Employers and energy users would bear the brunt of the cost of more than $8 billion in new taxes Gov. Jay Inslee proposed last week. Inslee's proposal would increase B&O taxes on service businesses, create a carbon tax on energy, institute a capital gains income tax, revoke tax incentives on employers, and more.

Gov. Jay Inslee last week laid out his plan to complete state compliance with the Supreme Court's McCleary education funding ruling. The plan focuses on new taxes to pay for teacher pay increases. It includes property tax reductions, especially in richer districts, but there was little talk of education reform as part of the new 'firehose' of increased tax dollars.

The minimum wage will increase on the first of the year, but how much will depend on the location. Whether in Tacoma, Seattle, SeaTac or elsewhere, Washington's patchwork of minimum wage rules will be on full display Jan. 1.

Join AWB, fellow business leaders and elected and state agency officials to learn more about the Legislature on Jan. 17. Lend the employer perspective to Olympia at the annual Legislative Day and Hill Climb, presented by Microsoft. The morning will be filled with panels on key issues and a keynote address by Skylar Olsen, a senior economist at Zillow. The afternoon Hill Climb will be followed by a reception with lawmakers. Register here!

In what is likely to be one of his last bill signing ceremonies before leaving office next month, President Barack Obama last week signed the 21st Century Cures Act. The bipartisan bill expands medical research, invests in mental health resources, and combats the prescription and opioid drug epidemic.

In just over a year, the federal government will no longer accept Washington driver's licenses as sufficient ID to board an airplane. Last week the heads of the state Senate and House transportation committees unveiled a plan for a two-tiered license system to bring Washington into compliance with the federal REAL ID Act.

The state is looking for 2,000 volunteer drivers to be part of a pilot program to pay for road usage by miles traveled. Long-term, a road usage charge is one proposed way to replace the gas tax, which is losing its funding power as more electric, hybrid and highly fuel efficient vehicles fill state highways and roads.

Spokane's new Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine received over 700 applications in less than a month for the inaugural medical school class, which only has 60 spots.

Lori Otto Punke is the new president of the Seattle-based Washington Council on International Trade. She has held senior public affairs positions at Microsoft and Starbucks, and has served as a senior policy advisor to U.S. Senate leadership

Employment law is a crucial part of navigating today's business world. Learn the basics along with the latest legal changes during AWB's 2017 Employment Law webinar series. Ensure access to all six, and save money through our early bird pricing, by signing up before Jan. 6.

AWB's Government Affairs team will offer their insights and take participant questions on what may come up in the 2017 legislative session during a live webinar on Jan. 5. This event is in preparation for the beginning of the 105-day session that begins Monday, Jan. 9.

"The cumulative impact of these tax proposals -- combined with other rising costs such as new water quality standards, a carbon rule on employers, increasing minimum wage and more -- makes it difficult for businesses to compete in a global market." ~ AWB President Kris Johnson, responding to Gov. Jay Inslee's proposals for $4.4 billion in new taxes in the next biennium and $8 billion for the next two-year budget cycle.

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