New Washington Research Council Study Shows “Sin Taxes” Not Sustainable—Also Are Regressive!
According to a new WashACE study conducted by the Washington Research Council (WRC) taxes on cigarettes, liquor, wine, soda, candy, gum and gambling are not a sustainable solution to the state’s structural budget gap. Modeling with the WCR/REMI model of the Washington economy indicated that a package of sin taxes generating $738 million would cost the state on the order 3,000 jobs by 2010. This reduction in employment is the result of the taxes effect on the cost of living and the diversion of purchases to out-of-state retailers. Look for a copy of the study to be posted in the next day or so. For additional information, please contact Richard Davis at RSDavis@researchcouncil.org.

Family Leave Bill Passes Senate – Onerous Mandate Now Goes to House!
E2SSB 5069, the Family Leave Bill, has been approved by the Senate and has now been sent to the House. This terrible bill will sock even the smallest businesses that can’t afford to lose key employees to extended periods of absence. Go to www.awb.org and tell your senator to oppose the bill. Contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.

California Vehicle Emissions Bill Passed by House – Tell Senate “NO!”
HB 1397, which would force California’s overly stringent and totally inappropriate vehicle emission standards on Washington state, has been approved by the House. This legislation exceeds federal standards with no compelling need to do so and will harm our competitive position with other states and increase the cost of new cars by $3,000. Go to www.awb.org and tell your senator that you don’t want Washington state to be saddled with “Made in Sacramento” policies – oppose this job killing legislation and VOTE “NO” on HB 1397 and SB 5397! Learn from California’s mistakes; don’t imitate them! Contact AWB’s Grant Nelson at (360) 943-1600 or GrantN@awb.org.

“Pay or Play” Health Care Bill Dies – Employers Dodge a Real Bullet….For Now!
HB 1702/SB 5637, which would have brought “pay or play” health care to Washington, has died on the legislative calendar. AWB lobbied hard against this bill, and we’re pleased that employers with over 50 employees will not be forced to choose between paying for expensive health insurance for their employees or paying a burdensome tax to enroll those employees in the state’s Basic Health Plan, as this legislation would have mandated. While “pay or play” is dead for 2005, legislators may attempt to bring it back in 2006. If they do, AWB will oppose it every bit as strenuously. Contact AWB’s Mellani Hughes McAleenan at (360) 943-1600 or MellaniM@awb.org.

“Retro Reform” Payback Legislation is Dead – Another Casualty of the Session Cutoff!
HB 1875/SB 5842, the legislative majority’s noxious attempt to hurt some of its opponents by supposedly “reforming” the state’s Retro program, is another casualty of last week’s legislative cutoff. AWB, which would have been severely affected by this measure, is pleased with this outcome. Our state’s Retro program is a good one and should be left well enough alone to continue doing its job. If similar legislation emerges in 2006, AWB will fight it just as hard as we did this year. Contact AWB’s Amber Carter at (360) 943-1600 or AmberC@awb.org.

Judy Schurke Appointed to L&I Post by Gov. Gregoire – Will Serve Until New Director is Appointed!
Gov. Gregoire has asked Deputy L&I Director Judy Schurke to act as the Director of L&I until a new director is appointed. "The Governor is confident that Judy will do an outstanding job in the interim," said Tom Fitzsimmons, Gov. Gregoire's chief of staff. Her appointment became effective March 14. Contact Amber Carter at (360) 943-1600 or AmberC@awb.org.

Rep. Wood at Last Week’s Lobby Lunch – Provides Window Into Transportation Priorities!
Rep. Beverly Woods, R-Kingston, the House Transportation Committee’s ranking minority member was the featured speaker at last week’s Lobby Lunch. Woods spoke strongly in favor of funding for such projects as the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the 520 Bridge. Woods was open in her support for innovative funding methods, including high occupancy toll lanes and other user fees. Unsure of how the final transportation package will be funded, Woods commented that “it’s safe to say that my caucus is not in favor of indexing the gas tax.”

