Washington Business 2019 Legislative Review & Vote Record | Page 26

2019 legislative review
Infrastructure
Mike Ennis: Transportation, Infrastructure, Aviation,
Telecom, Rural Jobs, Land Use
Legislators adjourned the 2019 legislative session on time,
and it was an active 105 days for transportation-related
policy. There was action on transportation bills right up
until the very last day. On balance, the business community
landed in a relatively positive position given the good bills
that passed and the potentially harmful bills that did not.
Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, chairman of the
Senate Transportation Committee, proposed a 10-year,
$17 billion statewide transportation revenue package near
the beginning of session. While the bill ultimately died,
he was able to move it out of the Senate Transportation
Committee and jump start the conversation on additional
funding. Most stakeholders believe there is a critical need
for statewide transportation infrastructure so look for
another proposal in 2020.
Lawmakers did adopt a $9.8 billion biennial transportation
budget that included modest investments in fish passage
barriers, a Vancouver I-5 bridge crossing office, and new
ferries. Lawmakers passed a package of incentive-based
policies for electric vehicles and alternative fuels, and
Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, at right, chairs the Senate Transporta-
expanded tolling in the Puget Sound region. The business
tion Committee. Sen Steve O’Ban, R-University Place, also serves on the
Transportation Committee.
community was also successful in stopping a statewide
low-carbon fuel standard that would have raised fuel costs
for families and employers, three anti-rail bills, and various
other legislation that would have harmed competitiveness for employers.
Lawmakers also took action on rural broadband legislation, a priority for the business community. The bill created and funded
a statewide broadband office, a competitive loan and grant program, and extended the State Universal Communications
Services program.
In April, AWB joined three associations representing ports, cities, and counties, to release an update to our statewide
infrastructure needs assessment. The report pulled together existing research in four infrastructure categories: transportation,
energy, water, and communications. It concluded that Washington needs about $222 billion in infrastructure investments
across the state and making the investments will create an estimated 706,000-777,000 direct and indirect jobs. Given the
renewed discussions of a potential national funding package, the report demonstrates that employers, cities, ports, and
counties are coordinated, in agreement, and ready to engage in the conversation. The full report is available on the AWB
website at awb.org/infrastructure-report.
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