GSI 2024 State Legislative Agenda

2024

STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

PRESENTED BY

GREATER VOICE

Greater Spokane Inc. (GSI), the Spokane region’s business development organization, works year-round with business, civic, and community partners on public policy initiatives to provide a greater voice on behalf of employers and the community at the local, state, and federal levels.

PRINCIPLES

The Public Policy Principles provide the framework to judge when and how GSI should engage on a policy issue. The principles have internal and external components meant to provide certainty to stakeholders about guideposts being used to justify GSI’s engagement, provide flexibility to staff, and help narrow the focus of advocacy efforts. While most policy issues GSI engages on will satisfy most of these principles, the guidance is, in the end, subjective. It will be the work of GSI’s member and staff leadership to frame the conversation around the principles, determine the degree to which policy action adheres to the principles, and at which point they need to be reevaluated.

EMPLOYERS

ECONOMY COMMUNITY

GSI BELIEVES THAT:

1. Public policy should make Spokane a better place to live, work, and raise a family.

2. When our community thrives, business thrives; policy should build employers, the economy, and the community.

3. The important policy work for our region is forward thinking, proactive, and aspirational for our economic future.

4. The employer community should proactively engage with policymakers when the issue brings political or social opportunity to take timely action on ripe issues.

5. Education, outreach, and incentivization are greater tools than regulation; regulatory structures, when implemented, should impact businesses of all shapes and sizes equally.

6. Policy should be developed in a collaborative, nonpartisan process with the opportunity for participation of GSI’s membership, board, and community partners.

7. The development of our regional workforce is a critical component to uplifting the entire community; employment opportunities and growth should be available to all.

8. Spokane employers should lead our community on policy that would otherwise fail in our absence; as the foremost regional business development organization, GSI has a unique perspective to bring to local, state, and federal policy.

PRIORITIES

COMPETITIVENESS, RESILIENCY, CONNECTIVITY, EQUITABLE GROWTH

BUSINESS CLIMATE AND TAXATION

GSI will defend and improve Washington’s business climate as a strong member of business-focused coalitions, engaging with stakeholders across the region and state to support those who create jobs for our community.

CLEAN BUILDINGS ACT IMPLEMENTATION

GSI will defend the affordability and availability of commercial space by seeking an extended compliance timeline and regulatory flexibility within the Clean Buildings Act implementation process.

MEETING OUR TRANSPORTATION OBLIGATIONS

GSI will ensure our regional transportation obligations are met by defending established project timelines, advancing a focus on maintenance and preservation, and diversifying transportation revenues to include sales and use tax from transportation-related transactions.

TEACHER MOBILITY COMPACT

GSI will tap into our region’s existing credentialed workforce and make it easier to recruit needed educators across state lines by advancing efforts to join the federal Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact.

POLICY POSITIONS

BUSINESS CLIMATE

When our community thrives, business thrives. GSI believes policy should build employers, the economy, and the community. We support efforts to improve and protect the business climate of Washington State and oppose the growing regulatory burden on jobmakers and the broad expansion of liability and litigation.

• The Spokane business community recognizes the critical need for expanded access to high-speed broadband for businesses and consumers in the greater region. Broadband infrastructure and access make Spokane a regionally competitive site for new businesses and help current businesses access a global market. Rural broadband access should be expanded, and urban capacity increased to ensure that our region and state continue to grow and flourish.

• GSI is adamantly opposed to legislation that would provide an employee the ability to pursue legal relief on behalf of an agency for the enforcement of various occupational and employment laws, a qui tam action. Such legislation is unnecessary as there are existing penalties in law for violations and the process does not allow the employer to cure.

• GSI supports local grocers, brewers, distillers, and restaurants in developing a regulatory framework for delivery of alcohol that protects their ability to engage in the retail sale of adult beverages responsibly.

• As implementation of the Clean Building Act continues, GSI supports an extended compliance timeline and regulatory relief for public and private building owners as technology is developed and employed to decarbonize our built environment. Where possible, a presumption of compliance should be given to innovative and economic technologies which seek to fulfill the spirit of the Clean Buildings Act.

HEALTH & LIFE SCIENCES

• GSI supports the expansion and funding of bridge bed, bed readiness, and other programs to support the appropriate and timely discharge of complex from hospitals.

• GSI supports increased and sustained investment in behavioral health to include better and more complete insurance reimbursements, youth-specific support, state- and system-wide capital investment in behavioral health and increased focus on the critical workforce shortage in the behavioral health area.

• GSI supports access to health care services by continuing to support telemedicine and telehealth in Washington. This relief is especially important for access to care in underserved and rural communities that face increased obstacles accessing health care.

• Physician Assistants and other advanced practice providers play a vital role in expanding access to affordable healthcare in Washington State. GSI supports efforts to develop care models which expand a Physician Assistant’s ability to practice independently and provide primary care for all Washingtonians under the appropriate training and supervisory conditions.

