State legislators say that they support public employees, but they won't actually raise revenues to fund PEIA. Meanwhile, the legislature has cut taxes on corporations, particularly out of state corporations, for the last decade with little to show for it. Senate Bill 486 (introduced by Sen. Ojeda) would raise the severance tax on natural gas in order to fund PEIA.

The bill is currently before the Senate Banking & Insurance Committee. The first step in moving this bill through the legislature is convincing the chairman of that committee - Sen. Azinger - to put the bill on his committee’s agenda.