Tag Archives: Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce

“Taxpayer Town Hall” coming October 17 with Treasurer Baumgartner

Note: The following e-newsletter was sent to Sen. Padden’s subscribers October 12, 2023. To subscribe to Sen. Padden’s newsletter, click here.

Dear friends and neighbors,

The public is invited to an upcoming “Taxpayer Town Hall” hosted by Spokane County Treasurer Michael Baumgartner and myself. It takes place this coming Tuesday, October 17, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center in Spokane Valley.

Topics to be covered include issues affecting 2024 property taxes and policy proposals surrounding the exemptions for seniors and people with disabilities. There will be opportunities to ask questions.

We hope to see you and others there!

If you have questions about how to participate in state government this year or thoughts to share on anything in this e-newsletter, please give me a call or send me an email.

Thank you, as always, for the honor of serving as your state senator!

Best Regards,

Senator Mike Padden

Senate Law and Justice Committee meets in Spokane

It was good to welcome Senate Law and Justice Committee colleagues to Spokane, including four fellow Republicans. In the foreground is 15th District Senator Nikki Torres, R-Pasco. In the background (from left to right) are 39th District Senator Keith Wagoner, R-Sedro-Woolley; 17th District Senator Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver; Senator Padden; and Senate Republican Caucus staff attorney Saundra Richartz.  

While it doesn’t happen often, legislative committees occasionally hold meetings and work sessions in communities outside of Olympia. Doing so allows lawmakers on these panels to see other parts of the state and meet with constituents and stakeholders who are unable to travel to the Capitol.

That was the case when the Senate Law and Justice Committee met October 2 at Washington State University’s Riverpoint campus in Spokane. Go here to view the agenda. As its ranking Republican, I was glad to welcome the other committee members to Spokane. Go here to view a video of the meeting.

Wagstaff named manufacturing company of the year by Valley Chamber

As noted in the next story below, Wagstaff Inc. was one of the local manufacturing companies that the Association of Washington Business Manufacturing Week tour visited last week. The Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce recently announced that it had awarded Wagstaff its 2023 Manufacturing Excellence Award For Manufacturer Of The Year. According to the chamber, the award recognizes a manufacturer committed to business excellence and has found creative solutions to challenges that enhance the industry.

AWB’s manufacturing tour stops in Spokane

Honeywell’s Lou Broughton shows others, including Senator Padden, part of the company’s facility. (Photo courtesy of Association of Washington Business.)

Manufacturing is an important part of Washington’s economy, one that should be a higher priority for some state and legislative leaders. Every year a key business organization based in Olympia does a very good job of highlighting the importance of manufacturing to our state.

The Association of Washington Business is wrapping up its annual Manufacturing Week tour across the state this week. The tour, which began October 4, stopped in Spokane last Thursday. I joined AWB officials and others at some manufacturing companies in the Spokane Valley area, including Honeywell and Wagstaff. (A few local companies were among the sponsors of the Unlock Your Future event at the HUB that attracted about 1,400 middle school students in the Spokane area. The Unlock Your Future student handbook can be viewed here.)

While the tour was in Spokane last week, AWB President Kris Johnson delivered a State of Manufacturing address. AWB’s report on Johnson’s address, which can be viewed here, shares several interesting statistics:

  • Manufacturing employs nearly 270,000 Washington residents, which is 8% of the state’s workforce.
  • There are more than 6,400 manufacturing companies, including 577 in Spokane County, which has more than 16,000 people in manufacturing careers.
  • There are 24 counties in Washington with at least 1,000 manufacturing workers, and five counties with more than 10,000 workers.

Transportation Committee discusses traffic safety proposal

On Monday, I was in Olympia to attend the Senate Transportation Committee’s meeting. The committee agenda can be viewed here.

Part of the meeting focused on a proposal that I have championed in recent years – using roadside oral fluid testing to better determine if a driver is impaired by certain drugs, including cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, opioids and benzodiazepines.

During the committee’s discussion on this issue, traffic safety analyst Chuck DeWeese presented on roadside oral fluid testing in more detail. His presentation can be viewed here. Chris Kirby, an official with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, then told committee members about his state’s oral fluid program. A PowerPoint presentation on the Indiana program can be seen here.

