Association of Washington Business – Updated Weekly

New keynote speakers: AWB is thrilled to announce that former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu will speak at AWB’s Policy Summit in September. Emanuel and Sununu will offer valuable insights from both sides of the aisle during a dinner keynote discussion.

• Emanuel, a Democrat, served as mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019, with a legacy that includes major investments in education, public safety and infrastructure. Prior to that, he served as chief of staff under President Obama and represented Illinois for three terms in Congress. He most recently served as United States ambassador to Japan and is considering a run for president in 2028.

• Sununu, a Republican, served four terms as New Hampshire governor from 2017 to 2025. As governor, he enjoyed broad bipartisan support and is recognized as a national leader for his common-sense approach to government. Under his leadership, New Hampshire was ranked as one of the best states for business and growth in the country, the #1 state for both personal and economic freedoms, and #1 for best return on taxpayer investment.

Also on the agenda: Register now for the Policy Summit, Sept. 16-18 at the Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane, presented by AT&T. This is your chance to hear the latest updates on state and federal policy issues and network with fellow business leaders and legislators. (Check out this 2024 highlight video.)

• Ron Kirk, U.S. Trade Representative under President Obama, and Mick Mulvaney, who served as chief of staff in the first Trump administration, will discuss global trade policy and tariffs.

• AWB’s Government Affairs team will give a 2026 legislative session preview and hold breakout sessions on tax and fiscal policy, employment law, energy and more.

• Economist Matthew Gardner will bring you the latest economic news, with a focus on impacts in Washington state.

• Stay tuned as we announce more speakers and panels!

Discount room block: Save money and reserve your spot at the hotel with AWB’s discounted room block, giving you the best spot to enjoy Spokane without missing any of the action at Policy Summit. The room block closes Aug. 22 — book soon as space is limited.

New budget forecast: New estimates show that state tax collections will come in $725 million below previous projections over the next four years. Slower employment and personal income growth and reduced residential construction are leading to a drop in tax receipts, according to Washington state chief economist Dave Reich. Read the full report.

• In addition, significant uncertainty over tariff policy, federal funding reductions and Middle East conflict are clouding Washington’s economic outlook.

• The drop in state revenues was not a surprise, but still concerning with the two-year budget lawmakers approved in April already underwater.

No special session — for now: In a statement, Gov. Bob Ferguson he did not anticipate calling a special session before the next regular legislative session begins in January.

“We are closely monitoring developments from the federal government that could force me to revisit that question,” Ferguson said. “We will also carefully review the next revenue forecast in September.”

Tariff pause expiring: President Trump says he has no plans to extend a 90-day pause of sweeping global tariffs past the July 9 deadline. At that time, tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners will revert back to rates ranging from 11% to 50% announced on April 2.

• Trump had originally set an ambitious goal of signing 90 trade deals in 90 days. So far, the U.S. has cemented a trade deal with the U.K. that covers U.K. aircraft and car parts, while making progress on a trade framework with China.

• As the deadline approaches, trading partners from the European Union to Japan are scrambling to strike a deal to avoid the double-digit tariff rates.

Updates from the White House: President Trump said Sunday that the U.S. would send letters to hundreds of countries assigning tariff rates before the deadline.

• On Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. is pursuing deals with 18 key trading partners and that “trade could be wrapped up by Labor Day” — a softer deadline than the early July target.

De-escalating tensions with China: In a deal announced Friday, China agreed to ease restrictions on rare earth mineral exports that are critical to manufacturing and microchip production. However, major trade issues between the two countries remain unresolved.

Tariff impacts in Washington: As trade policy remains uncertain, Washington businesses are facing higher prices, reduced exports and supply chain disruptions. Read more in Washington Business magazine, or tell us how tariffs are impacting your business in this short survey.

New leadership: AWB has named Morgan Irwin VP of Government Affairs. Irwin was appointed interim Government Affairs VP in March, after joining AWB in 2023 as the policy lead for transportation and land use/housing.

“Morgan stepped into the position part way through a challenging legislative session,” said AWB President Kris Johnson. “Since then, he has navigated complex policy challenges, established important relationships, and unified the Government Affairs team. I’m confident that Morgan is the right person to lead our advocacy efforts going forward.”

Varied resume: Irwin previously served as a state representative for the 31st Legislative District from 2017 to 2020 and was a member of the House Transportation Committee and a ranking member on the House Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee. He also worked as a police officer in Seattle and Bonney Lake.

Get in touch: Contact Morgan Irwin at morgani@awb.org.

📽 Civics in action: AWB just dropped a new video with highlights from the 2025 National Civics Bee Washington state finals. In the video, hear from the first, second and third-place finishers on what civics means to them.

