THE AD CAMPAIGN IS UP AND RUNNING---THANKS AND KEEP THOSE CHECKS ROLLING IN!!!!!!
The first round of the competitiveness ad campaign started on radio stations in western Washington, Yakima, Tri-Cities and Spokane today! The newspaper and magazine ads are placed. As you can see, there are many bills which will add to the costs of doing business here in Washington and we need to drive home the message that “COSTS MATTER!” We need to “KEEP THE RECOVERY GOING—AS FRAGILE AS IT IS!” Weigh in and tell your legislators to kill bills that add to our already heavy burden. For copies of the radio and newspaper ads, contact AWB’s Don Brunell at (360) 943-1600 or DonB@awb.org.

URGENT: Help Stop Burdensome Family Leave Bill – Tell Legislators to Oppose 2SSB 5069!
2SSB 5069 would clobber employers with yet another new tax and administrative burden by mandating a new family leave entitlement. This is a bad bill in every respect. The paid family leave tax will hit even the smallest businesses that can’t afford to lose key employees to extended periods of absence. The tax will be levied on employers who voluntarily provide paid leave programs and policies to effectively subsidize those who don’t. This tax will also be levied on all workers regardless of whether they will utilize it. Childless, single, and other workers who do not need family leave will pay an escalating tax to subsidize those who will use the program. In addition, the tax will continue to rise year after year – the benefit level will be raised annually according to the Consumer Price Index – and the tax rate will be reviewed annually by L& I who will raise the tax to support the rising benefits. Go to www.awb.org and tell your legislators that business can’t afford this burden. Contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.

Hanford Cleanup Bill Passes Senate – House Will Now Consider This JobKiller!
SB 5445 attempts to “fix” Initiative 297 (Hanford Cleanup). This legislation is a last minute attempt to remedy some of the ambiguities of a poorly written and legally flawed initiative, authored by the environmental group Heart of America. The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has challenged the initiative in federal court, and the Washington Supreme Court will also hear the case in May. $70 million in federal funding was cut from the Hanford cleanup budget as a result of legal uncertainties of I-297. This equates to approximately 700 jobs lost at Hanford and an additional 1,400 to 2,100 jobs may be lost due to the ripple effect in the Tri-Cities area and Washington state. Unfortunately, Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, who is spearheading the legislative effort on SB 5445, convinced enough fellow senators to pass this JobKilling bill. Call your state representatives and tell them not to further confuse the legal effort regarding I-297, let the court system work and VOTE “NO” on SB 5445. Contact AWB’s Grant Nelson at (360) 943-1600 or GrantN@awb.org.

Gregoire Declares Drought Emergency – Utilities and Farmers Face Shortages!
Last week Gov. Christine Gregoire authorized the Dept. of Ecology to declare a statewide drought emergency, based on the extremely low snow pack in the mountains and record-low flows that are being seen in many rivers across the state. "While water shortages won't affect all areas of the state in precisely the same way, it seems very likely that all areas of our state will experience at least some level of drought this year," Gregoire said. Currently, precipitation is at or near record lows, and the mountain snow pack averages about 26 percent of normal. Rivers and creeks on both sides of the Cascades are flowing at or near record-low levels for this time of year. Irrigators in the Yakima basin are feeling the greatest pinch right now, but even western Washington utilities with large reservoirs are starting to dust off their drought response plans, and the outlook for fish-bearing streams throughout the state is poor.

State Budget to Be Released Next Week – We Must Be Careful Not to Hurt Economy as We Fill Budget Gap!
Finally, the much anticipated state budget will be released next week. Hopefully, this will not be another case of “government as usual” raising taxes and fees. As legislators and Gov. Gregoire look for ways to fill a $2.2 billion gap in the revenue, they need to realize our economy is fragile and just starting to recover. Contact AWB’s Tom McBride at (360) 943-1600 or TomM@awb.org.

California Vehicle Emissions Being Rushed Through Legislature – Tell Lawmakers “NO!”
HB 1397/SB 5397, requiring Washington state to adopt California’s overly stringent vehicle emissions standards, are on the verge of moving to the House and Senate floors for a vote. These standards are currently being litigated because they violate the Clean Air Act by requiring vehicles to meet fuel economy standards (CAFE). AWB opposes this legislation because it exceeds federal standards without a compelling need to do so, harms our competitive position with other states, increases the cost of new cars by $3,000, and relies on a regulatory instead of free market approach. Go to www.awb.org and tell your legislators that you don’t want Washington state’s hands to be tied by policy makers in California – oppose this job killing legislation and VOTE “NO” on HB 1397 and SB 5397! Contact Grant Nelson at (360) 943-1600 or GrantN@awb.org.

New Roundtable Study on Health Care Shows Washington Could Save $1.26 Billion
If Washington would reduce its spending on health care to the average of the other western states, we could save over $1.26 billion each year. For more information on the study, visit the Washington Roundtable Web site: www.waroundtable.com/publications/publications.asp.

Rep. Alexander at Last Week’s Lobby Lunch – Expresses Deep Concern About Budget!
The state’s “fiscal integrity is being challenged,” Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, said at last week’s Lobby Lunch. Alexander is concerned that the current Legislature is passing bills without regard to their effect on the budget or the economy. “I continue to remind other legislators that there’s no free lunch,” Alexander commented with obvious frustration.

Ecology’s Manning and UW’s Emmert Speak to Executive Committee!
Dept. of Ecology Director Jay Manning and UW President Mark Emmert were both at last week’s Executive Board Meeting. Manning, commenting on the perennial water rights issue, stressed the importance of preserving the rights of water holders. He also indicated that the people would be better able to come up with solutions for the issue than would his department. Emmert stressed the UW’s major contributions to Washington’s economy and called for greater investment in higher education.

AWB Policy Summit Committee is Meeting on March 24 at AWB—You Are Welcome
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.

AWB Land Use Committee Meeting Scheduled
The AWB Land Use Committee is meeting on Wednesday, March 16 at 9:00 a.m. to discuss the status of various land use bills. The focus will be on hydraulic project approval legislation, best available science legislation, and the water quality/GMA proposal. Contact AWB’s Kristen Sawin at (360) 943-1600 or KristenS@awb.org .

Rep. Woods at Next Lobby Lunch – Transportation Will Be Topic!
Rep. Beverly Woods, R-Kingston, ranking minority member on the House Transportation Committee, will speak at this week’s Lobby Lunch (Thursday, Mar. 17, 12 noon). Contact AWB’s Alisha Boggs at (360) 943-1600 or AlishaB@awb.org.

Overwhelmed by Shipping Costs? Start Saving Today!
AWB Freight Savings Program gives small and mid-sized companies the same savings on shipping as larger companies. Participants receive a 62 percent discount on all less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments between 200 to 20,000 pounds in the U.S. and Canada. Members can attend free educational seminars. Contact AWB’s Jennifer Davis at (360) 943-1600 or JenniferD@awb.org.

Labor Law Posters Available – Order Now!
Agencies of 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.

Check Out www.JobMakers.com- Track Your Legislators on How They are 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.