No one in Olympia appears to like the business-and-occupation tax — the state tax on gross receipts.But other than adding exemptions, Washington’s Legislature has been reluctant to do anything about B&O taxes. Each session, changes get proposed. Each session, those proposals die.“A silver bullet is not there because it is...
The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce opposes a “one-size-fits-all” approach on family leave legislation in Olympia.So far, the chamber has not taken an official position on the two plans that have begun their journey through the Legislature, waiting for more to unfold first, said Austin Neilson, the chamber’s government affairs...
Wine growlers, wine at movies among proposed bills in OlympiaThe state’s wine industry — with the Mid-Columbia at the center — is in great shape and getting better as several state legislators push bills to improve sales in Washington.The state has about 900 wineries — compared to about 300 in...
Retail pot, small modular reactors, funding for college projects among items of local interestLocal governments in Benton and Franklin counties could find their bans and moratoriums on selling retail marijuana revoked in 2017.There’s also a chance that building small modular reactors in the Tri-Cities could get another chance in the...
What will the passage of Initiative 1433 — raising the minimum wage to $13.50 an hour by 2020 — mean to small businesses in the Tri-Cities?To Don Karger, owner of Henry’s Restaurant & Catering in West Richland and his eight employees, it could translate to an $11,000 drop in his personal...
Veterans are finding an easier time finding work in the Columbia Basin.The statewide jobless rate for veterans is 3.8 percent, while the state jobless figure is 6.9 percent. In 2015, the veterans’ jobless rate for Richland and Kennewick was 3 percent, according to the U.S. Census.“It is lower than the...
By John StangCascade Natural Gas’ Kennewick district has 53.34 miles of high-pressure pipeline.But it cannot provide documents to show that 22.12 of those miles — or about 40 percent of its pipelines in and around Kennewick — have been tested to confirm they can resist 60 pounds per square inch...
By John StangThe “levy cliff” is a little known, but very real budget problem facing public schools in two years that often gets lost amid the discussion of the Washington Legislature deadlocking over funding a state Supreme Court ruling to increase the number of teachers in the state.The levy cliff...
By John Stang for TCAJOBFor years, Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, has tried to get legislation passed to help established mid-sized businesses grow. She believes growing existing mid-sized businesses is a better way to create jobs than providing tax exemptions to lure new businesses — something she views as a hit-and-miss...
By John Stang for TCAJOBBenton and Franklin counties could find their bans and moratoriums on selling retail marijuana revoked in 2017.Just before the end of the 2016 legislative session, Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, and Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, introduced a bill to require counties and cities to lift their...
