AWB opposes proposed Growth Management Act amendment
Two bills under consideration by the Legislature — HB 2797, sponsored by Rep. Geoff Simpson, D-Covington, and SB 6580, sponsored by Sen. Chris Marr, D-Spokane — would add a new goal for climate change mitigation to the Growth Management Act. AWB has worked to improve this legislation since its introduction, but we oppose adding a new environmental goal to the GMA that would create multiple, potentially conflicting, greenhouse gas emission programs at the local level. The House Local Government Committee passed out HB 2797 to the House Appropriations Committee, where it received a hearing. SB 6580, passed out of the Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee last week, is now in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. If the bills fail to move out of their respective committees by Tuesday they will be effectively dead. For more information, contact AWB’s Chris McCabe at (360) 943-1600 or ChrisM@awb.org.
Gregoire’s Legislative Reception keynote now available as podcast
Gov. Chris Gregoire’s keynote address at AWB's Legislative Day luncheon is now available on the AWB Web site. Read the transcript at www.olympiabusinesswatch.com/files/20080206_awb_luncheon.pdf or listen to the audio recording at http://awborg.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=305125. While you’re there, be sure to check out the latest installment of AWB’s Lobby Lunch series with Richard Davis, AWB’s vice president of communications. Davis talks with Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mike Hewitt, R-Walla Walla, and House Minority Leader Rep. Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, who discuss their views on the budget, transportation, fiscal forecasting, family leave, health care, and education issues. Listen at http://awborg.libsyn.com/index.php?post_category=AWB's%20Lobby%20Lunch%20Series. For more news, views and reviews, go to at AWB’s podcast center at http://awborg.libsyn.com.
Health care legislation bad news for business
Proponents of 2SHB 2537, sponsored by Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle, intend to expand the Health Insurance Partnership from a program to assist only those small businesses in greatest financial need to a government-run program aimed at all small businesses. The measure will also use tax dollars to subsidize administrative costs within the program, taking your tax dollars to subsidize your competitors. The insurance commissioner is back again this year with SSB 5261, sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, which will provide him with much of the same regulatory authority that led to the demise of the individual market a few years ago. Finally, both houses of the Legislature are promoting “citizen commission” bills (SB 6333, sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, and HB 2536, sponsored by Rep. Eileen Cody, D-West Seattle), essentially designed to organize a road show to build support for a single-payer, government-run health care system in Washington. For more information, contact AWB’s Donna Steward at (360) 943-1600 or DonnaS@awb.org.
Congress expands federal Family Medical Leave Act
President Bush recently signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which contained significant provisions expanding rights for military families under the Family and Medical Leave Act. The new law provides up to 26 weeks of leave for a “spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next-of-kin” to care for a recovering service member unable to perform his or her duties. The new law also allows 12 weeks of leave for a “spouse, son, daughter, parent or next-of-kin” of a service member on active duty or notified of a call to duty for any “qualifying exigency.” This change will not be fully effective until the Secretary of Labor issues regulations defining “qualifying exigency.” In the meantime, the Department of Labor encourages employers to exercise good faith by providing this type of leave to employees who might reasonably be covered. For more information, contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.
Just say no to changing Washington’s vesting laws
HB 3202, sponsored by Rep. Geoff Simpson, D-Covington, and SB 6784, sponsored by Sen. Adam Kline, D- Seattle, would change Washington’s 50-year-old real property vesting laws. Currently, a landowner’s development rights vest upon submission of a completed application for a building or subdivision permit. This damaging legislation would move the vesting date back to when a local jurisdiction “takes final action” on a landowner’s application, including any and all appeals. The Senate Government Operations and Elections Committee passed out SB 6784 and it is now pending action in the Senate Rules Committee. HB 3202 was passed out of the House Local Government Committee to the House Rules Committee. For more information, contact Chris McCabe at (360) 943-1600 or ChrisM@awb.org.
Job-killing punitive damages bill fails to get out of committee
SB 6614, sponsored by Sen. Brian Weinstein, D-Mercer Island, would have introduced punitive damages to Washington civil law in a big way, providing for the unlimited recovery of punitive damages in any kind of civil lawsuit based upon a very low burden of proof. Fortunately, this anti-business never got out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. For more information, contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.
