Two initiatives stand to deepen Washington’s deficit
Proponents of Initiatives 985 and 1029 gathered enough signatures to put them on this year’s fall ballot. Both of these initiatives stand to deepen Washington’s already staggering $2.7 billion budget hole, increasing the deficit to a hefty $3 billion. Tim Eyman’s traffic congestion measure, I-985, would cost the state about $290 million during the next two-year budget cycle and the rest of the current one. I-1029, a home-care worker training measure backed by the Service Employees International Union, would cost Washington at least $23 million during the same time period. For more information on these initiatives, please see AWB’s Olympia Business Watch blog.

 

Candidate’s letters to AWB members used in the News Tribune
AWB is pleased that The (Tacoma) News Tribune used the letters that Dino Rossi and Chris Gregoire wrote to AWB members addressing the race for the governorship. Rossi’s letter, “Change of governor is needed to accomplish state’s goals,” begins with, “In this election you have a choice between the incumbent, a 39-year state employee who has a 29-percent rating with AWB and me, a small businessman who in my last year in the state Senate earned a perfect score from AWB for my work in the state Senate.” The rest of Rossi’s letter can be found here. Gregoire’s letter, “Major strides have been made in economy, education, health care,” states, “As your governor, I’ve spent the last four years working collaboratively with business to help ensure we have an economically diverse state with a sustainable, vibrant economy. Together, we’ve overcome some incredible challenges and achieved some amazing results.” The rest of her letter is available here. For ongoing coverage of the gubernatorial race and other issues that effect business, check out AWB’s Olympia Business Watch blog.

 

Earlier this year, fisheries managers saw a dismal year for salmon returns on the West Coast. In fact, they closed fishing from the Sacramento River, which empties into San Francisco Bay, north to the Columbia River. Even catches in Alaska’s famed Copper River were down, and the tasty Copper River Chinook was selling for $50 a pound in some places. But fisheries biologists were in for a pleasant surprise when they opened the summer steelhead season on June 16. Record numbers of sockeye were returning to the Columbia River on their northward migration to the upper reaches of the Okanogan, Wenatchee and Snake rivers. The sockeye count at Bonneville Dam, as of June 26, totaled 122,510 compared to the entire run of 26,700 last year. The initial prediction for this year was only 75,600. AWB sees this as a strong indicator that we’re learning to manage fish habitat successfully and to reconcile fish species survival with the activities of humans. As a bonus, we’ll have wild sockeye at affordable prices in our grocery stores and fish markets. For more information, please see this report in The Columbian or see AWB’s coverage on Olympia Business Watch.

 

Jocelyn McCabe will take over as AWB’s communications director beginning July 14, replacing Dick Davis who left AWB to coordinate the Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy (WashACE) competitiveness effort. McCabe was formerly director of communications for the Association of Washington School Principals and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University with an emphasis on crisis communications and media relations. She also holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Washington, one in English/creative writing and the other in editorial journalism.

 

New Streamlined Sales Tax law took effect on July 1
If you are an employer that makes deliveries subject to retail sales tax, make sure you know about the destination-based sales tax law change that went into effect on July 1. The new Streamlined Sales Tax law mandates that retail sales taxes be collected based on the rates in effect at the point of delivery instead of the place merchandise is shipped. AWB is gathering streamlined sales tax compliance information on our Web site. This includes information on the change in the law and links to private market solutions such as AWB’s newest member, SPEEDTAX. Certified by the Streamlined Sales Tax Governing Board, SPEEDTAX is a certified service provider offering automated state and local sales tax rate calculation, internal auditing, and filing programs. Some employers may be eligible for a tax credit to cover the cost of using a certified service provider to comply with the new change in destination-based sales tax sourcing.

 

AWB’s not-for-profit affiliate, the Institute for Workforce Development and Economic Sustainability, has changed its name to AWB Institute. Seven years ago, AWB created a not-for-profit affiliate to serve as an intermediary between Washington’s business community and the public sector. AWB Institute remains devoted to workforce and economic development issues and is still dedicated to its original mission: “To maximize the quality and availability of Washington’s workforce by providing information, developing products, programs and tools to improve the quality of job and skills training, to bring key partners together and to advance careers for all workers and insure continued increases in business productivity.” For more information on the AWB Institute, please contact Mike Hudson at (360) 943-1600 or mikeh@awb.org.

