EKCC Economic Development 2017

Economic development and job creation should remain a priority for Washington’s legislature in 2017. A healthy and stable private sector ensures continued job growth and funding for the quality of life and public services that our citizens have come to expect. We support public policies which will preserve East King County as the economic engine of the state and promote growth in high paying job clusters such as clife sciences, technology and professional services.

The Legislature should:

1. Provide tools for infrastructure funding through tax increment financing (or value capture financing).
2. Preempt municipalities from enacting ordinances that require employers to administer human resource policies which exceed state standards.
3. Identify innovative solutions to the state Worker Compensation program that will reduce costs on employers.
4. Create a state agency licensing and regulatory “one stop shopping” portal for small businesses, as proposed in SB 6222.
5. Renew research and development tax incentives, including B&O tax credits and sales tax deferrals, to retain high technology and life sciences companies in Washington state and encourage their expansion.
6. Enact additional tax incentives directed at small, innovative firms.

7. Extend aerospace tax incentives to include the commercial space sector.