Mixed bag on property tax bills
Three bills — SJR 8228, sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Bainbridge Island; SJR 8222, sponsored by Sen. Tim Sheldon, D- Potlatch; and SJR 8226, sponsored by Sen. Zarelli, R- Ridgefield — would all change the uniformity clause in our state constitution, which requires that all taxpayers be treated uniformly. AWB opposes these proposals, but we support SB 6706, sponsored by Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland. SB 6706 would require annual valuations of property. All of these bills are pending action in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. For more information, contact AWB’s Amber Carter at (360) 943-1600 or AmberC@awb.org.
Unfortunate Supreme Court decision in Sales v. Weyerhaeuser
Last Thursday, the Washington Supreme Court released its decision in Sales v. Weyerhaeuser, a case involving the appropriate state in which to bring a lawsuit. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a lower court significantly changing the state’s forum laws and potentially opening the state’s courts to tort lawsuits against Washington companies from people all over the planet. AWB filed a brief and helped argue the case. For more information, contact Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.
RFID bill is a bad idea for Washington businesses
HB 1031, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Morris, D - Friday Harbor, restricts the use of Radio Frequency Identification technology. While the proposed legislation purports to protect consumer privacy, the bill is unnecessary and is more of a solution looking for a problem than sound public policy. The bill contains overly burdensome labeling and notification requirements and would place Washington businesses at competitive disadvantage, as no other state in the nation has passed similar laws. HB 1031 will stifle future innovative RFID technologies that will provide additional safety and protections for consumers and businesses, assist in the removal of recalled products from stores and guard against the sale of counterfeit prescription medications and other merchandise. For more information, contact AWB’s Grant Nelson at (360) 943-1600 or GrantN@awb.org.
Paid Family Leave implementation bills moving, but funding apparently tabled
HB 3305, sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Ballard, and SB 6280, sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, are on the move. The bills implement the state’s new paid family leave mandate but leave a lot of employer concerns unanswered. Both cleared their policy committees last week, and HB 3305 was heard in the House Appropriations Committee. Although the startup process for this new program is underway, figuring out how to fund the “paid” part of paid family leave is apparently off the table this session. For more information, contact Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.
Time to stop the “Sue Your Roofer” bill
SB 6385, sponsored by Sen. Brian Weinstein, D-Mercer Island, would provide a new cause of action against contractors and developers for negligent construction of residential improvements to real property, significantly increasing insurance rates and opening the door to new litigation. AWB prefers to work with House Speaker Frank Chopp, D-Seattle, and Rep. Mark Ericks, D-Bothell, on HB 3349, which provides a review of the need for residential contractor licensing. SB 6385 passed the full Senate by a 27-20 vote. For more information, contact Chris McCabe at (360) 943-1600 or ChrisM@awb.org.
Labor and plaintiffs’ lawyer kill Brink’s fix bills; employers and workers still affected
HB 3294, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, and SB 6867, sponsored by Sen. Janea Holmquist, R-Moses Lake, would have addressed problems caused for employers and workers who commute in company vehicles by the Supreme Court’s Brinks decision, which held that such commute time must be compensated. Unfortunately, the bills failed to emerge from their committees in the face of stiff labor union and trial lawyer opposition. For more information, contact Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.
AWB opposes union-approved UI apprenticeship expansion
HB 2967, sponsored by Rep. Steve Conway, D- Tacoma, would expand unemployment insurance to individuals who leave their jobs to enroll in union-approved apprenticeship programs. AWB opposes this legislation and its attempt to draw individuals from active employment into labor-approved apprenticeships, thereby socializing the cost of the labor-directed training among employers. The bill is currently in the Rules Committee. We’re working to stop it before it passes to the House for a vote. For more information, contact Donna Steward at (360) 943-1600 or DonnaS@awb.org.
Cost-raising workers’ comp bills on the move
Two alarming workers’ compensation proposals have moved out of committee, supported by labor unions and trial lawyers. HB 3139, sponsored by Rep. Steve Conway, D- Tacoma, and SB 6750, sponsored by Sen. Kohl-Welles, D- Seattle, would require the Department of Labor and Industries and self-insured employers to pay benefits when employers decide to appeal an order awarding benefits to a worker. Self-insured employers, for example, win the majority of appeals they file, but would have little practical ability to recoup benefits in cases where L&I makes a mistake. Another bad bill, HB 2980, sponsored by Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia, would add more cost and litigiousness to the system by prohibiting L&I and employers from speaking to a claimant’s health care provider without getting the claimant’s lawyer’s approval first. All three bills are out of committee and moving toward the floor. For more information, contact Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.
Additional water supplies added to Columbia River
In 2006, the Legislature enacted the Columbia Basin Water Supply Act relating to water resource management in the Columbia River Basin. A high priority of that legislation was the development of new water supplies to feed the Columbia River. HB 3309, sponsored by Rep. Timm Ormsby, D- Spokane, and SB 6874, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Brown, D- Spokane, will be the first step in supplying new water to the basin by drawing down Lake Roosevelt an additional foot. This will supply an additional 132,500 acre-feet of water to the Columbia River, providing much-needed water for cities along the Columbia. It will also ensure availability of water for “interruptible” water-right holders and provide water to the Odessa sub-area, reducing irrigators’ reliance on a shrinking water aquifer. For more information, contact Chris McCabe at (360) 943-1600 or ChrisM@awb.org.
Bill provides assistance for struggling students
SB 6673, introduced by Sen. Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, will provide assistance to students in eighth grade and beyond who either have not passed the reading and writing components of the WASL or are otherwise in jeopardy of not graduating from high school. The measure provides approximately $8 million in assistance. AWB supports this measure to assist those students with the greatest needs. For more information, contact Donna Steward at (360) 943-1600 or DonnaS@awb.org.
HR managers attend ‘Day on the Hill’ to hear about pending employment bills
Last Thursday, about 100 human resources managers attended HR Day on the Hill, co-sponsored by AWB and the Society for Human Resource Management. Participants received a legislative briefing from AWB and heard from agency heads and legislators about current human resources bills. Issues discussed included HB 2602, sponsored by Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Clallam, and SB 5900, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Regala, D- Tacoma, which would provide “reasonable” periods of leave for victims of domestic violence, and HB 2142, sponsored by Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, which would prohibit “workplace bullying.” For more information, contact Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.
AWB supports addressing concurrency and impact fees for transportation purposes
HB 2950, sponsored by Rep. Deborah Eddy, D-Kirkland, and SB 6566, introduced by Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, is AWB-backed legislation that would change current concurrency law under the Growth Management Act. The legislation provides that if a landowner or developer pays impact fees during development or construction of a project the concurrency requirements of the GMA are satisfied. This will encourage and concentrate growth and development within the Urban Growth Areas and in the urban cores where it belongs, consistent with the intent of the GMA, rather than encouraging urban sprawl. It will also ease traffic congestion by reducing the distance people must drive. HB 2950 passed out of the House Local Government Committee and is in the House Rules Committee; the Senate Transportation Committee heard SB 6566. For more information, contact Chris McCabe at (360) 943-1600 or ChrisM@awb.org.
Is your business prepared? Emergency planning and disaster management seminar Feb. 26
The best defense against disasters is to be prepared. Attend AWB’s one-day seminar and learn how to prepare and apply survival plans to any type of disaster. For more information, see www.awb.org/events/seminars/emergencyplanning.asp or contact AWB’s Jennifer Costello at (360) 943-1600 or JenniferC@awb.org.
Updated Washington Wage & Hour Handbook available now!
This key reference guide provides your company with the latest information on important issues that are essential to your company’s success and help you maintain a positive rapport with your employees. This book features coverage under the Fair Labor Standards Act, exemption status, calculating time and wages, record keeping and much more.
Contact Jennifer Costello at (360) 943-1600 or JenniferC@awb.org to order your copy.
Receive Big Savings on Premier Shipping Services – Sign Up Today!
AWB Freight Savings Program gives small and mid-sized companies the same opportunities to save money on shipping as larger companies. Point, click and ship AWB freight program provides your company with the ultimate in shipping flexibility. You receive discounts of up to 78 percent from the Northwest’s best LTL carriers. Choose local, regional or transcontinental service with FedEx Freight, Oak Harbor, USF Reddaway and Holland along with UPS Freight, FedEx National LTL, Yellow Freight, Daylight Transport and Roadway. Whether you’re shipping from Seattle to Spokane or Moses Lake to Newark — you’re covered! For more information, visit www.awb.org/services/freightsavings.asp. or contact Jennifer Costello at (360) 943-1600 or JenniferC@awb.org.
Sometimes, it’s just nature’s way — See this week's President's Perspective at www.awb.org
