Despite record investments in Washington’s K-12 schools over the last decade, student test scores have been in free fall, according to new analyses released Friday by the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. And while many states are seeing post-COVID improvements in student achievement,... Continue Reading
Washington’s small & mid-sized businesses know tax proposals from lawmakers in Olympia will impact them, potentially leading to changes in business models, increases in customer prices – and even closures. Since 2000, Washington has seen the greatest tax increases of any state in... Continue Reading
Last week, a coalition of King County mayors put together a last-minute press conference on the slew of proposed tax policies that would be detrimental for our region. Held at Auburn City Hall on Friday, March 28, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson,... 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
Need a ride? Visit Bellevue has announced new vehicle upgrades to their BellHop program, incorporating three new 2025 Kia EV9 vehicles into the fleet. “BellHop continues to operate as a free, on-demand service, and we’re incredibly grateful for the dedicated support of Circuit, the... Continue Reading
The Bellevue Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest U.S.-India Chamber of Commerce, a subsidiary of the National U.S. India Chamber of Commerce (NUICC) are in the process of establishing a strategic partnership via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to encourage and strengthen ties between the two... Continue Reading
The Chamber's PLUSH (Permitting, Land Use, Sustainability, and Housing) Committee just submitted their feedback to the City of Bellevue's Planning Commission regarding its ongoing affordable housing strategy. Read the letter below. Continue Reading
Surprise, surprise: We have some new board members! Get to know them each below. David Winokur - Chief Administrative Officer, Overlake Hospital Medical Center David joined Overlake in 2014, and prior to being named Chief Administrative Officer, served as Overlake's Medical Imaging and... Continue Reading
Rent control and road-usage charges were at the top of folks’ minds at the Bellevue Chamber’s most recent Policy Council meeting, as the group welcomed some new members, and received their scheduled update from the Chamber’s Olympia lobbyist, Lyset Cadena. The New... Continue Reading
The legislature convened for the 2025 legislative session on Monday, January 13th. This year’s session is considered a “long-session” when legislators convene for 105 days and do the hard work of writing the two-year (biennial) operating, capital, and transportation budgets. They... Continue Reading
The East King Chambers Coalition, a group of eleven Eastside chambers of commerce, recently released their policy positions for the 2025 state legislative session. Check them out below, or on the EKCC website here. Continue Reading
To ring in the New Year, we joined ten of our fellow Eastside chambers of commerce to host our annual EKCC Legislative Kick Off breakfast, ultimately platforming a handful of the electeds representing us in Olympia. There were three panels — which are hashed out a bit further below —... Continue Reading