EDUCATION & TALENT

GSI supports programs and opportunities that increase industry-ready workforce in the Spokane region for targeted sectors such as life and health sciences, advanced manufacturing, construction, and early learning. Especially important are Career Connected Learning, pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, Career and Technical Education (CTE), STEM programs, and accredited post-secondary credential programs.

• A longstanding lack of affordable childcare in the Spokane region has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the closure of multiple childcare centers. Nationally, nearly 20% of workers cite the absence of childcare as the reason they have had to reduce their hours or exit the workforce. Strong regulatory relief in the childcare industry is necessary to unlock the potential of the private market and bring back critical childcare infrastructure to support Washington’s return to work. Among these reliefs should be a consideration of school-aged child-to-staff ratios and group size.

• GSI supports the development of Career Pathway and Career Launch programs with an emphasis on childcare and early learning. These programs aim to prepare Washington students to enter the workforce prepared to take on these vital, in-demand jobs.

• GSI supports a statewide fund to assist low-income students with dual credit attainment in our public schools. Students currently pursuing post-secondary credit in high school are often burdened with the increased cost of books, laboratory supplies, transportation, and other necessities that act as barriers to credit attainment. A statewide needs-based fund and expansion of the program are necessary to help Washington students access dual-credit programs.

• The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship (WSOS) provides access to post-secondary opportunities for thousands of Washingtonians, increasing the available workforce for in-demand fields across the state. The Spokane region has committed to providing additional scholarship support and wrap-around services through LaunchNW. GSI supports expanding the impact of LaunchNW scholarships through a matching program with unspent WSOS funds for families at or below the state median family income.

• Primary and secondary teachers are among the top licensed professions for military spouses at Fairchild Air Force Base. GSI supports employment for our military families and the attraction of additional excellent educators to our region by advancing adoption of the federal Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact.

• Expanding access to apprenticeships in our region is critical to meeting employers’ demand for a skilled workforce. GSI supports legislation that would align Washington’s apprenticeship approval process with other states like Oregon and expand apprenticeships through other regulatory fixes.

• GSI supports expanding student aid to fill seats in high-demand degree programs. Through targeted public and private support, Washington’s institutions of higher learning can ensure that residents meet critical state workforce needs.

• GSI supports the efforts to address the equity gap through an expansion of the Washington College Grant at independent institutions of higher education.

HOUSING & LAND USE

Housing cannot be made more affordable by making it more expensive to produce. Onerous and overbroad land use and environmental regulations on residential and commercial development have made it more difficult to start a business in Washington and have resulted in a severe lack of housing for working families in our state. While Spokane remains a statewide leader in the development of walkable, dense, market-responsive housing, more needs to be done to increase the affordability of workforce housing to meet the needs of businesses and families alike.

• Families who have lost everything in the region’s wildfires deserve to be made whole. GSI supports legislative fixes that would allow those who have lost their homes to rebuild under existing building regulations that would reduce the costs of construction and make possible a full recovery.

• The housing industry in the state is restricted by laws that harm its ability to meet demand for townhomes and condominiums. GSI supports proposed legislation that would increase the viability of 12-plexes by allowing for their construction to include an additional story of non-residential space for uses such as parking, storage, and retail.

• The vitality of our downtowns is critical to the success of our region. GSI supports legislation that would make office to residential conversion more economical including the use of robust tax incentives with a requirement for workforce housing.

• GSI strongly supports amending the Growth Management Act (GMA) to address significant population fluctuations and enhance flexibility for local government in the GMA planning process. Amendments should account for and accommodate growth in the Spokane region and encourage the state to allocate adequate funding to local jurisdictions to effectively implement planning directives from the state.

EMPLOYMENT LAW

Employers and employees everywhere share a common truth: they need each other to be successful and grow. Combinations of excessive regulations, increasing wage laws, one of the most expensive workers’ compensation systems in America, and continued encroachment on the funds in that system all threaten to regulate this relationship out of existence. The monetary and time cost to comply with an ever-restrictive regulatory system in Washington State is creating fewer and fewer opportunities for everyone. GSI works to ensure a regulatory environment that allows for the success of our community and its job creators in workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance (UI), wage and hour, and other employment laws.

• Washington state law requires the Department of Labor and Industries to release the calculation for minimum-wage increases at the end of September based on changes in the federal Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This method and timing leave small businesses with only three months to plan for often massive increases in their largest cost. GSI supports efforts to provide small business owners with transparency and time to properly plan for labor cost changes due to minimum wage increases.