A video of the two presentations on roadside oral fluid testing can be seen here.

Retail theft continues to plague Washington

Several types of crime have worsened here in Washington, due largely to a 2021 law that makes it harder for law-enforcement officers to pursue and arrest suspects, and in turn makes it easier for criminals to break laws without fear of being arrested. Another reason for the crime increase is the low number of law-enforcement officers in Washington compared to other states.

One crime that particularly hurts businesses, workers and consumers alike in Washington is retail theft, which also is a national crime problem.

Retail theft has gotten so bad that Target is closing two of its stores in our state’s largest city. Go here to read a recent Seattle Times story on how the closures of those stores in Seattle will affect 90 employees. Target has said the employees will be able to transfer to other locations.

The Times article pointed out that retailers nationwide are being forced to contend with shoplifting causing a loss of inventory, or “shrinkage.” According to a recent study by the National Retail Federation, shrinkage for total retail sales in 2022 reached $112.1 billion, up from $93.9 billion in losses in 2021.

The Washington Retail Association said theft costs businesses $2.7 billion a year statewide.

Washington’s Capitol Building in the fall.

This is not a new issue for our Legislature. A year ago the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee dedicated a work session to retail theft, and the state Attorney General’s Office presented data which can be seen here. The presentation noted how organized retail theft is a growing problem in many communities. Because of the increase in retail thefts, stores are forced to raise prices, which hurts consumers.

Things have become so bad for retailers that the Washington Retail Association, which represents grocers and retailers across the state, created a crisis planning guide for retailers specifically to address rising crime in the state. Basically, the state’s retail association had to help stores figure how to navigate retail theft since the state hadn’t provided enough help to solve this problem.

It is time for the Legislature to place more attention on this crime issue.

Newspaper story on opening of Liberty Lake’s Lud Kramer Bridge

Bicyclists ride across the Lud Kramer Bridge soon after it opened. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation.)

In case you missed it, the Spokane Valley Herald did a recent story on the official opening of the Lud Kramer Bridge. You can read the story here.

Contact us!

If you have a question or concern about state government, please do not hesitate to contact our office. During the interim we are conducting business from our district office in Spokane Valley. We are here to serve you!

Phone: (509) 921-2460

Email address: Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

PLEASE NOTE: Any email or documents you provide to this office may be subject to disclosure under RCW 42.56. If you would prefer to communicate by phone, please contact Sen. Padden’s Olympia office at (360) 786-7606.

To request public records from Sen. Padden, please contact Randi Stratton, the designated public records officer for the Secretary of the Senate and Senate members.

Governor signs Padden bill to benefit employee stock ownership plans

Gov. Jay Inslee today signed Senate Bill 5096, a bipartisan measure prime-sponsored by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden that will aid businesses looking to adopt an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) corporate structure.

“This new law will help promote employee ownership, which is valuable not only for employees but for our society,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “Studies have shown that when employees are happier, they stay in their job longer and they retire in a much better financial position. And the companies are more likely to remain in the local area.”

Padden added that the measure will help maintain local businesses after a business founder retires.

“Many current business owners do not have a plan for when they transition out of the business, and employee ownership provides a valuable option,” Padden said.

SB 5096 specifically will:

  • create the Washington Employee Ownership Program at the state Department of Commerce to offer technical support and other services to certain businesses considering certain employee ownership structures;
  • form the Washington Employee Ownership Commission to oversee the program; and,
  • provide a business-and-occupation tax credit for costs related to converting a qualifying business to an employee ownership structure.

The measure was backed by a diverse group, including the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.

“According to decades of research, employee-owned companies consistently produce higher wages, greater employee wealth and fewer layoffs,” said Jack Moriarty, founder and executive director of Ownership America, a national think tank. “Senator Padden and his bipartisan co-sponsors deserve praise for their leadership in positioning Washington to create and retain high-quality jobs that build wealth for workers and communities through employee ownership.”

With the adoption of this bipartisan legislation, Washington has established itself as a national leader in the employee ownership field, added Moriarty.

ESOPs are recognized under federal tax law as a qualified defined contribution retirement plan. The ESOP must be designed to invest primarily in qualifying employer securities and meet certain other requirements. The IRS and United States Department of Labor share jurisdiction over some ESOP features.

