What are we looking for in an elected official? Energy? Leadership? Loyalty? Knowledge? Seasoning?
I have been participating in conversations this past week during candidate interviews and the answer may be different for each voter. But for a business group, there are some guiding principles that can help.
There may be some subtle reasons to endorse a candidate. These could include not having a good working relationship with an incumbent or opposing his or her voting record. It might be that the current incumbent is what you get, no matter who is running against them. Some district voters just prefer what they know and won't consider someone new. But if there is truly an opportunity to make your decision based on the candidate, then a review takes some work.
Here are five good ways to think about candidates you meet to determine if you want to donate, endorse or support them with signs or other campaign activities:
1. You can ask a candidate how their campaign is going and you get varied answers that reveal just how much they know about running for office. If they answer well, it's on to the next phase of determining your support. 2. Do they understand the big issues facing the business community or are they answering with general statements that reveal their lack of knowledge? If they act like they know what they are talking about, but don't, then that's a problem. 3. Do they speak well without becoming a boring talking head? This one is harder to discern, but after a few questions, it becomes clear whether they talk for the sake of talking or have something meaningful to say. 4. Do they have a record of public or volunteer service that might help you know what they are passionate about? If this record also matches their priorities for running for office, it gives you a sense of where their loyalties might be on various issues affecting business, such as labor laws. 5. Do they have any previous experience that might indicate political seasoning that helps you decide if they are going to be willing to listen to your perspective and not close the door to opinions with which they disagree?
Be sure to promote the get out to vote campaign. It is a good year to do that with a Presidential race happening. We will be reporting to you on our endorsements as they progress, including the following report.
Retail Association announces first wave of endorsements
The Washington Retail Association has announced endorsements for a variety of state races in the November election.
The WRA endorses incumbent Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna for re-election.
In races for the Legislature, the WRA endorses:
*for Senate: incumbent Republicans Curtis King, Mark Schoesler, Don Benton, Dan Swecker and Bob McCaslin.
*for House of Representatives, incumbent Republicans Steve Hailey, Jaime Herrera, Joel Kretz, Dan Kristiansen, Jim McCune, Ed Orcutt, Kirk Pearson, Skip Priest, Dan Roach, Joe Schmick and Norma Smith.
*House Republican candidates and incumbent challengers Toby Nixon, Mark Hargrove and Marlyn Jensen and Jan Angel, who is running for an open seat.
Each of these candidates promotes business growth and has pledged to reduce governmental tax and regulatory burdens that stunt growth, said Jan Teague, President/CEO of the Washington Retail Association.
A further round of association endorsements is pending.
Federal child toy safety law pre-empts state law
The Department of Ecology and a Governor's advisory committee have agreed that a new federal child toy safety law signed by President Bush last month pre-empts a state law that was to go into effect next year.
The state groups announced their decision at a meeting this week.
State officials have ceased their rule making process to enact the state law and do not plan to seek a state waiver from the federal law. They are, however, continuing work on adopting a list of dangerous chemicals found in toys, a process that is estimated to last up to two years.
The Washington Retail Association repeatedly has urged a federal solution to making toys safer rather than a state-by-state patchwork of laws and regulations.
"We are very pleased with this outcome," said Jan Teague, President/CEO of the Washington Retail Association. "Our position has been that a federal solution is preferable to a state-by-state solution. Our members look forward to working with the appropriate federal agencies to implement a new federal Consumer Products Safety Act focused on children's products."
The federal law requires testing, certification and labeling for certain children's products and permits federal agencies to require electronic filing of certificates up to 24 hours before the arrival of imported products.
Significant impacts of the law include: *Bans of phthalates in children's products. *New lower levels of allowable lead. *Mandatory testing for children's products. *New notices in advertising and on Websites for toys and games. *Increases in civil penalties reaching as high as $15 million for violators.
State economy slows but may escape recession
Retailers across the state should expect the economy to soften for the immediate future, according to a new state revenue report.
A report this month from the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council said tax collection revenues were nearly $120 million lower than expectations the past three months. The report cites slowing home sales, fewer construction jobs, and slowing growth in state population and retail sales tax revenues.
Still, an economist who helped prepare the report said the state is forecast to avoid a recession despite the economic slowdown. Kriss Sjoblom, an economist with the Washington Research Council, said falling gasoline prices the past month should help retailers although the economy is slowing elsewhere. The council has forecast a slight dip in oil prices through the next three years. The research firm Global Insight Inc. told the council that the price of oil has dropped about $30 a barrel since early in July due to softening market demand worldwide. It said the market balance is shifting in favor of buyers and that crude oil supplies are expected to rise through next spring.
AAA-Washington this week was reporting that gasoline prices in the Olympia area, for example, had fallen an average 22 cents a gallon, to $3.80 for regular unleaded, though that price was 94 cents a gallon higher than a year ago.
"The big plus is the falling oil prices," Sjoblom said. "Gasoline has been absorbing a fair amount of consumers' cash."
The council believes the state will escape a recession due to stable employment at Boeing and Microsoft.
"Those two pillars here are very strong," Sjoblom said. "Boeing is at the peak of its cycle and has a large backlog (of airplane orders). Microsoft continues to chug along and add people."
Hiring in the construction industry may continue as a drag on the economy. Construction employment is falling with the slowdown in home sales and the commercial real estate market also is expected to slow down next year.
"Construction weakness will lead us into a period of weak growth, but not (economic) contraction," Sjoblom said.
Meanwhile, the National Retail Federation is forecasting sluggish sales through the holidays and into next year. Consumers who find their budgets pressured by rising prices and the housing slump "are clearly concentrating on essentials," said Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the NRF.
The NRF will release a holiday shopping forecast next month.