 

The Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Washington State Rehabilitation Council will sponsor a job networking opportunity tomorrow called “Say Hey Olympia”.The purpose of the event is to help connect the local employer community with individuals with disabilities who are actively seeking employment.The informal networking event will feature remarks from Olympia Mayor Doug Mah and an opportunity to share information between employers, job seekers, and the division.AWB members are encouraged to attend. Fore more information, please contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at (360) 943-1600 or KrisT@awb.org.

 

The Department of Labor and Industries’ rule on outdoor heat stress took effect on July 5. The rule requires employers to include heat-related illness hazards in their accident prevention plan, provide an adequate supply of water to employees on warm days and be able to treat employees demonstrating symptoms of overheating. L&I offers employers free workplace consolations to assist in the implementation of the new rule, and many on-line resources are available on the department’s Web site. While AWB maintained throughout the rulemaking process during the last several years that the new requirements were unnecessary, we were able to work with L&I on making the rule more practical, easier to understand and to provide an exemption for incidental exposure. For more information contact AWB’s Grant Nelson at GrantN@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

 

Workers’ comp benefits increase by 5 percent
Workers’ comp wage and pension benefits went up a little more than 5 percent on July 1 due to wage inflation. State law requires the recalculation of benefits each year to reflect the change in the state’s average wage as compared to the previous calendar year. Washington already has among the highest workers’ comp benefits costs in the country. And with higher benefits come higher payroll taxes for employers. Read more at AWB’s Olympia Business Watch blog . For more information, please contact AWB’s Kris Tefft at KrisT@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

 

The AWB Transportation Committee will meet on July 8 at 10 a.m. at AWB.Keith Cotton from the Washington State Department of Transportation will share current programs underway with the Commute Trip Reduction Board and their outline their legislative proposals for 2009.He we willalso discuss their role in addressing the vehicle-miles-traveled goalsestablishedthis session. We’ll also get anupdate fromthe Freight Investment Study Policy Group.Finally, we’ll review our legislative policy objectives to prepare for the 2009 session. Please let us know if you have agenda items you would like to include for the next meeting.Contact AWB’s Amber Carter at (360) 943-1600 or AmberC@awb.org.

 

The AWB Puget Sound Partnership Subcommittee will meet on July 14 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties (335 116th Ave. SE, Bellevue). The committee will review and discuss the partnership’s newest draft action agenda document. AWB will provide comments and feedback on this document after the meeting. We’ll also discuss the four Initial Strategic Priorities for Puget Sound recently adopted by the Leadership Council (click here to download or view a PDF document), as well as the work of the PSP Funding Advisory Group. For more information, please contact AWB’s Grant Nelson at (360) 943-1600 or GrantN@awb.org, or AWB’s Chris McCabe at (360) 943-1600 or ChrisM@awb.org.

 

AWB’s Climate Change Subcommittee will meet on August 26 at AWB from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the large conference room. Washington State Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning and Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development Director Juli Wilkerson, along with Janice Adair, Ted Sturdevant and Tony Usibelli, will discuss the current status of the Western Climate Initiative’s cap-and-trade design recommendations, the Climate Action Team’s Implementation Working Group emission reduction action items, the Department of Ecology’s greenhouse gas emission reporting rule, and other climate-related efforts, including possible legislation for 2009. A conference call number is available by contacting AWB’s Connie Grande at ConnieGr@awb.org or 360-943-1600. For more information on the meeting, please contact AWB’s Grant Nelson at GrantN@awb.org or 360-943-1600.

 

Healthy Worksite Summit
As direct and indirect health care costs of poor employee health continue to grow, employers must develop strategies and utilize tools to reverse this trend. The 22nd Annual Healthy Worksite Summit will help your organization develop new programs, revitalize existing programs, and share best practices that will motivate and sustain a healthy and productive work environment. The summit will be held on Oct. 1 and 2 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue and on Oct. 3 at the Deaconess Health and Education Center in Spokane.

 

For more information, please see www.awcnet.org/worksitesummit/index.htm.

 

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, we’ll conduct legislative candidate interviews following the board meetings. For more information, please contact AWB’s Bonnie Millikan at BonnieM@awb.org or (360) 943-1600.

 

Be an AWB Policy Summit sponsor
AWB’s Policy Summit will be on 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.

 

The Wage and Hour Handbook: A Guide for Washington State Employers (5th Edition) provides your company with the latest information on key issues that are essential to your company’s success and help you maintain a positive rapport with your employees. This book features example situations and coverage under the Fair Labor Standards Act, exemption status, calculating time and wages, record keeping, employment of minors, garnishments and much more. 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.

 

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.