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Following up on Washington Policy Centers (WPC) article that shows Washington is the 46th worst state in which to do business, a new study of business startups in the US also shows a bleak history of business growth in Washington over the last few years. What’s more amazing is the report is from the left leaning Center for American Progress who normally champion progressive tax policy. The report details that while the rest of the US is seeing new business start-ups grow, despite of federal g...
While January 8, 2024 is the first official day of the Washington State legislative session next year, things are already happening in Olympia. Legislators have the ability to ‘pre-file’ bills to get new legislation into the hopper ready for consideration in January and things are already happening. One such bill, Senate Bill 5793 (SB 5793), filed by Senator Saldaña (37th Legislative District), would expand Washington State paid sick leave law adding new qualifying events including work site...
The annual Ernst and Young report to the Council on State Taxation (COST) continues to illustrate the struggle business owners in Washington State are having to meet the ever-increasing tax burden and maze of regulations that the state legislature mandates. Ultimately, a new regulation or tax on a small business is passed onto the consumer as a price increase in products and services provided. The report highlights that business paid $23.5 billion in total state and local taxes in fiscal year...
Due to the federal government changing the unemployment benefit eligibility rules mid-pandemic, some Washington residents, who have been receiving unemployment benefits, will now have repay the benefits despite being approved to receive benefits initially. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, launched shortly after the pandemic started, did not fully verify that a benefit claimant was eligible for program benefits. Claimants that applied under the rules of the PUA program...
Update October 4, 2021: The Cares Website continues to experience problems and periods of long downtime. After last year’s abject failure to deliver an unemployment benefit system capable of handling the unemployment claims of Washington residents and losing $650 million taxpayer dollars to a Nigerian scam, you may be shocked to learn the Employment Security Department (ESD) was trusted with administering the state mandated Long-Term Care Insurance program that begins in January 2022. The f...
By Mark Harmsworth New COVID workplace restrictions, issued by Washington State Labor and Industries (L&I) late Friday (May 21), require employers to check employee vaccine documents before allowing relaxation of social distancing and mask requirements in the workplace. In other words, state leaders want Washington residents to show a vaccine passport in the workplace. The obvious question on everyone’s lips is, “Isn’t this a violation of my medical privacy?” There is no clear yes or no answer....
New COVID workplace restrictions, issued by Washington State Labor and Industries (L&I) late last Friday, May 21st, require employers to check employee vaccine documents before allowing relaxation of social distancing and mask requirements in the workplace. The new state rules require an employer to confirm, and have employees prove their vaccine medical status. The process used to verify vaccination, and the medical status of the employee’s vaccination record, including the employee medical i...
The 2021 legislative session produced a mixed bag of results for small business owners. Lawmakers attempted to solve some of the systemic problems with unemployment benefits, taxation policy and business restrictions, while simultaneously creating new, over burdensome, and in some cases, outright punitive regulations on small business. Much of the legislation passed this session was designed to penalize small business and create new ‘rights’ for disgruntled employees to retaliate against the...
A recent study by the State Policy Network illustrates hospitality industry job losses from January 2020 to January 2021 and, unfortunately, Washington State has some of the highest number of jobs lost in the nation. This is primarily due to the prolonged mandated lockdowns the state has forced on restaurants, hotels, bowling alleys and other hospitality establishments. The least affected state in the nation was Idaho, with a loss of -1.7% jobs. States that have pursued a more aggressive...
OLYMPIA–Washington State House and Senate Republicans announced their Washington ‘Open Safe and Open Now’ plan earlier this month. The plan recommended re-opening Washington immediately balancing economic recovery against common-sense protections for those most vulnerable to the dangers of the pandemic. The Governor’s Office, despite publicly opposing the majority of the Republican recommendations at first, has responded today adopting the majority of the Republican recommendations, effecti...
On Sunday morning Governor Jay Inslee announced additional restrictions on businesses in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The majority of the restrictions go into effect midnight on Monday, November 16. Specifically, - Restaurants and bars are closed for indoor service. Outdoor dining and to-go service is permitted. (Restrictions on restaurants take effect Tuesday at midnight). - Retail stores, including grocery stores, and malls must limit occupancy to 25% and must close food court...
OLYMPIA–On Sunday morning Governor Jay Inslee announced additional restrictions on businesses in an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The majority of the restrictions went into effect midnight on Monday, November 16th. Specifically, *Restaurants and bars are closed for indoor service. Outdoor dining and to-go service is permitted. (Restrictions on restaurants take effect Tuesday at midnight). *Retail stores, including grocery stores, and malls must limit occupancy to 25% and must c...
Recent information exposed by whistleblowers at the State Employment Security Department (ESD) have re-enforced the need to improve transparency in the process and the criteria used to approve unemployment claims. As reported by Shift Washington and the Puget Sound Business Journal, the department has repeatedly changed the claim qualification criteria with little explanation to the public as to the reason why. In the most recent policy change, Shift Washington reports that ESD has relaxed the...
The majority of counties in Washington are now in Phase 2 of the COVID-19 reopening plan, allowing most businesses to operate and letting people go back to work. Recent comments from local and state government officials, though, indicate state leaders may be preparing to return us to Phase 1, putting people out of work and closing the economy down again. On Thursday, Governor Jay Inslee said, “We cannot rule out the potential of another stay-home order this year.” Comments from leaders in the...
One thing is sure, work will look different in a post COVID-19 world. Many employers who sent employees home to work remotely during the crisis, are reconsidering work at home policies after the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Some employers have even seen increased productivity. Square recently announced that it was going to update its policy and allow some employees to stay home permanently. There are some jobs of course that will still need to come into the office, but if an employee can...