• GSI strongly supports efforts to abolish or amend the Long-Term Services and Support (LTSS) Act or “Washington Cares” to allow employees the freedom to make the best decision for themselves and their families. At a minimum, the legislature should honor the intent of the original bill and amend the LTSS and allow users to opt-out at any point private sector insurance is obtained.

• To empower the local economy, GSI believes all workers should have the ability to easily access earning opportunities and to choose how and when to work. Working independently enables hundreds of workers in the Spokane region to earn with complete control over their own schedule and their goals. We believe in protecting and strengthening independent work to ensure that flexible earning opportunities are available for everyone.

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Spokane employers support affordable, reliable energy resources and the preservation of consumer choice when it comes to meeting our region’s energy needs and preserving our environment. GSI believes that natural gas and hydroelectricity play an integral role in maintaining the economic vitality of our local business climate and are critical pieces of cost-effective “all-of-theabove” strategies to expand our region’s clean energy capacity, fight climate change, and protect our environment.

• Implementation of the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) has caused energy prices to soar. The CCA is increasing the cost of doing business across all sectors, leaving the Spokane region at a deep disadvantage and Washingtonians with less in their pockets. With credit prices holding well above projected levels, it’s time to take corrective legislative action and reduce costs. Among other actions, the legislature should immediately force implementation of promised agricultural fuel exemptions, flatten the GHG reduction curve, bring additional credits to the marketplace, and align the program with other state GHG reduction strategies like the low carbon fuel standard.

• GSI is opposed to breaching the Columbia and Snake River dams that provide low-carbon transportation, efficient irrigation, flood control, and clean, affordable, renewable electricity.

• GSI believes that successful Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation must work for local businesses without putting them at a national and international disadvantage. The regional business community is committed to working with policymakers, stakeholders, and other leaders to develop an EPR framework that allows for innovative compliance approaches, minimizes impacts to business operations or profitability, protects jobs in the Spokane region, and centers reducing the financial impact to consumers.

TAXATION & FISCAL POLICY

The Spokane business community supports efforts to improve and protect both the predictability and competitiveness of the Washington state tax code and structural tax incentives. GSI opposes new revenue sources targeting the business community and the elimination or narrowing of tax credits and incentives that energize the economy and create job growth.

• State support for Associate Development Organizations (ADO’s) to advance economic development in their communities is critical to building an inclusive economy. GSI supports expanded funding to ADOs and a local sales tax credit for economic development in border counties like Spokane. These programs can provide permanent and sustainable support critical to maintaining our region’s competitiveness for business retention and targeted recruitment.

• GSI will ensure our regional transportation obligations are met by defending established project timelines, advancing a focus on maintenance and preservation, and diversifying transportation revenues to include sales and use tax from transportation-related transactions.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Criminal activity and especially retail crime affect the Spokane community and our local businesses every day. Increases in visible property crime and violence rob our business corridors of the vibrancy and accessibility our community has worked so hard to instill. Consumers feel the impact of increased prices and reduced convenience, service, and feelings of safety in local retail environments. GSI believes that government and the business community both play a vital role in creating a safe experience for all and that public safety can be increased while pursuing accountability and rehabilitation.

• GSI supports amendments and clarifications to law enforcement-related regulations that prohibit police pursuit of perpetrators of property crime to mitigate unintended consequences negatively impacting the delivery of law enforcement services. The impacts of these changes have undermined the critical community caretaking function law enforcement performs to maintain public safety and order for the regular operation of business.

• The massive and recent increase in organized retail crime has resulted in millions of dollars in losses for Spokane businesses. GSI supports legislation to combat this rise including increased penalties for organized criminals targeting the business community.

OPERATING REQUESTS

University of Washington Rural Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) Expansion

LaunchNW Promise Scholarships

College Success Foundation Rally for College Expansion

Eastern Washington University Experiential Learning

TRANSPORTATION REQUESTS

Transload Rail Circuit Completion

Spotted Road Realignment

$7.7M

Sustaining Funding for Spokane Transit Authority Division Bus Rapid Transit

CAPITAL REQUESTS

Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park Vehicle Maintenance Building

Northeast Community Center Childcare Center

Cancer Can’t Adult Oncology Housing

Community Wayfinding & Cultural Trail

Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center Construction

Eastern Washington University Recreation Center Energy Efficiency Compliance

Spokane Valley Cross-Country Complex at Flora Park

Spokane Public Facilities District Energy Efficiency Compliance

SNAP Broadway Senior Housing Project

PUBLIC POLICY QUESTIONS?

JAKE MAYSON

Director of Public Policy

Greater Spokane Inc. jmayson@greaterspokane.org

PRESENTED BY

JIM HEDRICK Lobbyist

Greater Spokane Inc. jim_hedrick@comcast.net

ADVOCACY PARTNERS

EXECUTIVE SPONSOR

EVENT SPONSORS

Alaska Airlines

Desimone Consulting

University of Washington

Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane