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Legislative Session Week 6: WARNING – Controversial L&I Bill Advances, Middle Housing Fails
Week Six – Feb. 14-18 February 15 marked a major deadline for the 2022 legislative session -- all bills needed to pass out of their chamber of origin to stay alive. Leading up to the deadline the legislature debated many controversial proposals for several hours...
WA Transportation Package Makes Big Traction
The Move Ahead Washington transportation package would make investments to finish projects we have started (like Connecting Washington) while also investing in preservation and maintenance, multimodal transportation, ferries, and ferry and fleet electrification. If...
Legislative Session Week 5: COVID-19 Mask Changes + Controversial Nurse Staffing Bill is Moving Ahead Quickly
Week Five – February 7-13 We are now five weeks into session with only four more weeks to go. February 7, was the House of Origin Fiscal Committee cutoff when all bills needed to be voted out of their fiscal committees to stay alive. Following last Monday’s cutoff,...
Seattle Metro Chamber opposes cuts to U.S. Postal Service
Last week, the Seattle Metro Chamber submitted a legal declaration supporting Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson's lawsuit opposing recent cuts to the United States Postal...
What’s at stake in the next federal relief package
Timing for the next round of federal relief remains uncertain even as several major programs have ended or expired over the past two weeks. Negotiations over a final package...
New data: Impacts of coronavirus on our region’s economy
July 30, the U.S. Commerce Department released sobering news about our national economy: from April to June 2020, we saw the biggest quarterly contraction in GDP on record. GDP fell...
Reallocating funding from the Seattle Police Department
Last week, we have seen many headlines about the discussion taking place at City Hall about Seattle Police Department funding. Last week, we sent a letter to Council about the need...
Holding Leaders Accountable for Recovery
On July 6, the Seattle City Council passed the final version of the payroll tax, 7-2, with Councilmembers Debora Juarez and Alex Pedersen voting no. The Council also approved multiple...
Seattle business tax and new revenue conversations
On June 23, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan released her 2020 rebalanced budget proposal to close a $378 million budget shortfall. Kevin Schofield, at SCC Insight, has a helpful breakdown...
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Honoring Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in Seattle
Every May, we celebrate the rich history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In and around Seattle, and online, there are many...
Paycheck Protection Program: Beyond the Headlines
The federal government's Paycheck Protection Program has drawn a lot of headlines as the most visible form of immediate relief for businesses. What you might not know is that the PPP...
Planning ahead for a safe reopening
On May 1, Governor Jay Inslee announced that he is extending our state's stay-at-home order through May 31 and shared his four-phase plan for what our state's reopening will look...
Our new virtual Leadership Mission Exchanges to Hong Kong, Seoul, Munich, Dublin, and Toronto
COVID-19 has impacted every country on earth, changing the way we all do business, connect with each other, and go about our daily lives. We created two unique opportunities to hear...
Local Business Community Rallies to Provide Hand Sanitizer and Supplies to 500 Small Businesses in Washington
On April 29, the Business Health Trust, an association health plan serving small businesses throughout Washington state, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce began a...
Webinars on reopening considerations for your business
On April 24, Governor Jay Inslee announced a plan to allow current construction projects to be completed, based on recommendations informed by workers, contractors, health and safety...
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