AWB’s G.A. Team to Release End-of-Session Reports Soon – Stand by!
AWB’s Governmental Affairs Directors are in the process of wrapping up and releasing end-of-session reports and lists of successful legislation passed during the 2004 Legislative Session. The reports will be sent to each council and committee members. Here’s a preview of what will be included:

> A number of tax and fiscal policy-related issues were passed this year. “What you will not see on this list is the missed opportunities such as fixing the underpayment penalty problem, improving the rural job creation tax credit statute, or tax appeals reform,” said AWB’s Tom Dooley. “More importantly, you will not see the myriad of bad bills that we were able to stop from coming to a vote such as lowering the school levy vote to a 50% majority or a homestead property tax proposal that would have shifted millions in property tax to business.” To find out more, contact Dooley at TomD@awb.org or AWB’s Gary Chandler at (360) 943-1600 or GaryC@awb.org.

> “The 2004 legislative session produced some positive outcomes in the area of regulatory reform and government accountability,” said AWB’s Amber Balch Carter. “The passage of HB 2598 to allow for rule challenges to be filed in other counties than Thurston County is a significant win for business in our state and is expected to be signed by the governor, along with the passage of SB 6489 on establishing fair competition between private companies and those that are operated using inmate labor. Unfortunately, important regulatory reform legislation to restrict agency rulemaking to where there is a specific grant of authority such as SB 5052, SB 5053, SB 5255 and HB 2378 were not addressed by the House of Representatives.” There were also significant changes brought about in health care and Small Group Insurance Market Reform that will also be outlined in her end-of-session reports. For more, contact Carter at (360) 943-1600 or AmberC@awb.org.

> This legislative session saw little action in the area of workplace safety with only one bill passing the Legislature. The passage of I-841 in November of 2003 allowed employers to breathe a sigh of relief with the repeal of the state ergonomics rule. Since the repeal of the rule was done by initiative, a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate is required for any changes to the initiative within its first two years of passage. Legislators informed AWB early in the session that changes to the initiative was not going to happen. Instead legislation such as SB 6363 and SB 6364 were introduced to require initiatives that repeal laws or rules to set out the language that is being repealed in full. These bills failed to pass. Expect ergonomics to be included in the upcoming campaign season and watch for legislative action in future years. For more information, contact AWB’s Amber Balch Carter at (360) 943-1600 or AmberC@awb.org.

> “This session’s victory is found in some incremental changes to the Growth Management Act that will allow for greater economic opportunities for agriculture and rural Washington,” said AWB’s Kristen Sawin. “AWB also successfully defeated an instream flow bill that would have strangled future water withdrawals and an energy bill that would have continued the increases in power costs that have marked the last several years. To learn more, contact Sawin at (360) 943-1600 or KristenS@awb.org.

> AWB also helped pass a number of environmental policy bills and budget proviso's in areas such as electronic waste, persistent bioaccumulative toxins, water quality data and stormwater permitting. "I'm really proud of our member companies and lobbyists for teaming together so well this session on these and other important environmental policies," said AWB's Grant Nelson. "Perhaps the biggest win for AWB was the passage of SB 6415, which among other things, will lead to a settlement of the AWB-led appeal against Ecology's industrial stormwater general permit." For more information on these topics, contact Nelson at (360) 943-1600 or GrantN@awb.org.

> Legislators were not as focused on passing liability reform laws this session. “Very few liability reform and employment law initiatives made it out of the legislature this session,” said AWB’s Legal Affairs Director Kris Tefft. “While that is a bad thing with respect to liability reform, it ended up being a good thing in the employment law arena, where a number of anti-competitive bills popped up and were stopped in their tracks. The Legislature did pass minor liability reform initiatives like lowering the interest rate on tort judgments and prohibiting ‘Big Mac Attack’ lawsuits against restaurants. But this session was largely characterized by missed opportunities on tort reform and solid defense on bad labor bills that would have torpedoed our business climate.” For more information, contact Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.

Gov. Locke Makes Mark on Charter School Legislation Last Week!
Gov. Gary Locke signed charter schools legislation into law last Wednesday in Bellevue. According to AWB Governmental Affairs Director Grant Nelson, "It is really amazing how many people are coming out of the woodwork wanting more information about the legislation and asking how they can start a charter school in Washington state. Hats off to Jim and Fawn Spady who stayed the course for so many years and whose persistence finally paid off.” Members who want more information, including the upcoming charter school conference in Seattle April 16-18, can visit: www.wacharterschools.org or contact Nelson at (360) 943-1600 or GrantN@awb.org.

Have Your Company’s Contribution to the Community Recognized – Award Nomination Deadline Approaching!
The Association of Washington Business is presenting a series of Community Service Awards to recognize its members’ volunteerism and contributions, which make our communities better places in which to live and work. The Community Service Awards will be presented during a special dinner held in conjunction with the May 18 Association of Washington Business Annual Spring Meeting in Spokane. Recognize your company’s generosity before Monday, April 19, 2004, at http://www.awb.org/programs/awards/csawardsnominations.htm.

Don’t Miss Out on Magazine Ad Space – Call Today!
The deadline for advertising in May’s Washington Business Magazine is April 1. To place an ad, contact Deborah M. Haydon at 360-297-4228 or Debaqp@awb.net.

AWB HealthChoice - Big Company Benefits for Small Companies!
HealthChoice, brought to you by AWB and Premera Blue Cross, has five different plans open to businesses with two or more employees. For more information, visit www.awb.org/benefits/healthchoicefeatures.htm. Contact AWB’s Kandice Jackson at (360) 943-1600 or KandiceJ@awb.org.

Spady Family Epitomizes America’s Citizen Activists - See this week’s President’s Perspective at www.awb.org.