Dear Friends and Neighbors,

This year’s 60-day legislative session just passed the halfway mark. We passed a major deadline – house of origin cutoff, the time by which all non-budget bills must be passed from their house of origin to the other chamber. Since the beginning of the legislative biennium in 2021, over 2,000 bills have been introduced in the House and 1,000 more in the Senate. There’s never a shortage of work for the Legislature to do, but we also want to make sure that any bills we pass are given the attention and careful consideration they deserve—that’s where legislative cutoffs come into play. Bills that didn’t pass off the House or Senate floors by the deadline likely won’t continue advancing through the legislative process this year.

Keep reading for updates on an upcoming virtual town hall, a program to support small businesses, and the 2022 session so far.

Join us Thursday, Feb. 24 for a Virtual Town Hall!

Click to submit your question for the virtual town hall.

Please join Sen. Manka Dhingra, Rep. Roger Goodman and me for a 45th District Virtual Town Hall on Thursday, February 24 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. The town hall will be streamed live on the House Democratic Caucus’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.

You can submit questions to us ahead of time, or live during the event by entering them in the comment section.

Please note, the livestream will not appear on most of the platforms until the event begins. You also do not need a Facebook or Twitter account to view the livestream and the video will be saved on YouTube.

We’re looking forward to listening to you, answering your questions, and updating you on the first half of the 2022 Legislative Session!

Promoting Reusable Packing Materials

In the past, packing materials were not taxed, as they were considered input and only a final finished good is subject to sales and use tax. However, a recent Washington Court of Appeals decision determined that reusable wooden pallets utilized as part of a packing materials pool constituted a “retail sale” and was subject to retail sales and use taxes, resulting in the sales tax being pyramided.

In addition, the ruling discourages the reuse of packing materials and encourages sending usable packing materials to our landfills. Washington’s fruit and vegetable farmers utilize pallets and reusable containers in providing their products to consumers, while many retailers require their products to be packed utilizing reusable packing materials as part of their global environmental policies. To address this issue, I introduced House Bill 1830, which clarifies that certain reusable packing materials are exempt from sales and use tax. By passing this policy, Washington will continue to provide an incentive for businesses to use environmentally friendly packing materials. The bill passed out of the House Finance Committee last month and is awaiting a vote on the floor of the House. I’ll keep you updated as it continues to move through the legislative process.

Small Business Flex Fund

Many small businesses are still struggling due to the pandemic. As our neighborhood hubs and the engine of our economy in Washington, they need help keeping their doors open, repairing damage or renovating, and keeping valued employees on the payroll.

That’s why the Department of Commerce set up the Small Business Flex Fund in June of last year. Through this fund, small businesses and nonprofits can borrow up to $150,000 to spend flexibly on payroll, building repairs and improvements, utilities, rent, supplies, marketing, and other expenses. Already, they’ve provided loans to over 100 small business owners like those you see below. These are our neighbors that provide a place for people to gather, to get childcare, get a haircut or manicure and shop with the certainty that they’re supporting their community.

Click the image to learn more about the Small Business Flex Fund.

The Small Business Flex Fund is a forward-thinking, public-private partnership to help small businesses and nonprofits recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their business again, and this session, we will be advocating for it to continue.

Information on the Small Business Flex Fund is available in English, Simplified Chinese (简化字), Russian (русский), Spanish (Español), Vietnamese (tiếng Việt), Amharic, Arabic, Tagalog, and Korean. Our local stores and businesses need a partner in government to help them stay open, create opportunities in our communities, and be resilient in the face of disaster. We hope this Small Business Flex Fund is one part of that partnership.

Shovel-Ready Jobs for Rural Economies

Rural economies have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Shovel-ready projects would go a long way toward helping these communities rebuild. That is why the legislature passed House Bill 1958 earlier this month. This legislation will encourage and increase rural economic development and will help rural communities participate in the recovery on a more level playing field.

It gives the Community Economic Revitalization Board more flexibility to provide planning program grants to achieve shovel-ready status and removes the cap on program planning grants.

This additional flexibility means we are fast-tracking shovel-ready programs in our rural communities – helping them recover from the effects of the pandemic.

House COVID-19 Operations Update

Just like last session, we’ve be doing most of our work virtually to help keep the public, staff, and lawmakers safe. At the start of session, due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant, the House unfortunately had to shift from its original plan of beginning the session in hybrid format to mostly remote. I’m happy to report that after a recent reassessment, we increased the number of members allowed in-person on the floor.

For those who are in Olympia in person – of which I am one – there are still guidelines that must be followed to help protect the health of our communities. Legislators and staff are required to show proof of vaccination to be on the House floor. Even though I am fully vaccinated and boosted, before entering the House chamber on floor session days, I and other legislators, staff, and members of the press are also required to take a COVID test on site. This helps protect everyone in the legislative community who is here in person. For members of the public who wish to access the House galleries, each person must provide vaccine verification or a negative test taken within 72 hours. Read the 2022 House COVID-19 session operations plan.

The situation will continue to be reassessed every two weeks and House operations will be adjusted according to the dynamics of the pandemic, and state and local public health guidance.

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. Stay tuned, there is still much work to be done before session ends. I always welcome your comments so do not hesitate to contact me at larry.springer@leg.wa.gov.

Sincerely,