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“ There is no doubt calls will get louder to repeal tax preferences and enact new taxes before negotiations begin in earnest later in the session .”
— Eric Lohnes , AWB government affairs director for tax and fiscal policies
The skills gap , or the number of job openings compared to the number of workers with the skills to fill them , is a growing concern among employers .
An October 2016 Boston Consulting Group and Washington Roundtable study found there will be 740,000 job openings in Washington state in the next five years , many of them requiring workers with a postsecondary education or training .
“ Equally important to the discussions is that any additional investments in the K-12 public school system go toward improving student outcomes and preparing them for postsecondary education , including career and technical and trade pathways , and ensuring students have the right skills to fill jobs here at home ,” Anderson said .
Regarding higher education , Anderson said the goal will be to keep other budget items from encroaching on college affordability and ensure more graduates in high-demand fields .
beyond the budget : other key issues to watch
And , those issues are just the start .
Like the past few sessions , this session is predicted to have a raft of bills that follow along with some of the City of Seattle ’ s recently adopted labor policies , such as predictive scheduling . Additionally , lawmakers may also need to sift through Initiative 1433 , the voter-approved $ 13.50 statewide minimum wage increase and mandatory paid sick and safe leave , to fix inconsistencies and make clarifying changes . Other possible labor and workforce issues are :
• Workers ’ compensation reform , including boosting availability of structured settlements for injured workers on a state pension ;
• Employer pregnancy accommodation , a redundant employment law issue already covered in other laws ; and ,
• Equal pay provisions that have not gained traction in the legislative power sharing . Then , there ’ s the uncertainty of the state ’ s health insurance exchange program , adopted as part of the ACA .
The new federal administration has vowed to “ repeal and replace ” the controversial policy , but in a state like Washington that is heavily invested in the system , there ’ s no telling what the cost or consequences may be .
“ Washington state is all in with the state health insurance exchange option for those seeking health insurance as part of the ACA , so there is really no way of telling how action in Congress will impact our health insurance system ,” said Sheri Nelson , AWB government affairs director for health care policy . “ It ’ s really a wait-and-see game for now .”
Finally , AWB Government Affairs Director Mike Ennis will be closely watching infrastructure spending , both the implementation of the 2015 transportation funding and reform package , ensuring what was promised in the package is not changed in the 2017-19 transportation budget , and the growing issue of water storage and access .
Drought preparedness and addressing last fall ’ s state Supreme Court ruling on water rights that will significantly impact rural property owners are key issues to watch .
“ Water is the lifeblood of Washington state ,” Ennis said . “ We use it for everything from energy generation and the critical agricultural industries to everyday drinking and household
44 association of washington business