting two pieces of legislation that could significantly improve the financial health of nearly all Washington residents, ensuring financial education for students and encouraging savings to help support residents in their retirement.
Two bills addressing those goals have now passed House and Senate, but now await final concurrence between the two chambers to negotiate proposed amendments, before being sent to the governor’s desk.
The first, House Bill 1915, would require the state’s school districts to provide at least a half-credit of financial literacy education and could require completion of that as a requirement for graduation.
The second, Senate Bill 6069, a program called Washington Saves, would require employers who don’t already offer enrollment in individual retirement accounts or pensions to allow workers to be automatically enrolled in privately managed IRAs, leaving workers the ability to opt out of the program.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/editorial-bills-offer-financial-health-for-residents-state/