TOP STORIES
AWB announces final ballot measure, legislative endorsements
AWB board members completed the association’s endorsements Thursday during the Policy Summit at Semiahmoo, voting to support Initiative 1100, the liquor privatization measure, and Initiative 1107, which would repeal soda, candy and other taxes enacted by the Legislature earlier this year. AWB opposes Initiative 1105, a rival liquor measure that does not go far enough in getting the state out of the liquor business. Additionally, the board made its final candidate endorsements for the legislative races in the November election. AWB previously announced its support for Initiative 1053, requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to raise taxes, and Initiative 1082, opening up the state’s workers’ compensation market to private carriers, and opposition to Initiative 1098, imposing a state income tax.


Your support needed to pass Initiatives 1053, 1082 and defeat Initiative 1098
Three more newspaper editorial boards announced their support for AWB-backed initiatives last week: The Wenatchee World and Yakima Herald-Republic both came out strongly for Initiative 1053, which will prevent the Legislature from raising taxes without a two-thirds majority. And The Seattle Times is backing Initiative 1082, which would end the state monopoly on workers’ compensation insurance. Those two measures, plus Initiative 1098 — which would impose a state income tax — carry huge consequences for the state’s shaky economic recovery. It’s crucial that the business community help defeat I-1098 and support initiatives 1053 and 1082. Contribute to I-1053, and follow Yes on I-1053 on Facebook and Twitter. Contribute to I-1082 and follow the I-1082 campaign on Facebook and Twitter. Join the movement to defeat I-1098 by making your contribution. Follow the campaign to Defeat 1098 on Facebook and Twitter.

AWB honors Washington business leaders
AWB formally presented some of Washington’s top business leaders with awards at last week’s Policy Summit. This year’s award recipients include:

Heavy Lifter Awards: These awards are presented to members who go above and beyond the call of duty in support of the business community and offer assistance to AWB Government Affairs staff. This year’s recipients are:

AWB’s 21^st annual Policy Summit at Semiahmoo a great success
Longtime ABC News pollster Gary Langer hit the nail on the head at last week’s Policy Summit when he said, “If you don’t think [this election’s] about the economy, you’re at the wrong movie.” From the state budget to energy and education, the 21st Annual Policy Summit delivered great insights into some of our most pressing business issues. If you couldn’t attend last week’s summit, or wanted to revisit the discussions, we’ve posted recaps of each speaker and live stream video of the panel discussions on our blog. Select PowerPoint presentations are also available on the Policy Summit website. We’ve also partnered with TVW, which will replay segments from this year’s event starting tonight. Special thanks to all the sponsors who helped make this year’s event possible!


AWB scores high in Association of State Chamber Professionals Awards
AWB won big in the annual membership development awards presented by the Association of State Chamber Professionals. AWB received first place in Highest Retention in Dollars, Highest Market Share, Highest Growth in Numbers and Highest Retention Improvement in Numbers. Additionally, AWB received an honorable mention in the Highest Retention in Numbers category. Congratulations to our Membership Department and thank you to all of our members who continue to support AWB!


Gov. Gregoire announces $3 million in federal grants to increase exports
Gov. Chris Gregoire announced an award of nearly $3 million in grants to help businesses start or expand exporting activities. She made this announcement last Wednesday while on a trade mission in Asia. The awards from the newly created Washington Export Assistance Program coincide with the signing of a memorandum of agreement to strengthen the partnership between Washington state and the U.S. Department of Commerce to help exporters reach new markets and increase sales. The agreement is the first of its kind in the nation. For more information, contact AWB Institute’s Grant Gilmore.


OTHER NEWS
AWB welcomes Disney Institute to Seattle tomorrow
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.


AWB EVENTS & RESOURCES
New Employer Responsibilities Regarding Health-Care Coverage webinar ­– Wednesday
The passage of federal health-care reform includes new responsibilities for individuals and all employers. While many of the responsibilities relate to coverage requirements for employers of certain sizes, there are several requirements for which employers of all sizes must comply. Join us Wednesday for a 60-minute webinar to focus on new coverage responsibilities by employer size, penalties for failing to meet coverage responsibilities and other potentially costly compliance requirements unrelated to coverage. To register for this webinar, please contact Chana LaChapelle at 800.521.9325.


Truths About PCI Compliance webinar – Thursday
Does your business accept credit or debit cards? If so, are you in compliance with the new security standards? Credit card companies and acquirer banks can levy stiff fines and remove your ability to process credit card transactions if you are not in compliance! The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI/DSS) applies to every organization that processes credit or debit card information, including merchants and third-party service providers that store, process or transmit credit card/debit card data. Fraud prevention has never been so critical and all merchants (regardless of business size) are required to adopt the security standards to prevent account information from falling into the wrong hands. Many merchants are not even aware these standards exist! Join us Thursday with our preferred provider, FrontStream Payments (formerly Fast Transact), for this FREE webinar to help you get to the bottom of the truths about the new PCI Compliance laws. To register, please contact Chana LaChapelle at 800.521.9325.


Wage and Hour Compliance: Is Your Business Ready? — Oct. 6
In April, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the start of the "We Can Help" nationwide campaign aimed at encouraging employees to report wage and hour disputes to the department. The department's Wage and Hour Division agency is armed with 250 new investigators and plans to have 1,000 on board by the close of FY 2011 — representing an increase of approximately 50 percent over 2008 levels. The Wage and Hour Division is also partnering with other groups to identify and investigate employers on a nationwide versus local basis. Employers of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and industries must prepare for this growing onset of wage/hour enforcement and litigation. Join us, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, in SeaTac, for this half-day seminar to learn how to avoid the DOL's new employee misclassification crackdown and how to avoid crushing lawsuit errors. Register online or contact AWB’s Chana LaChapelle.


OSHA 10-hour certification course in DuPont – Oct. 12-13
Get current on the latest in safety training and OSHA standards. Classes will be held Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 12-13, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., at the State Farm Education Center in DuPont. At completion of the course, you will receive an official course completion card from OSHA. This card will be useful during an inspection, as it demonstrates your efforts and commitment to voluntary compliance with all OSHA standards and regulations! Register online or contact AWB’s Chana LaChapelle.


THEY SAID IT
“We know that decentralization works. We know that you can make better decisions than thousands of bureaucrats in D.C., and that the way to a 21st Century health-care system is to engage doctors and patients in decision making. We can change this legislation, but it's going to require your active participation." – Grace-Marie Turner, Galen Institute president, at AWB’s 2010 Policy Summit, speaking on the federal health-care reform law


This Week's President's Perspective: Those hidden taxes are killing us