AWB Policy Summit Committee is Meeting on March 24 at AWB—You Are Welcome To Join!
AWB’s 2005 Policy Summit Planning Committee will meet on Thursday, March 24 at 2 p.m. The meeting will be in Olympia at AWB. The Policy Summit is Sept. 21-23 at the Semiahmoo Resort. Bill Kidd, BP, is the Policy Summit chair this year. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. Contact AWB’s Deb Brown at DebraB@awb.org or (360) 943-1600 if you wish to serve on the committee.

Keiser and Cody at Next Lobby Lunch – Focus on Health Care!
Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, and Rep. Eileen Cody, D-Seattle, will speak at this week’s Lobby Lunch (Thursday, March 24, noon). Keiser and Cody chair the Senate and House health care committees and were the prime sponsors of this session’s “pay or play” legislation. Contact AWB’s Alisha Boggs at (360) 943-1600 or AlishaB@awb.org.

Governor Engler to Speak at Spring Board Meeting – Register Early!
Former Michigan Governor John Engler, the new president of the National Association of Manufacturers, will be our keynote speaker on May 24 at the AWB Annual Spring Board meeting in Spokane. We will meet at the Davenport. Mark your calendars and make your reservations. Contact AWB’s Amy Johnson at (360) 943-1600 or AmyJ@awb.org.

Have Your Company’s Contribution to Community Service Recognized!
AWB is presenting a series of Community Service Awards to recognize our 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 24 AWB Annual Spring Meeting in Spokane. Submit your applications before Friday, April 22 at www.awb.org/services/awards/csaawards.asp.

Showcase Your Company – Become a Northwest Environmental Summit Sponsor Today!
Get your company the recognition it deserves by becoming a sponsor for the 2005 Environmental Conference, Oct. 19 and 20 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Call AWB’s Jennifer Davis at (360) 943-1600 or JenniferD@awb.org.

Labor Law Posters Available – Order Now!
Agencies from both the state and federal governments require various postings be available in a common area regularly visited by employees where they have an unobstructed opportunity to read them. Recently, legislation amended the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) requiring employers to post a new notice providing information about the rights of military service personnel to job reinstatement and other benefits. As of March 10, 2005, posting this information is mandatory. Contact AWB’s Amy Johnson at (360) 943-1600 or AmyJ@awb.org to order your labor law poster. In the meantime, before you order and receive your AWB labor law poster, you may download, print and post a temporary USERRA-compliant poster from the U.S. Dept. of Labor at www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/poster.pdf.

AWB’s HealthChoice – A Great Health Care Alternative!
Looking for affordable, quality health insurance for you and your employees? If so, AWB HealthChoice could be the right choice. Plans offered have deductibles ranging from $250 - $1000 and three Health Savings Account (HSA) options are also available. Companies with a minimum of two employees qualify for coverage. For benefit information, contact Helen Siggins at (866) 448-9577.

Reaching Your Legislators is as Simple as 1-2-3 on www.awb.org!
AWB.org has just launched a new feature making it easier to find and contact your representatives in Olympia. A "Send Message" feature has been added to the profiles of each and every member of the State House or Senate. Just fill in your information and send your comments directly over the web. You can even send yourself a copy of your message for your records. Access this feature by going to www.awb.org and search for your representative under "Find Your Legislator." For an advanced search, go to www.awb.org/members/electionguide/search.asp. For more information, contact AWB's Lex Nepomuceno at AlexisN@awb.org.

ANWR Oil Exploration Approved by U.S. Senate – Cantwell Leads Unsuccessful Opposition!
Last week the U.S. Senate finally approved a measure to open a small portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. This is a common sense move towards more U.S. energy independence. Unfortunately, both of Washington’s senators – Cantwell and Murray – opposed this measure. Cantwell, in fact, led an unsuccessful charge to remove the measure from a budget bill. Had this ploy succeeded, the ANWR measure could have been killed through filibuster. Contact AWB’s Don Brunell at (360) 943-1600 or DonB@awb.org.

Check Out www.JobMakers.com- Track Your Legislators on How They’re Doing to Keep Our Economic Recovery Moving!
AWB’s JobMaker’s Web site is up and running. Other states are adopting it as a prototype. JobMakers is a cooperative partnership between AWB and the Washington Roundtable. Check it out and see how your legislators are doing! Then e-mail them by connecting to our Web site www.awb.org. Listen for two new radio ads, produced by AWB and WashACE, that mention JobMakers.com.