AWB once again
pushed for a
reduction in
the business
and occupation
tax rate for
manufacturers.
standing up for employers: State Focus
After years of effort to meet the obligations
of the 2012 McCleary education ruling,
lawmakers passed a 2018 supplemental
budget that moved up full funding of teacher
salaries, finally satisfying the Supreme Court
ruling. State spending for elementary and
secondary education has risen from
$13.4 billion in the 2011-2013 biennium
to $22.8 billion in the most recent budget
and is projected to surpass $26 billion in
the next biennium.
“We’ve seen historic investments in our
state’s education system over the past six
years,” said Amy Anderson, AWB government
affairs director. “The next step is to ensure
we’re investing in programs like career and
technical education that show students every
career pathway as a way to fill the workforce
pipeline of today and into the future.”
In 2018, lawmakers also passed a fix for the
Hirst Supreme Court ruling, helping rural
communities gain critical access to water,
and they adjourned without passing many
of the new and higher taxes that were
debated. AWB’s Government Affairs team
was instrumental in both outcomes.
Boosting the state’s manufacturing sector
remained a top concern. AWB once again
pushed for a reduction in the business and
occupation tax rate for manufacturers.
Manufacturing is vital to the state’s economic
health, and yet it is the only sector that’s lost
jobs since 2000. The legislation failed to pass
in 2018, but AWB is continuing the effort.
“It’s time
to let all
manufacturers
win.”
awb president
kris johnson,
testifying before the
house appropriations
committee in support
of standardizing
the business and
occupation tax rate
for manufacturers
across washington
pg. 13