“Through civics, I learned how to use (my voice), how to advocate for change and how to detect problems, and come up with meaningful solutions,” said first-place winner Maahna Nasir, who just graduated 8th grade from Washington Virtual Academies.

AWB News has more on the Civics Bee state finals.

Washington’s gas tax going up on July 1

On Tuesday, Washington’s gas tax will rise by 6 cents per gallon — the first increase in nine years — after the Legislature approved the increase earlier this year. Starting next July, the gas tax will automatically increase by 2% annually — about a penny — to account for inflation.

As of Monday, Washington’s gas prices were $4.43 a gallon, about 10 cents more than they were a year ago, according to AAA. The national average is $3.18 a gallon.

The gas tax increase is part of a $3.2 billion transportation package lawmakers approved in April. The package also includes numerous other fee increases: higher passenger vehicle weight fees, increased rental car tax, higher tire disposal fees and more.

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Walmart invites WA entrepreneurs to apply for a shot at national distribution

🚀 Walmart has launched its 2025 Open Call application, offering entrepreneurs the chance to pitch Walmart and Sam’s Club buyers with products made, grown or assembled in the U.S. for a shot at national distribution.

Walmart has expanded the application beyond products to search for companies developing breakthrough technologies in infrastructure, supply chain and manufacturing that enable or enhance U.S. manufacturing.

Applications close on July 25, and selected businesses will be invited to a high-energy, Shark Tank-style pitch event at Walmart’s HQ in Bentonville, Arkansas on Oct. 7-8.

Safety matters: Washington is the highest-cost state in the nation for workers’ compensation, according to the most recent data from the National Institute of Social Insurance. Managing workers’ compensation claims can be costly and time-consuming for employers. Fortunately, AWB and CompWise are here to help.

Free webinar: The no-cost July 10 webinar will have lots of useful tips on how to establish proper hiring practices and create a safety culture within your company to avoid costly claims. This class is open to both AWB members and non-members. One SHRM credit is available.

Speakers will include:

• Laura Oslund is a senior risk services consultant with Sedgwick and a board-certified safety professional.  For over  24 years she has championed safety and occupational health management, and guided employers in reducing risk.

• Adam S. Belzberg is a partner in the Seattle office of Stoel Rives. He represents and advises employers, from small businesses to international corporations, in all aspects of labor and employment law.

Why attend? Enhance your company’s hiring practices and safety culture to avoid costly future claims by:

• Establishing a rigorous pre and post hire curriculum.

• Identify five best hiring practices to reduce workplace injuries.

• Learn three approaches for growing a safety culture and compliance.

What’s ahead: Look ahead for other useful classes in the Workers’ Comp Essentials Webinar Series, which provides tools to help employers reduce overall workers’ comp costs and mitigate risk. The program will cover proactive strategies for claims management, safety as well as group retro relationships. The current 2025 schedule:

• September — Claims management

• October — Accident Investigation

• December — OSHA Recordkeeping

Get connected: Contact Stacie Neiswanger to learn more about AWB’s CompWise workers’ compensation retrospective ratings program.

Open your doors to the eyes of the world by becoming a stop on the 2025 Manufacturing Week bus tour. AWB is looking for a few good manufacturers to show us your shop floor as we cross the state in October for our ninth-annual tour, sponsored by Banner Bank and Premera.

To be considered, tell us about your company by filling out this logistics form. We have visited hundreds of Washington manufacturers over the years — every one unique and each one inspiring. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Check out our video from last year's tour to explore the shop floors we visited. We'd love to include you in 2025. Our tour is coming through western Washington Oct. 1-3 then heading east of the Cascades Oct. 6-8. We’ll see you on the road.

Amid all the uncertainty facing businesses today, one thing you can count on is having access to best-in-class service offerings through AWB. To help your company stay competitive, in compliance, and recruit the best and the brightest, AWB offers members products, including:

• High-quality health insurance

• Robust 401k retirement programs

• Workers’ compensation premium savings and safety services

• A comprehensive suite of ancillary benefits such as dental, vision, disability, and life insurance

What members say: “Being able to offer health benefits is extremely important to us. Our broker recommended HealthChoice 20 years ago, and it has been a great choice for us,” said Alta Group President David Haavik.

• “I have never heard a complaint from any of my employees in all these years.”

More information: Please visit AWB’s member services page.

“I have been given this great opportunity to do something that I never thought possible: graduating from high school. I thought it would never happen.” ~ Barbara Bishop, a woman from Winlock, Lewis County, who just received her high school diploma at 85 years old.