The Eastside, and indeed the entire Seattle Metropolitan area, future economic and community success is at great risk due to lack of housing affordability. The time to act and address with appropriate policy improvements to fix this crisis is now. We at the East King County Chambers of Commerce... Continue Reading
Employers in East King County and across the state struggle to fill available jobs with Washington state residents. Education is the key to closing this gap, beginning with early education (ages 3-4), and ending with the completion of post-high school credentials, including college degrees, career... Continue Reading
Effective transportation of employees, customers and goods is essential to sustain continued health of our state’s growing economy. The complete and timely implementation of the $16 billion Connecting Washington transportation funding package will help improve our transportation... Continue Reading
The cost of liability insurance is an increasing burden on the business community. The overall economy suffers when productivity and growth are slowed by excessive litigation, which discourages risk-taking and slows the introduction of new products and technologies. We urge the legislature... Continue Reading
We must reassess our environmental priorities to ensure that we are receiving the most environmental benefit in a way that truly promotes long-term job creation and prosperity. Mandates drive costs up and a blanket approach on environmental policy often creates undue or extreme hardships in local... Continue Reading
The legislature can help Washington businesses create jobs and help our economy get back on track by doing the following: Preempt municipalities around Washington from enacting individual minimum wage laws or other employment laws that will require employers to administer different human resource... Continue Reading
This year’s Economic Forecast event was very informative, and yes, even entertaining! We got an insider look on the year ahead including the Eastside Business Leader outlook, insights on the Eastside housing market, and the global and national economic pulse. We know it takes lots of time... Continue Reading
More on I-1631 After rigorous review of the facts and discussion, at both Executive Committee and Board levels, the Chamber has announced it will not support Initiative 1631, imposing a new carbon fee. While the Chamber supports the goal of Greenhouse Gas Emissions reduction, we believe this can... Continue Reading
Back to School Safety With K-12 students returning to the classroom last week, now is always a good time to be extra careful while driving in school zones! When yellow lights are flashing, that means the speed limit is reduced to 20 MPH. Just as important, when you see flashing red lights or a... Continue Reading
More on Statewide Ballot Measures Initiative 1634 – Keep Groceries Affordable Act (Taxation of Groceries) Last year, the Seattle City Council voted to impose a sweetened beverage tax of $1.75 per ounce, effective January 1, 2018. The effects were felt immediately by large and small grocers... Continue Reading
City Budget Principles The City of Bellevue is preparing an operating budget for the 2019 biennium and a Capital Improvement Program for 2019-25. A public hearing was held on August 6th and staff representatives from the Bellevue Chamber and Bellevue Downtown Association were on hand to offer a... Continue Reading
Transportation Facilities Plan As the City continues to grow, so does its need for additional transportation facilities. However, before a project can be funded in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), it must first be designated a priority in the 12-year Transportation Facilities Plan (TFP). At... Continue Reading
