Government Affairs
Regional Chamber Announces 2017 Advocacy Priorities
The upcoming 2017 legislative session is expected to be full of major issues facing the state. Legislators will gather in Olympia to officially convene Regular Session on Monday, January 9, 2017. This year’s session is a “long session”, scheduled to meet for 105 days and adjourn by April 23, 2017. A major item on legislators’ to-do list includes the budget for the 2017-2019 biennium. Budget discussions have already started, with Governor Jay Inslee issuing his budget proposal in mid-December. The governor’s recommendation would fully fund K-12 education and overhaul the state’s mental health system by raising $4.4 billion in new revenue, which would be generated by a new capital gains tax, a tax on carbon emissions and raising the B&O tax on services. The governor’s proposal would also eliminate existing tax incentives, such as the exemption on bottled water and sales tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers.
The McCleary decision surrounding funding for basic education will again be a major issue on the docket for legislators as the state faces a 2018 deadline imposed by the state Supreme Court. With this issue and the budget, expert observers believe the legislature could remain in Olympia into the spring and summer for special sessions to complete work before the end of the state’s fiscal year on June 30..
In preparation for the 2017 session, the Regional Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee has recommended four advocacy priorities that cover issues that significantly impact chamber members and the Tri-Cities economy at all levels of government. For more information, please click here.
The upcoming 2017 legislative session is expected to be full of major issues facing the state. Legislators will gather in Olympia to officially convene Regular Session on Monday, January 9, 2017. This year’s session is a “long session”, scheduled to meet for 105 days and adjourn by April 23, 2017. A major item on legislators’ to-do list includes the budget for the 2017-2019 biennium. Budget discussions have already started, with Governor Jay Inslee issuing his budget proposal in mid-December. The governor’s recommendation would fully fund K-12 education and overhaul the state’s mental health system by raising $4.4 billion in new revenue, which would be generated by a new capital gains tax, a tax on carbon emissions and raising the B&O tax on services. The governor’s proposal would also eliminate existing tax incentives, such as the exemption on bottled water and sales tax exemption for out-of-state shoppers.
The McCleary decision surrounding funding for basic education will again be a major issue on the docket for legislators as the state faces a 2018 deadline imposed by the state Supreme Court. With this issue and the budget, expert observers believe the legislature could remain in Olympia into the spring and summer for special sessions to complete work before the end of the state’s fiscal year on June 30..
In preparation for the 2017 session, the Regional Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee has recommended four advocacy priorities that cover issues that significantly impact chamber members and the Tri-Cities economy at all levels of government. For more information, please click here.
