2017 annual report
Driving Solutions in olympia
The 2017 Washington state legislative session was the longest
in state history, and it was marked by notable achievements
and missed opportunities.
Lawmakers reached an historic agreement
on K-12 education funding during the record-
setting legislative session, passing a two-year
state budget that satisfied the Supreme
Court’s K-12 funding requirement from the
McCleary decision. The agreement meant
that for first time in decades Washington
would spend more than half its budget
on education.
AWB welcomed the outcome. Since the 2012
McCleary decision, AWB worked diligently to
ensure that lawmakers relied on sustainable
sources of revenue to make significant new
investments in education.
In another notable achievement, AWB helped
convene negotiations that resulted in passage
of a paid family and medical leave law that was
regarded as a national model. The law, which
passed with strong bipartisan support, was
evidence that common ground is attainable
even in an era of sharp partisan divide.
The Legislature’s failure to pass a capital
budget and a fix for the Hirst water rights
ruling during the 2017 session marked
a significant missed opportunity. AWB
pushed for a legislative solution to ensure
rural communities were granted the access
they need to water to advance economic
development. Although lawmakers failed to
act in 2017, AWB continued to advocate for
a solution and lawmakers passed legislation
in early 2018 addressing the Hirst ruling,
leading to passage of the capital budget.
Lawmakers reached bipartisan agreement
during the session on a tax reduction that
would have lowered the business and
occupation (B&O) tax rate for manufacturers,
giving the sector a needed boost. But Gov.
Jay Inslee vetoed the tax relief before it
could take effect. AWB continued to work
beyond the session to reduce the B&O tax
for manufacturers.
AWB helped
convene
negotiations
that resulted
in passage of a
paid family and
medical leave
law that was
regarded as a
national model.
83 AWB members climbed the Hill during the sold-out
Legislative Day, meeting with dozens of legislators.
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