AWB files brief in Kittitas wind power lawsuit
Last week, AWB filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Washington Supreme Court urging it to take fast action and uphold the approval by the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council and Gov. Chris Gregoire of a wind generation project in the Ellensburg corridor. The project, which AWB supports, is on hold due to litigation brought by the county and a citizens group. For more information or a copy of the brief, contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at (260) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org, or AWB’s Chris McCabe at (360) 943-1600 or ChrisM@awb.org.

 

Private sector is responding to prescription drug costs
Remember a couple of years ago when all of the talk was about the cost of prescription drugs? According to the National Retail Federation, Wal-Mart’s Neighborhood Market and Sam’s Clubs will now fill prescriptions for up to 350 generic medications at $10 for a 90-day supply at their pharmacies. It’s an expansion of a discount program Wal-Mart introduced in Tampa last September in which the company offered 30-day supplies of certain generic drugs for $4. Wal-Mart later implemented the program in 49 states. This is more proof that the private market can work to control health care costs if the politicians just sit back and allow it to work. For more information, see AWB’s Olympia Business Watch.

 

Longtime state representative announces retirement
After 14 years, 14th District Rep. Mary Skinner, R-Yakima, announced her retirement from her legislative seat at the end of her term in January. “After long and careful consideration and much prayer, I have decided not to seek an eighth term in office as state representative and will retire in January,” said Skinner. “After 14 years of service, I believe the time is right to retire and allow other talented individuals to have the opportunity to serve and represent our district. I have appreciated this opportunity immensely. However, the season has come for me to spend more quality time with my husband, Hal, and my family here in Yakima.” Skinner, who earlier survived a bout with cancer, remains healthy. She was a friend of the business community who typically received high ratings from AWB. We’ll miss her presence in the Legislature.

 

Maineemployers fight health plan bailout
Business groups have formed a coalition to fight recent tax increases designed to shore up Maine’s struggling DirigoChoice state-subsidized health insurance program for individuals and small business. The taxes include a first-ever Maine tax on soft drinks, a doubling of existing levies on beer and wine, and a 1.8-percent tax on health care claims paid by insurers and third-party claims administrators. The taxes are so unpopular that coalition members say they are optimistic they will get the signatures needed to get the repeal initiative on the ballot. Dirigo requires employers to pay 60 percent of the premium. How much Dirigo pays of the remaining premium depends on an employee’s income. See AWB’s Olympia Business Watch for details.
 

America is a lawsuit happy nation - Each family pays $3,200 a year
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform released its update on the cost of lawsuits to the American economy. ILR finds that Americans spend 2.5 times more on litigation than any other industrialized country and lawsuits now amount to 1.9 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. The cost to the average American family is more than $3,200 a year, but the way our legal system is set up claimants receive less than 50 cents on the dollar when they win in court. The rest goes for attorney fees and court costs. Small business takes a big hit, and paying $98 billion every year. That’s money they could have spent on upgrading equipment, hiring workers and investing in innovative products and services to compete with China, India, Korea and Ireland. To see how lawsuit abuse affects you, visit iamlawsuitabuse.org.

 

Don’t miss out on Olympic-sized business opportunities
Are you interested in exploring business opportunities related to the 2010 Olympics, but don’t know where to start? Are you uncertain whether your business has what Olympic organizers are looking for, or whether doing business in Canada is even feasible? If so, you have plenty of company in the business world. Fortunately, the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development recently updated their Web site to include much of what you are looking for. Check it out at http://www.exportwashington.com/portal/alias__2010/lang__en-US/tabid__3477/DesktopDefault.aspx. Other informative sites include the Pacific Northwest Economic Region’s Winter Tourism/Olympics page and the 2010 Commerce Centre. For more information, please also see AWB’s in-depth report “Less than 2 until 2010: When will Washington get into the game?” at this link.  

 UI Committee meeting May 28
The next AWB UI Committee meeting will be on held on May 28 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at AWB. For more information, please contact AWB’s Donna Steward at (360) 943-1600 or DonnaS@awb.org.

 

Have you shared your thoughts on health care reform?
Throughout the 2008 legislative session, AWB highlighted a number of health care reform bills that would significantly alter health insurance coverage in Washington. Most of these bills proposed expansions of government involvement in administration, as well as new taxes to fund the programs. Now that the 2008 session has passed, legislators and stakeholders are hard at work on proposals in preparation for the 2009 session. Hoping to inform their proposals, AWB sent all employer members a survey last week that included questions related to these proposals. It is critical that our members respond to this survey so AWB can use these responses to actively engage in discussions with legislators and other stakeholders as they move forward. If you are an employer member of AWB and did not receive the 2008 AWB Health Care Reform Survey last week but would like to weigh in on these issues, please contact AWB’s Donna Steward at (360) 943-1600 or DonnaS@awb.org to access the survey.

 

Destination-based sales tax is coming on July 1—DOR online workshop will help you prepare
The Washington State Department of Revenue’s new destination-based sales tax online workshop is a great resource for retailers. Check it out and prepare yourself for Washington’s switchover to the streamlined sales tax on July 1.

