TOP STORIES
Start 2012 off right – Register now for AWB Legislative & Lobby Days, Jan. 17-18
Time is getting short and space is limited. Make your reservation today to confirm your spot for AWB’s Legislative & Lobby Days. For maximum impact this year, our two-day event is happening earlier in the legislative session, and we’re expecting higher attendance as a result. It starts Jan. 17 with Legislative Day, an event featuring panel discussions with legislators talking about the budget and taxes, energy, labor and workforce and education issues. Gov. Chris Gregoire is our 2012 Better Workplace Awards lunch speaker. The day culminates with our legislative reception, a premier event that will bring legislators and business leaders together at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia. Then join us the next morning for Lobby Day as we travel to the Capitol to meet directly with legislators. They need to hear directly from employers about how their decisions impact business, so please consider making time for this event. Go online and register today – and make sure you secure a hotel reservation before rooms sell out. Contact Anne Haller at 800.521.9325 for more details.

Redistricting Commission’s new congressional map approved
The redistricting map shows Washington’s new 10th Congressional District encompassing most of Thurston County and many of the major population centers in Pierce County. From Olympia, the new district’s approximate center, the boundaries extend northeast into Fife, Sumner, Edgewood and Puyallup — and then west to Shelton. Redistricting commissioners Slade Gorton, representing Republicans, and Tim Ceis, representing Democrats, drew up the plan — which was approved Sunday. The appearance of more than a million new Washington residents in the 2010 census data gave the state an additional congressional seat, thus necessitating the re-districting process.

Punditry, candidates already at work on the new 10th Congressional District
Democrat Denny Heck and Pierce County Council Republicans Dick Muri and Stan Flemming have already announced their campaigns for the new 10th District seat even as political observers assess what the changes in the political map will mean for the state’s lawmakers. The Seattle Times crunched numbers from the 2010 Senate race and concluded the new 10th District favors Democrats, while the redrawn 1st District is a tossup. As a result of the northward shift of Democratic Rep. Adam Smith’s 9th District, the plan notably includes the state’s first majority-minority congressional district. The plan also specifies an eastward extension of the 8th Congressional District into Kittitas and Chelan counties, the seat currently held by Republican Rep. Dave Reichert.

Rep. Glenn Anderson to depart legislature
Rep. Glenn Anderson, R-Fall City, announced last week that he will not seek re-election for a seventh term in the House of Representatives. Anderson, who is reportedly planning to run for lieutenant governor, served on every major budget committee in the Legislature and is known as a fiscal conservative. He voted with AWB 88 percent of the time in the 2011 regular session. Anderson will serve out the remainder of his term through the end of 2012.

Court strikes down Washington’s cap on late PAC donations
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Washington’s rule barring contributions of more than $5,000 to political action committees in the three weeks prior to a vote. The court ruled in favor of Family PAC, which argued that the cap was an unconstitutional abridgement of First Amendment rights. However, the group was not successful in challenging two other state laws requiring PACs to make public the names and addresses of donors.

Business loses ability to challenge standing of voters in union organizing campaigns
The National Labor Relations Board unveiled new rules last week that will restrict the ability of business to question whether workers have standing to participate in union organizing votes. Companies often question the voting eligibility of part-time and managerial workers, resulting in delays that labor groups claim are unfair. Under the new rules, scheduled to take effect April 30, employers will have to defer appeals of labor challenges until after workers vote, the Wall Street Journal reported (subscription required). The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the “ambush election rule,” saying denies employers their rights of free speech and due process.

Minimum wage increases, remains highest in nation
Washington’s minimum wage rose 37 cents to $9.04 per hour on Sunday, retaining its rank as highest in the country. Small business owners said the increase will restrict their ability to hire new workers, particularly teens. “Where they might have been inclined to bring a youngster in and train them, it’s now very difficult to justify that level of training,” Debbie Doran-Martinez, executive director of the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, told the Columbia Basin Herald.

