News

Bellevue City Councilmembers were unified and adamant at last night’s meeting as they adopted a letter to state legislators establishing that the City strongly opposes the Business & Occupation tax hike, and the creation of a statewide "Jump Start-style" Payroll Excise Tax — both... Continue Reading

The most recent letter submitted by the Chamber’s PLUSH (Permitting, Land Use, Sustainability & Housing) Committee landed in the Bellevue Planning Commission’s hands this week, as the City is considering an upzone in Wilburton. Read the letter below: Continue Reading

As we approach the final few weeks of session Washington’s major employers will learn their fate and be faced with a difficult decision about their future. Continue Reading

Last week focused on policy committee hearings of bills sent over from the opposite chamber. We also saw some bills start to get voted out of committee. This will continue to be the focus in the coming week as we work towards the opposite house policy cutoff where all bills must move out of those... Continue Reading

In response to a 2025-27 revenue proposal put forward by Democratic leadership in the Washington State Senate, the Association of Washington Business, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and Washington Roundtable issued this joint statement: Continue Reading

The Bellevue Chamber’s Policy Council met this last week to recap what is going down politically at the state, federal, and local level, so let’s get into it, in that order. On the topic of state budget & taxes … While state spending has grown 40% in the last four years,... Continue Reading

The beginning of the week focused on getting bills passed off the floor by house of origin cutoff on Wednesday. Legislators worked long hours with some House floor debates going late into the night. Bills that did not pass out of the chamber in which they were introduced by that day are considered... Continue Reading

The Chamber, in collaboration with two dozen of our partner organizations, recently put together the following letter opposing EHB 1217. Take a look below: Continue Reading

In response to the Senate Republicans' budget framework proposal announced March 11, the Association of Washington Business, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Washington Roundtable issued this joint statement: "We have been vocal about our support for Gov.... Continue Reading

We have officially passed the halfway point in the 2025 legislative session. Both chambers were on the floor last week debating and voting on bills. The House was on the floor late into the night on some days and was also on the floor on Saturday. All bills must pass off the floor of the chamber... Continue Reading

The Chamber’s newest advocacy group, the Bellevue Mobility Coalition, or BMC, formally met for the first time this last week to set expectations around their goals, and debrief the actionable, low-hanging fruit projects that they can push forward in the coming months. Interested in joining... Continue Reading

Down in Olympia, the house of origin fiscal cutoff was last week, which means it is about time we review what bills are still alive, where they are in the process, and how the Chamber advocacy team is feeling about everything. As a reminder, we publish weekly legislative updates courtesy... Continue Reading