TOP STORIES
Are you ready for Policy Summit? AWB event begins next week
AWB’s 21st annual
Policy Summit kicks off next week at
Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine. It’s not too late to register to attend the state’s premiere public policy gathering, and play a round of golf one of the Northwest’s great courses. Prizes for this year’s tournament are bigger and better than ever! Event speakers include Matthew Bishop, New York bureau chief for The Economist magazine, and Gary Langer, longtime director of polling for ABC News. Panel discussions will examine education, health care, energy and more. Don’t miss out –
register today. Rooms are limited. Also, you can follow the discussion before and during the event on Twitter (
@awbsummit). Even if you’re a Twitter novice, we’ve made it easy to
join in.
Manufacturing Summit tomorrow and Wednesday – Register now!
If you’re involved in manufacturing, you don’t want to miss this week’s Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution Summit?
Sign up now for one of two complimentary programs brought to you by McGladrey and the
AWB Institute. Topics include a look at industry and U.S. economic outlook, cost management, and demand for “green” products. Greg Weeks, labor market and economic analysis director of the Employment Security Department, and Tom Murphy, McGladrey’s executive vice president of manufacturing and wholesale distribution, are the featured speakers. One-day events are scheduled for Tuesday in Olympia and Wednesday in Lynnwood. Both run from 7:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Washington Business Week celebrates 35 years
Washington Business Week will celebrate 35 years of
educating and inspiring high school students this Friday aboard the cruise ship
MS Zaandam at Terminal 91 in Seattle. It’s not too late to register – to join the celebration, hurry and RSVP by 4 p.m. today to 253.815.6900 or e-mail
Janice@wbw.org. You will need to provide your date of birth, U.S. citizenship and legal name to be cleared for entry aboard the vessel. The cost is $75. Help us celebrate three-and-a-half decades of educating young people about free enterprise.
AWB Regional Membership Meetings, candidate interviews wrap up
AWB’s annual Regional Membership meetings conclude this week with stops in Mount Vernon and Mountlake Terrace. The meetings, held throughout the state over the last two weeks, play an important role in shaping AWB’s legislative agenda, and they provide members with a unique opportunity to meet with elected representatives in person. If you live near one of the two remaining venues, please join us:
· Sept. 14 — Mount Vernon (regional meeting and candidate interviews)
· Sept. 15 — Mountlake Terrace (regional meeting and candidate interviews)
Detailed information, including times, specific locations and agendas, is available on AWB’s
events calendar. RSVP to AWB’s
Bonnie Millikan at 800.521.9325.
Collins Sprague named winner of AWB’s 2010 Gjerde Award
Collins Sprague, the longtime state government affairs manager for Spokane-based Avista Utilities, has been named the 2010 recipient of AWB’s Ron Gjerde Award. The award honors the year’s top business lobbyist. Over the last several years, Sprague, who serves as co-chairman of both AWB’s energy committee and climate change subcommittee, has played an important role in the ongoing debate over climate change and energy policy by not only interpreting how various policies and legislation would impact business, but also clearly explaining it to AWB members. Sprague, a former AWB government affairs director, currently serves on the AWB board of directors, and is a former recipient of AWB’s Heavy Lifter Awards. He will be formally presented with the Gjerde Award next week at the Policy Summit.
Can your employees vote? Launch a workplace voter registration drive
The Nov. 2 ballot is loaded with initiatives and candidate races that will greatly impact the state’s business community, for better or worse. Join with the hundreds of employers who are participating in
Workplace Voter Registration Drives. Enterprise Washington has everything you need to get started with a voter
registration table, an
e-mail drive, and talking points for a
staff meeting. The Statewide Workplace voter Registration Drive is Sept. 27–Oct. 1. The deadline to register to vote by mail or online is Oct. 4.
Everett Herald endorses Initiative 1053
It’s time for state lawmakers to finally face up to some very hard decisions they have put off for years, The Everett Herald said in
its editorial last week endorsing
Initiative 1053. The newspaper, which joins the
Seattle Times in supporting I-1053, called on lawmakers to reprioritize state government, decide what’s most important and either privatize or do less of the rest. “Failing to approve I-1053 would take away much of the pressure to enact true reforms, telling lawmakers that higher taxes are not only OK, but a desirable part of the budget solution,” the newspaper said. Help send the message that Olympia needs to prioritize spending.
Contribute to the campaign today, and follow
Yes on I-1053 on
Facebook and
Twitter.
Support workers’ comp reform: Contribute to I-1082
Steve Davenport, owner of Bellingham Transfer & Storage, was faced with a difficult choice recently: Meet payroll or pay workers’ compensation taxes to the state. “Payroll won,” Davenport wrote in a
guest column for The Bellingham Herald, “for now.” The prospect of continuing workers’ comp rate increases – and the threat of insolvency for the state’s industrial insurance system – prompted him to join with scores of other small business owners in supporting
Initiative 1082, which seeks to end the state monopoly and allow a competitive marketplace. Join with Davenport and others today.