Sources: Economic and Revenue Forecast Council; National Retail Federation
WRA sponsors free employment, safety seminar
The Washington Retail Association and Department of Labor & Industries are sponsoring a free seminar in Spokane next month on employment and safety issues.
Experts from the human relations consulting firm Humanix will offer tips on hiring and retaining valued employees and review ways to devise safety plans to help employers avoid costly workplace injuries.
The seminar includes admission into an exhibit hall where various safety-related vendors will be selling equipment and providing free materials to help employers learn state safety requirements. The exhibit will include a kiosk with a wealth of information on state rules and regulations related to operating a small business.
The seminar will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on September 24 at the Spokane Convention Center, 322 N. Spokane Falls Boulevard.
To register, send your name and company name to SmallBusiness@Lni.wa.gov. For more information, contact Ron Langley at 1-800-987-0145.
State unemployment law to change in January
Should corporate officers be exempt from unemployment insurance? That's going to be a common question for Washington corporations in the next few months in preparation for a new state law that takes effect in January.
"It used to be that officers were exempt from coverage unless the corporation chose to cover them," said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. "Now, the default assumption is that officers are covered."
Under current law, corporate officers are exempt from unemployment insurance unless their employer elects to cover them. Beginning January 1, 2009, corporate officers who provide services in Washington are covered for unemployment insurance unless their employer specifically exempts them. Officers whose employers previously exempted them from coverage must be re-exempted under the new law.
Corporations who want their officers to be covered by unemployment insurance do not need to file for coverage, but must include the officers and their in-state wages in the unemployment insurance quarterly reports beginning in 2009. State unemployment taxes on corporate officers must be paid each quarter, and they may be eligible for unemployment benefits if they lose their jobs.
If corporations decide to exempt any officers from coverage, a separate exemption form must be submitted for each officer. Corporations will not report or pay state unemployment taxes for them, and they are not eligible for benefits if they lose their jobs. However, corporations will lose their tax credit on Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) taxes. Exemption requests must be postmarked by January 15, 2009, for the exemption to take effect in 2009. If the request for exemption is received or postmarked after January 15, the exemption will start January 1, 2010.
"Whether it makes sense to exempt officers will depend on the circumstances of each corporation," Lee said. "Total taxes, including state taxes and FUTA, may go up or down depending on the officers' salaries and the corporation's tax rate."
For more information, please visit TaxForms.go2ui.com.
Source: Employment Security Department
Disaster preparedness seminar scheduled in Bellevue
A seminar on ways to prepare for disasters is scheduled on Oct. 23 at The Sheraton Bellevue Hotel, 100 112th Avenue Northeast.
The company, Disaster Preparedness Summit based in Palos Verdes, Calif., will conduct the day-long summit and cover topics from triage training to safety techniques, insurance claims management, recovery plans and governmental disaster preparedness resources.
Anyone in charge of risk management or responsible for tenants in a commercial business should consider the seminar.
To learn more about seminar sponsors and how to register, visit www.disastersummit.org. The site includes a schedule of similar summits and a fuller schedule of topics to be covered.
Source: The Disaster Preparedness Summit
Registration open for Governor's Safety and Health Conference
Thousands of workers are injured, and sadly, more than 100 Washington workers die from job-related injuries each year. Many of these injuries and losses are preventable. The conference provides resources to assist in design and maintenance of a sound safety and healthy culture at your workplace. The benefits include; reduced injuries, less time lost from work, money saved on industrial insurance premiums and an increase in profits. The comprehensive safety skills gained will benefit you far beyond the workplace.
There are two great pre-conference sessions, one dealing with wellness for commercial drivers that is a MUST SEE for any type of driver working out of their vehicle. This will take place Tuesday, September 23, 8:30am - 4:30pm at the DoubleTree Hotel, Spokane Falls Ballroom. For more information, please contact Sharon Drozdowsky at (360) 902-4622 or dros235@LNI.wa.gov . This is valuable for delivery drivers too!
The second session deals with Solutions for an Aging Workforce. Many workplaces are confronted by the demographic reality of an aging workforce. While older workers do have particular needs, solutions must take into account the needs of workers at all stages of their careers and lives. The course will examine specific issues, including workplace design for safety and health; work/life balance; maintaining health as we age; the roles of employers, employees, the larger community, and public policy in addressing this demographic change. For more information, visit http://nwcenter.washington.edu or contact Maribeth Moore, Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety, 206-543-1069 or moomoore@u.washington.edu.
Tax break coming for purchases of "green" vehicles
A new state law coming into effect on January 1 will offer buyers of new alternative fuel vehicles an exemption on paying sales taxes. The exemption period is effective through December 31, 2010.
The exemption covers new passenger cars and light duty trucks that: *Are powered by fuels such as natural gas, propane, hydrogen or electricity, or *Use hybrid technology and carry an estimated EPA highway mileage rating of at least 40 miles per gallon.
The tax break applies both to individual buyers or companies that might buy a fleet of vehicles that qualify under the law, said Mike Gowrylow, a spokesman for the Department of Revenue.
Any payment or deposit made toward the purchase before the new law goes into effect still qualifies for the exemption provided the vehicle is registered, titled and delivered from January 1 of next year through December 31, 2010, the Department of Revenue said.
Washington Retail Association | 618 Quince St SE, STE A | PO Box 2227 | Olympia | WA | 98501
The Washington Retail Association, WRA, is a 501 C 6 trade association formed to advocate for Washington State’s retailers at the local, state and national level. Since 1987, the WRA has protected Washington's retailers from unreasonable taxes, fees, regulations and legislation. The efforts of the WRA benefit all Washington state retailers and help fuel statewide economic growth.
