Friends and Neighbors,
How can we help give working families a better shot at the American Dream?
I’m focused on kitchen-table issues this session, especially jobs, small businesses, and economic development.
This e-newsletter includes updates about what’s happening on bills to boost our economy and create more opportunity.
Helping working families
Small businesses and working families are the strong backbone of every community—and our state’s economy.
They’ve also been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve been a small business owner, so I understand how hard it is.
That’s why I wrote two bills to specifically support working families, small businesses, and small towns—and it’s why I’m strongly supporting other measures to boost Main Street instead of Wall Street.
Building a better Washington—House Bill 1958 helps create jobs in small towns and rural areas by creating a more level playing field.
It gives new tools to the Community Economic Revitalization Board, including more flexibility to provide grants so small towns and rural areas can make projects shovel-ready. It also removes the cap on these grants, which used to be limited to $50,000. These days, you can’t do much with a piece of land for $50,000.
Data centers—House Bill 1846 expands and extends the tax incentives for data centers to locate in rural counties. This is a proven way to create jobs in small towns, timber country, and farm country. It also dovetails with our state’s role as a world leader in technology.
I also support efforts to boost funding in the following areas:
Supporting entrepreneurs and growing small business
- $70M Working Washington Grants
- $30M Small Business Flex Fund Loans
- $200M Bridge funding for restaurants awaiting federal relief
- $3M for Washington State Microenterprise Association
- $650K for Small Business Services Ecosystem Capacity Building
Targeted support for entrepreneurs from historically underserved communities
- $45M for Small Business Innovation & Competitiveness Fund
- $1.4M for Small Business Development Center & Minority Business Development Agency
- $13.2M for Businesses Resiliency Network & Credit Repair Pilot
- $1.4M for Procurement Technical Assistance Centers
Catalyzing investments in small businesses and local economies
- $100M for Community Economic Revitalization Board projects
- $100M for Public Works Board recapitalization & projects
- $2.5M for “shovel ready” manufacturing site (operating budget)
- $7.5M for “shovel ready” manufacturing sites (capital budget)
What do you think?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about kitchen table issues.
Click here to tell me. It won’t take a minute—there’s only one question.
If you have ideas, comments, or questions about jobs and economic development, please contact my office. I hope to hear from you soon!
