Make your voice heard in support of market-oriented health care solutions
For the past few weeks AWB has been alerting its members to the Healthy Washington meetings on health care reform that will begin in Seattle on June 19. AWB is not a co-sponsor of the meetings or a member of the Healthy Washington coalition. However, because these meetings will focus on ideas that may impact an employer’s ability to select and pay for health insurance coverage in the future, AWB believes it is important for business owners to be present to share their thoughts, concerns and ideas for improving health care coverage in Washington. Unions and others who back government-run health care will likely dominate these meetings. Many of them are active in Healthy Washington. Absent the voice of those who would like to preserve and expand a competitive private market for health care, the Legislature would likely receive reports from these meetings that would be unfavorable to business owners and the community at large. That’s why we need your participation. The meetings will be held in Seattle (June 19), Tacoma (July 1), Yakima (July 15), Spokane (July 29), Bellevue (Aug. 12), Everett (Sept. 9), and Vancouver (Sept. 13). For information on the Seattle and Bellevue meetings and a list of Healthy Washington coalition members, visit www.pnhpwesternwashington.org. For more information, please contact AWB’s Donna Steward at DonnaS@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

Land Use Committee meeting June 24
AWB’s Land Use Committee meets June 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the law offices of Foster Pepper PLLC (1111 Third Ave., Suite 3400, Seattle). Agenda items include an update on recent environmental community efforts to change Washington’s vesting law, the latest news on the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Climate Action Team process, an update on the Puget Sound Partnership 2020 Action Agenda for habitat and land use recommendations, an update on Attorney General Rob McKenna’s Eminent Domain Task Force, a brief presentation by CTED’s Dave Anderson concerning WAC changes to CTED’s GMA advisory rules, an update from Ecology’s Josh Baldi concerning the Mitigation that Works Forum, and discussion of AWB’s Land Use Legislative Objectives for the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions. For more information, please contact AWB’s Chris McCabe at ChrisM@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

AWB Energy Committee meeting scheduled for June 25
AWB’s Energy Committee will meet on June 25 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in AWB’s Small Business Conference Room. Agenda items include a discussion of AWB’s energy policy legislative agenda for the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions and corresponding changes to our energy-related legislative objectives. A complete agenda is forthcoming. A call-in number will be available for those who wish to participate by telephone. Please contact Connie Grande at ConnieGr@awb.org or at (360) 943-1600 for the number and pass code.

Managing Leaves of Absence Seminar coming on June 25 to the Seattle Airport Marriott
The Family and Medical Leave Act 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 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.

AWB issues corrections to 2008 Legislative Voting Record
We found two errors in this year’s AWB Legislative Voting Record that will be corrected in Washington Business magazine and pointed out to legislators. The first, on page 28 of the Legislative Review, shows AWB’s position on HB 2626 as “opposed,” when in fact AWB supported the bill. The second, on page 33, mischaracterizes AWB’s position on HB 1031, the RFID bill as “support” in the House the first time the bill came up for a vote. Since HB 1031 counted as part of AWB’s vote record for legislators, we’ll adjust the percentage totals accordingly. For more information, please contact AWB’s Gary Chandler at GaryC@awb.org at (360) 943-1600.

Teachers’ union responds to NMSI
After Washington missed out on $13.2 million in grant money from the National Math and Science Initiative because of restrictive collective bargaining rules, the Washington Education Association came in for heavy criticism. On May 28, WEA president Mary Lindquist wrote to NMSI, a private foundation whose major contributors include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Last week, on our Olympia Business Watch blog, we released the letter. Lindquist criticizes NMSI’s “adversarial approach” and “intransigence,” saying the foundation “remained rigid and inflexible.” As AWB president Don Brunell comments on the blog, it is NMSI’s money. It’s also a missed opportunity to invest in better math and science education in Washington. Read the letter at Olympia Business Watch. 

