December 10, 2009

(Spokane, Wash.) – Greater Spokane Incorporated’s (GSI) Legislative Forum and Reception at The Davenport Hotel yesterday was a success with over 375 in attendance.   Denny Heck, Retired TVW president and panel moderator, declared the GSI Legislative Forum “the premier – pre-season event.” 

Panel participants touched on several hot topics and issues faced at local and state levels related to
K-12 education, transportation, pensions, worker’s compensation, and changing policies to give local jurisdictions more flexibility with state dollars.

This year’s panel included Senate Majority Leader, Senator Lisa Brown; Legislative Director of the Governor’s office, Marty Brown; Speaker of the House, Representative Frank Chopp; Republican Floor Leader, Representative Doug Eriksen; and Republican Caucus Chair, Senator Linda Evans Parlette.

Discussions included talk about the Governor’s budget and the 2.6 billion dollar shortfall, addressed by Marty Brown, who noted that the Governor believes the budget is “balanced, but unjust.”  Senator Lisa Brown suggested the need to build green jobs and provide worker training options.  Representative Doug Erickson mentioned privatizing workers compensation and the need to change regulations to retain large companies in WA State.  Senator Linda Evans Parlette was supportive of keeping the basic health plan, but noted that many are currently on the plan who shouldn’t be.  Representative Frank Chopp mentioned the state budget needs to be balanced fairly and policy discussions should be encouraged. 

The 2010 State Agenda, presented at the meeting includes a culmination of regional issues and projects that will be taken to Olympia January 13 – 15.  Annually, GSI, Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, West Plains Chamber of Commerce, and business and civic leaders throughout Eastern Washington present a unified agenda for initiatives identified as critical to economic growth for the region. 

Our Washington State legislators, federal representatives, local officials, and Greater Spokane Incorporated members came together to provide solutions on how to best prioritize our regional and statewide projects.

This year’s Legislative Forum and Reception was sponsored by Pearson Packaging Systems, Kalispel Tribe, and Washington State University Spokane. 

For more information about the upcoming Olympia Trip visit the Local and State Advocacy page on our web site.  This year’s 2010 State Agenda can also be found in the public policy section of our web site.