Department of Ecology extends comment period on fish consumption, water quality
report
The Department of Ecology’s report, “Fish Consumption Rates Technical Support Document: A Review of Data and Information About Fish Consumption in Washington,” may play an important role in determining the cleanup standards for Washington’s fish, and shellfish-producing waters. Ecology says new data indicates people eat more fish than previously thought. The amount of fish eaten determines water quality and cleanup standards and therefore whether new controls, restrictions or rules are necessary. The comment period on the draft document was scheduled to end on Dec. 30, but at the request of several interested parties, is now extended to 5 p.m. Jan. 18. Comments may be emailed to fishconsumption@ecy.wa.gov.

Deadline extended on Puget Sound Partnership draft Action Agenda, AWB meeting set
The comment period on the Puget Sound Partnership’s recently released the Draft Action Agenda has been extended to Feb. 3. AWB staff will be working the AWB Puget Sound Partnership Subcommittee to develop written comments. Members can help by providing comments to AWB staff as early as possible. Please send comments to AWB’s Brandon Houskeeper.

Gregoire appoints Opportunity Scholarship board
Boeing executive vice president Jim Albaugh and Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith are among seven distinguished business leaders appointed to the state’s new Opportunity Scholarship board. The Opportunity Scholarship program seeks to raise a $1 billion endowment by 2020 providing scholarships to students in families that earn up to 125 percent of the state’s median family income of $57,000 for a family of four. The seven board members will serve four year terms and provide oversight on fundraising, the endowment’s portfolio of investments, and the program’s overall administration. The board will also govern the related, “Expansion Program”— which will provide grants to colleges and universities that successfully design programs resulting in more engineering, math, science and technology graduates.

After 15 years of negotiations, Thurston water pact finally reached
The state Department of Ecology announced today a first-of-its-kind agreement between the cities of Olympia and Lacey, and the Nisqually Tribe. The agreement establishes water rights sufficient to support development efforts by all parties for the next 30 years. The city of Yelm is also part of the agreement, but that portion is under appeal. A new supply of groundwater being developed by the city of Olympia and shared with the tribe will provide the additional resources required to fulfill the terms of the agreement.

KEY HEARINGS, MEETINGS
AWB Transportation Committee to meet Jan. 5
AWB’s Transportation Committee will meet Jan. 5 from 10 a.m.-noon at AWB. The date is intended to allow time for the upcoming special session to adjourn and for the Connecting Washington Task Force to complete its work. A reminder notice and materials will be provided as the date draws closer. If you have topics you would like to see on the agenda, please notify AWB’s Amber Carter.

AWB Puget Sound Partnership Sub-Committee to meet Jan. 9
Members of the AWB Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) Sub-Committee are asked to join PSP staff and AWB Government Affairs Director Brandon Houskeeper to review the PSP’s Draft Action Agenda on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012 at 9 a.m. At this meeting, questions will be answered and members will work to make progress developing the sub-committee’s written comments. Members may also submit comments directly to the PSP at actionagenda@psp.wa.gov. Please note the comment period is now extended to Friday, Feb. 3, 2012. E-mail Brandon Houskeeper with comments or questions.

AWB EVENTS & RESOURCES
AWB Spring Meeting set for June 12-13 in Spokane
Save the date: AWB’s Spring Meeting will be held June 12-13 in Spokane. The meeting, which is normally held in May, is being pushed back next year so it can include a gubernatorial debate and AWB’s endorsements for governor and attorney general. Those activities have historically occurred at AWB’s Policy Summit in September. Interested in becoming a Spring Meeting sponsor? Contact AWB’s Anne Haller today.

New, low cost 401(k) program for AWB Members!
AWB is pleased to announce a new member service, the BenefitGuard 401(k) Plan. You don’t need to be a Fortune 500 company to have benefits like one! The plan is full-service and low cost and can be tailored to your company’s specific needs. The plan takes care of all the paperwork, plan audit and IRS filings so that your time is spent taking care of your business. To find out how to take advantage of this powerful retirement plan option, please call us toll free at 866.670.4015 or go to http://www.awbbenefitguardplan.com/.

THEY SAID IT
“They’ve done the easy cuts and only a few have budget reserves left. There aren’t really things that are sacrosanct any longer.” ~ Elizabeth McNichol of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, regarding the condition of the nation’s state budgets

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