The Index is the Seattle Metro Chamber’s research project to surface what voters believe so that debates on key issues unfold in a way that more accurately reflects how voters – our employees – actually feel about living in our region. This research is not about who’s up and who’s down in candidate elections. It is about
The 2024 legislative session adjourned Sine Die at 5 p.m. on March 7 after lawmakers worked long days and nights to wrap up the budgets, address bills necessary to implement the budget, pass three of the six initiatives, reconcile differences in bills approved by both the House and Senate, and honor members who won't be resuming their positions in the
Legislators worked long hours last week to ensure priority support legislation survived two key deadlines on Feb. 26 and March 1. The final cutoff date will be Sine Die (last day of session) on March 7. This week it is anticipated the legislature will vote on the three citizen-led initiatives heard last week, pass negotiated budgets and reconcile changes
Opposite policy house committee cutoff was on Wednesday, February 21, and opposite house fiscal cutoff is today, February 26. Starting on February 27, both the House and Senate will head to the floor to pass remaining bills out of their chambers. Because 2024 is a a supplemental budget year, the legislature must pass supplemental Capital, Operating,
A critical cutoff for the 2024 legislative session just passed on Feb. 12 - all proposed legislation was required to advance to its opposite house to remain alive. Legislators will now hold public hearings in their respective policy committees and run bills through executive action until the opposite house policy committee cutoff on Feb. 21.
Currently, State lawmakers in Olympia are still considering a myriad of bills relevant to our business community here in King County. In his proposed budget released late last year, Gov. Jay Inslee identified key areas of focus that Seattle Metro Chamber members care about too—from upgrading our state’s tourism account, to streamlining small
Feb. 5 marked the House of Origin Fiscal Committee cutoff, which required all bills to be moved out of their fiscal committees to remain alive for the session. Following this deadline, legislators have spent all of their time on the floor of their respective chambers debating and passing bills. Legislators will remain on the floor until the House of Origin
We have finished the fourth week of the legislative session, with five weeks remaining. On Jan. 31, we reached the deadline for bills to pass out of their policy committees to remain alive. The next key date, House of Origin Fiscal Committee cutoff, is on Feb. 5 after which both chambers will head to the floor to pass bills out of their respective chambers
One-third of the 2024 legislative session is now complete. On Jan. 31 all bills without fiscal implications must pass their respective policy committees to remain alive. Following this deadline, attention will turn to the budget committees, which are set to convene over the upcoming weekend in preparation for the first fiscal cutoff on Feb. 5. Key Issues
A booming arts, culture, heritage and science industry makes King County one of the fastest-growing local economies in the world. This industry also supports our economy, accounting for 10.8% of the state’s GDP and providing over 180,000 jobs. Luckily for Washingtonians, leaders at all levels of government understand the connection between this