Contribute and follow the
I-1082 campaign on
Facebook and
Twitter.
More voices speak out against I-1098 income tax proposal
The Columbian newspaper joined the chorus of opposition to Initiative 1098, declaring in
an editorial Sunday that the income tax proposal will “greatly impair Washington’s competitive advantage.” Taxpayers don’t trust the Legislature to limit the tax to the richest 3 percent, the editorial states, adding that voters should not relinquish one of the state’s biggest economic advantages: Its lack of an income tax. Across the state, Spokesman-Review business columnist Bert Caldwell also
decried 1098, saying it’s “not a business-friendly tax option.” His column noted a
recent poll of AWB members that showed strong opposition to I-1098. Join the movement to defeat I-1098 by making
your contribution. Follow the campaign to
Defeat 1098 on
Facebook and
Twitter.
Gregoire signs order for across-the-board budget cuts
Gov. Chris Gregoire signed an order for across-the-board budget cuts Monday before leaving on an 11-day trade mission, The Olympian
reported. The size of the cuts won’t be known, however, until Thursday, when Arun Raha, the state’s chief economist, is scheduled to give a quarterly revenue report. Officials are expecting bad news based on Raha’s recent downbeat
economic forecast. The bad news underscored the need for AWB’s
“We Mean Business” campaign, which is reminding lawmakers and voters alike – in a
series of
postcards and business journal
advertisements – that employers won’t be able to jump start job growth until the state’s business climate improves. Please join us:
Donate online today and help build support for those who create jobs in our state.
Allow extra time when driving to AWB
Jefferson Street remains closed at 14
th Ave. SE in Olympia due to construction of a new traffic circle, forcing drivers to use a
detour to get to AWB’s offices. When coming from I-5, motorists can continue past Jefferson to Capitol Way and follow the detour signs. To return to the freeway, use Union Ave. SE. The road work is part of the
state’s construction of a new Department of Information Services building. More details, including maps and a webcam, can be found on the state’s
construction website.
KEY HEARINGS, MEETINGS
Final approval of legislative objectives at GAC meeting, Sept. 17
Reminder: AWB’s Government Affairs Council will finalize all legislative objectives on Friday at AWB, 9 a.m. – noon. For more information, contact AWB’s
Connie Grande.
AWB representing employers at Joint Tax Avoidance Review Committee
In addition to raising taxes last session, the Legislature established a
Joint Tax Review Committee. The committee oversees the Department of Revenue’s implementation of tax avoidance policy. AWB wants clear advice for taxpayers on how to keep themselves clear of tax avoidance claims from the department. In view of the lack of advice from the department on how taxpayers can stay within the law, AWB believes the state should not be able to enforce the law beyond examples previously given to lawmakers. AWB members are very concerned about this issue, as reflected in the more than 55 members who attended the last Tax and Fiscal Policy Council meeting. The Joint Tax Review Committee next meets Sept. 20. For more information, contact AWB’s
Amber Carter.
OTHER NEWS
New service simplifies reseller permit verification process
The Department of Revenue has created a new tool for businesses to verify their customers’ reseller permit information. The new
Reseller Permit Verification Service lets you check to see if your customers’ hold valid reseller permits. It also makes it easier to update your records. After you submit a compatible file, the Department will return current information about all of your customers’ reseller permits. The Legislature also made other reseller permit rule
changes this year. For more information,
e-mail or call a representative at 360. 902.7137, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
September is National Preparedness Month
September is National Preparedness and NOAA Weather Radio Awareness Month in Washington. Special events are scheduled to enable residents across the state to participate in a month-long observance, designed to focus individuals and businesses on preparing for disasters and emergencies. These events include a
statewide earthquake drill (10:15 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 15) and a Tsunami Warning Communications Test for the All Hazard Alert Broadcast sirens in the outer coastal counties. The drill will be initiated through the Emergency Alert
System using the Required Monthly Test for broadcasters. More information is available from the
Washington Emergency Management Division or by contacting Rosanne Garrand at 253.512.7419.
AWB EVENTS & RESOURCES
AWB Welcomes Disney Institute to Seattle on Sept. 28
It doesn't take any training to recognize that the world's economy has taken a significant downturn. It does take effective and proven professional development training to guide impacted organizations back to the summit.A one-day local workshop, Disney’s Approach to Business Excellence program, is a rare and affordable opportunity to learn best business practices from Disney insiders. Organizations from across the nation have learned proven philosophies and implemented effective processes to reap the rewards of improvements in leadership, management, service, and brand loyalty. IMPORTANT: Please use promotional code
AWBMNE to receive $50 off per guest when registering.
To learn more and to register, go to
: http://www.keysseattlewa.com/.
No prerequisite training required.
