Brad Carlson owns Evergreen Memorial Gardens in Vancouver. He served on the board of his local chapter of the American Cancer Society and is active in the Washington State Funeral Directors Association. He is active with the Vancouver Executives Association and serves on the board of Legacy Hospital. Carlson is a loyal Washington State University grad, donating both time and money to his alma mater.
Just before legislators opened the 2008 session, AWB President Don Brunell wrote a column titled: “Top 10 things Washington’s Legislature can do to help the economy.” With the economy in worse shape now, I asked Don to run down for me what the Legislature did and, more importantly, what AWB thought they should do next year.
1. While Washington has been blessed with a strong economy over the last few years, we know it has weakened since January. State revenues continue to slip. Although we asked the governor and Legislature to leave at least a billion dollars in reserve, in the end $835 million was set aside, most of it in the Rainy Day Fund. This won’t be enough to overcome the projected $2.5 billion revenue shortfall heading into 2009. The governor should reinstate the Priorities of Government program and create a budget that lives within our means, and the Legislature should adopt the same philosophy.
2. We ask that Washington lawmakers project the attitude that Washington is a good place to invest and create jobs. The governor and Legislature did put money into worker training programs and other economic development efforts. However, they also put off funding some hefty new programs — like paid family leave and a “working families” tax credit — until 2009, and that’s a problem.
3. We strongly opposed the so-called “worker privacy act.” It was a bad bill. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a similar case from California and said it was unconstitutional. To her credit, the governor tabled the union’s legislation pending the Supreme Court decision. Hopefully, that is “game, set and match,” as they say in tennis, and that bill will disappear for good. We expect, however, that the unions will be back with other efforts to tie employers’ hands. They must be resisted.
4. We wanted the Legislature to exempt employers who already provide paid family leave from the new law. We urged them to repeal the paid family leave law, or at least spare employers in the public and private sector if they already provide paid leave. At the very least, don’t raise taxes on those employers and working people already covered by good leave policies. Lawmakers didn’t repeal the law, but they couldn’t find a way to pay for it, either. That issue, too, will be back in 2009.
5. We wanted them to defer health care changes to 2009 when Gov. Gregoire’s Health Insurance Partnership completes its work. We reminded them of the fallout and lessons learned from 1993 when Gov. Mike Lowry and fellow Democrats passed legislation that was to be the prototype for a national, government-run health care program. This is a big issue kicked ahead to next year and our message is clear: “Keep what is working and fix what is not.” We don’t need wholesale changes like those pushed in 1993.
6. Fortunately, the governor and Terry Bergeson, our superintendent of public instruction, stood their ground and lawmakers didn’t further dilute the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Despite some efforts to tube WASL completely, it is basically intact. It must stay intact.
7. We urged the governor and lawmakers to proceed with caution on global warming legislation. Dealing with climate change encompasses everything from our cars to the power we use to light, heat and cool our homes and businesses. It’s a huge issue, requiring regional, national and international attention. We believe that hasty unilateral actions threaten to devastate our way of life and our economy. This is going to be a work in progress for many years to come.
8. We wanted the Legislature to maintain economic incentives, such as the sales tax exemption for manufacturing machinery, equipment, and research and development. These are especially important in high-cost states like Washington. While they still basically remain in place, the budget shortfall makes them a target and puts them at risk again next year.
9. We support addressing key transportation projects to improve safety and reduce congestion. Because of safety issues, our ancient 1928 Steel Electric ferries are now for sale on eBay and we are starting to replace our old ferries. Although big projects take big money, we are moving closer to replacing aging bridges like the SR 520 floating bridge in Seattle and the Interstate 5 crossing between Vancouver and Portland.
10. Lawmakers approved increasing water storage on the Columbia River by allowing an additional one-foot drawdown of Lake Roosevelt behind Grand Coulee Dam. A clear win for farmers and businesses in eastern Washington.
As you can see, we made some progress, but there’s much more to be done. As you meet with legislative candidates over the summer, be sure to refer to these 10 issues, along with the AWB voting record and legislative review. Together, we can build a stronger, more competitive state economy.