SB 5096 was unanimously approved by both the Senate and House this year.

Legislature OKs Padden bill providing tax exemption for mobility equipment

People buying motorized wheelchairs or other mobility-improving equipment could pay less thanks to a bill that has been approved by the Legislature.

Senate Bill 5218, from 4th District Sen. Mike Padden, would make such equipment tax-exempt. The House of Representatives unanimously approved the measure today after the Senate unanimously passed it March 31. SB 5218 now goes to Gov. Jay Inslee for consideration.

“This bill will help people with disabilities by removing the sales tax from motorized wheelchairs or other technological equipment, which will help them save money while also helping maintain their independence,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “It can be very costly for someone to buy such equipment that they need for their daily lives, and the sales tax only adds to the high cost. This bill helps make such purchases more affordable for those who need this equipment.”

During his Senate floor speech in favor of the proposal, Padden mentioned that written testimony supporting the bill was provided by Steve Gleason, a former Gonzaga Prep, Washington State University and New Orleans Saints football player who contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“Steve indicated how important this legislation would be, not only for those who have ALS or multiple sclerosis but those who need what I would call high-tech wheelchairs that can do so much and can cost $30,000 and up,” said Padden. “The sales-tax portion is a large amount of money for this equipment. Steve pointed out that if people have this equipment, they are less likely to go into hospitals and require more expensive medical care.”

SB 5218 states that to claim the sales-tax exemption, the purchaser must provide the seller with an exemption certificate as prescribed by the state Department of Revenue. The tax exemption would apply to mobility-enhancing equipment sold or used on or after Aug. 1, 2023.

House also passes Padden bill to benefit employee stock ownership plans 

The House today also unanimously passed Senate Bill 5096, a bipartisan proposal sponsored by Padden that would aid businesses looking to adopt an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) corporate structure.

“This bill promotes employee ownership, which I think is a very valuable thing, not only for our employees but for society,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “Studies have shown that employees are happier, they stay in their job longer and they retire in a much better financial position. And the companies are more likely to stay locally.”

Padden added that the bill would help those businesses looking to adopt an ESOP.

“Many current business owners do not have a plan for when they transition out of the business, and employee ownership provides a valuable option.”

The proposal is backed by a very diverse group of supporters, including the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.

SB 5096 specifically would:

  • Create the Washington Employee Ownership Program at the state Department of Commerce to offer technical support and other services to certain businesses considering certain employee ownership structures.
  • Form the Washington Employee Ownership Commission to oversee the program.
  • Provide a business and occupation tax credit for costs related to converting a qualifying business to an employee ownership structure.

The House amended SB 5096, so it must return to the Senate for concurrence. The Senate unanimously passed the measure on March 2.

The 2023 legislative session is scheduled to end Sunday.

 

Senate passes Padden bill to benefit employee stock ownership plans

The Senate today unanimously passed Senate Bill 5096, a bipartisan proposal introduced by 4th District Sen. Mike Padden that would aid businesses looking to adopt an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) corporate structure.

During his floor speech on SB 5096, Padden mentioned the many benefits to employee ownership.

“This bill promotes employee ownership, which I think is a very valuable thing, not only for our employees but for society,” said Padden, R-Spokane Valley. “Studies have shown that employees are happier, they stay in their job longer and they retire in a much better financial position. And the companies are more likely to stay locally.”

Padden added that the bill would help those businesses looking to adopt an ESOP.

“Many current business owners do not have a plan for when they transition out of the business, and employee ownership provides a valuable option.”

SB 5096 specifically would:

  • Create the Washington Employee Ownership Program at the state Department of Commerce to offer technical support and other services to certain businesses considering certain employee ownership structures.
  • Form the Washington Employee Ownership Commission to oversee the program.
  • Provide a business and occupation tax credit for costs related to converting a qualifying business to an employee ownership structure.

The proposal is backed by a very diverse group of supporters, including the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.

ESOPs are recognized under federal tax law as a qualified defined contribution retirement plan. The ESOP must be designed to invest primarily in qualifying employer securities and meet certain other requirements. The IRS and United States Department of Labor share jurisdiction over some ESOP features.

The bill now goes to the House for further consideration.