It was another fast and furious legislative session in Olympia this year, and your Chamber team worked hard to put wins on the board that will help our members thrive in an equitable and inclusive regional economy. And at the same time, we successfully played defense on legislation that would have had serious, negative consequences for many of our members.
On the defense front, voters have been clear that they value pragmatism and making progress on the most pressing issues over ideology and litmus tests, but some lawmakers are still using an old playbook targeting specific industries and businesses or simply taking government intervention into business practices too far. For example, legislators proposed – and we helped stop – legislation to:
- Allow state government to take the value of your unspent gift cards – it targeted hometown companies and undermined the current policy that Washingtonians love: you can keep your gift cards forever and use them anytime you want.
- End the small business exemption from paying Paid Family and Medical Leave premiums – it increased the already significant cost pressures our local small businesses are facing.
- Implement rent control – it has been shown, time and time again, that rent control reduces the housing supply, which is desperately needed in every community across the state.
- Allow unemployment benefits for striking employees – those benefits are for employees who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, not for employees who have gone on strike.
But it wasn’t all defense – we racked up some wins for our employer community as well.
Childcare
We enthusiastically supported legislation that increased funding for early learning and childcare programs, and we are celebrating the passage of legislation expediting background checks for childcare providers, expanding the B&O tax exemption for childcare providers, and modifying the Working Families Tax Credit.
AI
We worked to support the creation of an AI Task Force to assess uses, develop guiding principles, and make recommendations for the regulation of generative AI. We wanted to see clear definitions that distinguish the roles of AI developers and AI deployers and worked to ensure the task force would be comprised of representatives with significant industry experience and a deep understanding of the technology. We also secured funding for an AI skill and startup center, which can be used to lease space in downtown Seattle for nonprofit and academic institutions to incubate technology business startups and develop and teach workers to use artificial intelligence as a business resource. This investment will plant a flag for Seattle as a global leader in AI business and workforce development.
Economic Development
We advocated successfully for legislation promoting economic development by increasing opportunities for local communities to secure federal funding, the Economic Security for All Grant program helping to end poverty was passed and our work to increase funding for Associate Development Organizations led to an increase in the program’s biennial budget from $8 million to $10 million.
Healthy Communities
The state allocated $1 million to help small businesses mitigate losses caused by organized retail crime, a top priority of our members. Chamber staff worked hard in support of a new graffiti abatement pilot program that passed. The state also increased its investment in the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) encampment resolution program that keeps our rights-of-way safe and helps the unhoused find better places to live. We worked in coalition with our business community to increase investments in our local response to the opioid and fentanyl crisis, including additional treatment options, funding for street medicine programs, and more resources for our emergency medical workers on the frontlines.
Check out our full legislative report card online here and look up how your legislators voted on key proposals this year. Now is the time to thank our lawmakers for their efforts to support our regional business community and to have frank conversations about votes we would like to see done differently if and when harmful legislation comes back in 2025. Seattle voters want pragmatic solutions and progress. Our regional legislators need to follow their lead.
Lastly, I want to extend a big thank you to the Chamber policy team, our consultants Brad Boswell and Brooke Davies, and to every member who used your voice in Olympia this session. Working together in coalition is how we get the big, good things done that move our regional economy forward.
With gratitude, Rachel
Rachel Smith
President and CEO