Higher standards in math education can help fill jobs in Washington
From an excellent Tacoma News-Tribune editorial by Rosemary Brester of Hobart Machined Products Inc.: “ … The State Board of Education is … proposing higher standards in math for high school graduates starting in 2013. The board understands that its customers — the students of our state — need stronger skills in math to be competitive in the high-tech global economy they’ll face when they leave the friendly halls of high school. The board’s proposal is an important step toward ensuring that these student needs are met … In today’s manufacturing company, the skills of a machinist and those of a computer programmer have become one … Those skills begin with a solid foundation in math, especially geometry and trigonometry. One of our current interns recently told me that he’d recommend high-schoolers take pre-calculus to better prepare for the training needed for jobs in our industry. Whatever the level, developing stronger math skills in high school means a smoother transition into technical or on-the-job training programs, community and technical colleges, and four-year universities. Failure to do so means remedial classes, extra expenses for students and taxpayers, increased student frustration, and a higher likelihood that the students will quit before completing their training.” Read more at the Tacoma News-Tribune.

Puget Sound Partnership seeks AWB member input on Puget Sound goods and services
Puget Sound Partnership Executive Director David Dicks and Leadership Council Chair Bill Ruckelshaus recently contacted AWB seeking information that will assist in the creation of the Puget Sound Partnership’s 2020 Action Agenda. In reaching out to a wide range of stakeholders, the intent is to quantify the economic benefit gained by goods and services provided by the Puget Sound ecosystem. Specifically, PSP has requested assistance in identifying five to 10 ecosystem goods and services (e.g. food, water, timber, recreation) that contribute to business and industry’s well being and interest in the region. If you would like to contribute, please forward your suggestions to Chris McCabe at ChrisM@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

Washington Policy Center’s annual transportation event coming soon
The Center for Transportation researches and analyzes best practices for relieving traffic congestion while focusing on reducing structural barriers that drive up costs, linking congestion relief with spending and improving accountability and transparency with the Department of Transportation and other local, state and federal transportation agencies. On June 17, the center, along with AWB, are hosting their Annual Transportation Event at the Harbor Club in downtown Seattle from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Dr. Ron Utt from the Heritage Foundation will discuss traffic congestion issues as the event’s breakfast keynote speaker. Admission is $25 per person and is sure to sell out quickly, so please enroll as soon as possible. For more information, please check out the center’s event page.

Be an AWB Policy Summit sponsor
AWB’s Policy Summit is scheduled for Sept. 24-26 at Semiahmoo Resort. As a sponsor, your company receives acknowledgement before, during and following the event in marketing materials, signage and in AWB’s Washington Business magazine. Display opportunities are also available. Contact AWB’s Jennifer Davis at JenniferD@awb.org or click here for more information.

Order your copy of the 2008 Washington Employment Law Deskbook
The 2008 Washington Employment Law Deskbook (17th Edition) is a key reference guide to legal issues facing Washington employers. The reference guide offers sample policies, solutions and easy-to-understand guidelines. Each book comes with a searchable CD-ROM for quick access to specific topics. Contact Jennifer Costello at JenniferC@awb.org or (360) 943-1600, or click here to order online.

Simplify your job with the updated Human Resources File Cabinet Handbook
This comprehensive, plain-English guide is designed to assist Washington employers in preparing, revising and reviewing employee business forms. The Human Resource File Cabinet (Sixth Edition) will help you create and maintain accurate human resources files with minimal time and effort. The handbook includes all the human resources forms you will need from pre-employment to termination with detailed instructions on how to use and maintain each form. Contact Jennifer Costello at Jenniferc@awb.org or (360) 943-1600, or click here to order online.

AWB to hold regional board meetings in September
Don’t miss the chance to let AWB know what we can do for you! The AWB’s annual round of regional board meetings are your chance to participate in the formation of AWB’s 2009 Legislative Agenda. Be sure to mark your region’s meeting on your calendar: Sept. 3 (Spokane), Sept. 4 (Kennewick), Sept. 5 (Moses Lake), Sept. 9 (Vancouver), Sept. 10 (Tacoma), Sept. 16 (Everett), and Sept. 17 (Bellevue). In addition, legislative candidate interviews will be conducted following the board meetings. For more information, please contact AWB’s Bonnie Millikan at BonnieM@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

48-hour rule could sink Seattle’s cruise line business — See this week’s President’s Perspective at www.awb.org