 

Discussions on flood prevention open to businesses
Businesses in Grays Harbor, Mason, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties impacted by last winter’s devastating floods can share their thoughts on how to prevent such losses and speed economic recovery during public meetings later this month. On May 22 and 23, the Columbia-Pacific Economic Development District will be holding the first of several focus groups to discuss these issues and collect ideas from the business community on loss prevention and recovery. All businesses throughout the four counties may attend. The meetings will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on May 22-23 (the sessions will be the same each day so you need attend only one of the meetings), at the Grays Harbor EDC (506 Duffy Street, Aberdeen). The EDC asks that participants RSVP to (360) 532-7888 for the Disaster Recovery Project, so they can ensure enough seating for participants.

 

Managing Leaves of Absence Seminar: June 25 at the Seattle Airport Marriott
The Family and Medical Leave Act FMLA presents more compliance headaches than almost any other law affecting the workplace. It remains an extremely difficult and frustrating law for employers to administer, and it creates several traps that can lead to employer liability. Much is changing in the law: the Washington State Department of Labor is considering revisions to the FMLA while the Washington Legislature has passed several new leave laws in recent sessions. This seminar will cover these state and federal leave requirements, as well as the interplay of these laws with your company’s own leave plans and policies. We’ll sort through the confusion and ambiguity and help you identify what you must do now; what may not be required just yet, but you still should do; and what is likely to change in the future. To register, please contact AWB’s Jennifer Costello at (360) 943-1600 or JenniferC@awb.org, or click here to view the full agenda and register online.

 

Washington Business Week: Real-world experience, life-changing results
The Washington Business Week program is a business and career camp for grades 9-12. TWO COLLEGE CREDITS ARE AVAILABLE. Business Week participants will: 1. Experience life on a college campus for seven days and six nights; 2. Meet students from all over Washington state; 3. Work with 25-30 business professionals from various Washington companies; 4. Enjoy afternoon and evening recreation time to explore the campus; 5. Attend seminars on topics such as profit, marketing, personality styles, leadership and more; 6. Work in small teams to run a simulated business, and have fun while doing it; 9. Gain self confidence. It’s an experience students will consider one of the best they have ever had! AWB members save $50 for their children or their employees’ children. For more information, visit AWB’s Web site or call (253) 815-6900.

 

Forklift safety: ‘Train the Trainer’ workshop on June 4
This seminar will teach experienced forklift operators how to conduct proper safety training for their employees. Upon completion, attendees will also receive a CD-ROM with a PowerPoint slide show and a PDF manual they can reproduce to use in training their own employees. Click here to register online, or contact Jennifer Costello at JenniferC@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

 

L&I posts fact sheets on new workplace leave laws
During the 2008 legislative session, AWB reported on the passage of two new paid family leave laws. One of these — granting a “reasonable period of leave” for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking — went into effect on April 1. The other one — granting up to 15 days of leave for spouses of armed services members called to deployment, on deployment, or on leave from deployment — goes into effect on June 12. The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has published two useful fact sheets accessible by clicking here for the changes in domestic violence leave policy or here for changes in military family leave policy. For more information, please contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at KrisT@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

HR Essentials briefings on new legislation in 2008
Don’t miss HR Essentials where you’ll learn about the latest laws and regulations on employment, workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance. The briefings will be held in Everett (May 28), Bellevue (May 28), Vancouver (May 29), Olympia (May 30), Yakima (June 4), Tri-Cities (June 4), Spokane (June 5) and Moses Lake (June 5). The cost to attend is $40 per person. This provides 2.5 (general) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information or to register, click here or contact AWB’s Connie Grande at ConnieGr@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

 

AWB Workers’ Comp Retro Program safety workshop on May 21
Don’t miss this great opportunity to increase your safety knowledge and effectiveness in developing and administering safety programs within your company. The AWB Retro Program is offering a four-course safety seminar on May 21 in Spokane. For more information, click here or contact Jennifer Costello at JenniferC@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

 

Best practices seminar for the Human Resources File Cabinet coming May 28
Learn how to avoid fines, penalties and litigation by adopting “best practices” and maintaining proper employment records on May 28 at Bellevue’s Red Lion Hotel. For more information, please contact Jennifer Costello at JenniferC@awb.org or (360) 943-1600. You can also register online by clicking here.

 

Department of Revenue rolls out streamlined sales tax workshops
The Washington State Department of Revenue has developed a variety of tools to help retailers change the way they determine local sales taxes on shipped or delivered goods, as required by legislation that takes effect on July 1. The department has also scheduled a series of workshops around the state to help businesses encourage out-of-state sellers to begin collecting taxes on sales to Washington customers. To register for one of the 20 workshops in May and June, please click here.

 

2008 Small Business Resource Guide CD-ROM now available
The 2008 Small Business Resource Guide is now available on CD-ROM. This invaluable resource contains critical tax information — including forms, instructions and publications — to small businesses. It also provides important information from a variety of government agencies, non-profit organizations and educational institutions. View it online at here, or order a copy of the CD at here or by calling (800) 829-3676

 

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