Washington Business 2019 Legislative Review & Vote Record

2019 legislative review Washington state high school students will successfully transition to post-secondary education. With projected job g rowth it is vitally important that Washington state implement policies for our educa- tion system to ensure a future workforce that will support the innovative and suc- cessful industries located in Washington state. This legislation passed the Senate 48-0 and House concurred with final pas- sage by a vote of 96-0. HB 1568 House Deputy Majority Whip Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, serves along with AWB’s Amy Anderson on the state’s Child Care Collaborative Task Force, a group created by a bill that Reeves sponsored in 2017. education and workforce 2SHB 1344 concerning child care access Passed/AWB Supported AWB supported Second Substitute House Bill 1344, sponsored by Rep. Kristine Reeves, D-Federal Way, which continues the work of the Child Care Collaborative Task Force and provides funding to study the industry. The child care industry in the state of Washington has an economic impact over $2 billion. This includes the impact from both parents participating in the workforce. While the data purport to show a healthy industry, there may be dire consequences in the future due to a lack of child care slots and the rising cost of child care in Washington state. 2SHB provides necessary data and information to develop a well thought out and strate- gic plan for addressing child care access and cost in the state of Washington. This legislation passed the Senate 25-20 and the House concurred with final passage by a vote of 75-19. 14 association of washington business E2SHB 1599 promoting career and college readiness through modified high school graduation requirements Passed/AWB Supported Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 1599, sponsored by Rep. Monica Stonier, D-Vancouver, provides a multiple path- way approach to high school graduation that requires students to complete a High School and Beyond Plan, earn required credits towards graduation (24 unless an Individual Education Plan (IEP) has been put into place), and successfully com- plete one or more pathways in order to earn a high school diploma. Washington employers struggle to find the talented and skilled workforce necessary to fill cur- rent job openings and must focus on that endeavor instead of looking to the future and growing jobs. It is critical that the state’s education system provide options and opportunities for all students. AWB believes the multiple pathways approach provides this for our state’s students while maintaining a rigorous and quality edu- cation. Multiple Pathways ensure that concerning port district worker development and occupational training programs Passed/AWB Supported House Bill 1568 sponsored by Rep. Mike Chapman, D-Port Angeles, allows port economic development programs to be operated by certain private and public enti- ties and requires a port seeking to engage in economic development programs to declare by resolution that its goals are consistent with the economic development goals and worker training initiatives of the port dis- trict. The bill also removes the requirement that a port district’s economic develop- ment programs be in existence on June 10, 2010. Washington state’s 75 ports across 33 counties are key economic development entities within our state. In 2015, Washing- ton’s public ports supported 71,250 direct jobs with a total average benefit package of $76,200. Activity at the state’s ports support another 175,250 indirect jobs and provide a total revenue impact of $41.6 billion. As the most trade driven state in the nation, it is important to support the state’s ports that provide the global gateway to commerce that our industries rely on to grow jobs and support the state’s economy. This legislation passed the House 94-0 and the Senate concurred with final passage by a vote of 47-0.

Washington Business 2019 Legislative Review & Vote Record | Page 16