Washington's economy is struggling under record unemployment and job losses. We must exhaust every option to improve Washington’s business climate, help employers and protect employees.
Washington's economy is struggling under record unemployment and job losses. We must exhaust every option to improve Washington’s business climate, help employers and protect employees.
Below is our plan to make “Made in Washington” mean something again. You can click on links to the bills we proposed in the 2010 session. Stay tuned for information about our proposals for the 2011 session, which begins Monday, January 10.
COMMON-SENSE SOLUTIONS:
1. Protect and create jobs by revitalizing Washington’s economy and attracting new investment.
- Return people to work sooner by improving the efficiency of our workers’ compensation system. (HB 2879, no public hearing)
- Protect employers from sharp UI tax increases by “smoothing” out the increases over multiple years. (HB 2920, public hearing held, no action taken)
- Protect unemployment insurance improvements passed into law during the 2009 session.
- Encourage competition with the workers’ compensation fund, reducing costs and saving employees from contributions. (HB 3149, no public hearing)
- Make common-sense updates to the current state-run workers’ compensation system to cut costs while still offering the benefits injured workers expect. (HB 2950, no pubic hearing)
- Read Rep. Kristiansen's column about this component here.
2. Provide regulatory relief by reforming government services to ease burdensome and costly regulations.
- Require agencies to issue permit decisions within 90 days or the permit is automatically granted. (HB 2043, no public hearing)
- Require new state agency rules be reviewed by the Legislature before being adopted. (HB 2502, no public hearing)
- Put the burden of proof in agency rule disputes on the agency instead of the citizens. (HB 1617, public hearing held, no action taken)
- Give employers two business days to correct mistakes before an agency can issue a fine or penalty. (HB 2603, passed House and Senate unanimously, signed by governor)
- Read Rep. Kristiansen's column about this component here.
3. Increase affordable, renewable energy supply 
- Support energy policies that increase our power supply and renewable resources while keeping energy affordable for families and employers. (HB 2432, no public hearing, HJR 4215, public hearing held, no action taken)
- Recognize hydropower as a renewable resource. (HB 2432, no public hearing; HJR 4215, public hearing held, no action taken)
- Reduce red-tape and provide incentives for constructing new energy cogeneration facilities that provide clean, low-cost power. (HB 2813, no public hearing)
- Read Rep. Kristiansen's column about this component here.
4. Protect employee health care with reforms that reduce costs and protect consumer choice
- Protect employees' health care with reforms that reduce costs and protect consumer choice. (HB 1868, no public hearing)
- Allow consumers to choose health insurance plans across state lines. (HB 1871, no public hearing)
- Prevent lawsuit abuse. (HB 2814, no public hearing)
- Create an affordable ‘core benefit’ plan for young adults ages 19 to 34. (HB 1866, no public hearing)
- Read Rep. Kristiansen's column about this component here.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS BELIEVE:
- Washington’s leaders should be exhausting all resources and making every effort to attract jobs to our area and retain critical family-wage jobs in the state.
- Empowered employers retain and create jobs.
- New or higher taxes and fees hurt jobs and, ultimately, families.
- Washington’s leaders must declare the state “open for business” and invite new and innovative employers to the state to bolster all sectors of employment and lift us out of the recession.
- We can make “Made in Washington” mean something again!
