In the runup to the 2020 Legislature,

Gov. Jay Inslee made headlines with a stark warning to the Boeing Co: Build your

next plane in Washington or billions in tax credits could be in jeopardy.

Tax breaks for the aerospace industry

aren’t at the top of Olympia’s agenda —the short, 60-day session that began

Jan. 13 is chiefly focused on a supplemental budget, transportation, gun rights

and addressing homelessnes, among others.

Still, the governor’s warning aims a

light on the aerospace industry and the struggles of its chief denizen, Boeing.

The company is in crisis mode following

the worldwide grounding of the 737 Max 8 fleet. It suspended production of the

plane but has pledged not to lay off workers.

And that has communities around the

state worried about the impact on their economies.

Should the Tri-Cities be worried? Yes,

sort of.

The industry and its 200 key players

are concentrated in the Puget Sound area with few if any direct employees here,

but is very important to our state.

Aerospace generated an estimated $71

billion and employed 83,400 Washington workers in 2018, according to a 2019

economic impact study commissioned by Aerospace Works for Washington, a

nonprofit advocacy group tied to the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

Indirectly, the industry supports

223,700 jobs and $20.6 billion in wages and $94.4 billion in business revenue

through multiplier effects. The effect is felt statewide.

The legislative session is set to wrap

on March 12. To date, more than 4,000 bills have been introduced.

Here’s a look at some of the

business-oriented ones that attracted the attention of Tri-City lawmakers,

including several hoping to capitalize on the newest branch of the armed

forces, the U.S. Space Force.

Feb. 19 is the last day to pass bills

out of their house of origin. This online version of this story will be updated

to reflect which bills passed the cutoff date.

Space economy

Rep. Matt Boehnke, R-Kennewick, is

backing three bills to promote a “space economy” in Washington.

HJM 4015 asks Congress to site a Space

Academy in Washington. HB 2665 contemplates tax breaks for the industry. And HB

2596 directs the Department of Commerce to study the matter. All were pending

in the House.

“Washington state is home to some of

the brightest minds and most influential visionaries, and we have a tremendous

opportunity to establish ourselves as a national and global leader in the

future of commercial space exploration and development,” said Boehnke, a

retired U.S. Army officer who teaches cybersecurity at Columbia Basin College.

Responsible revenue

Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick,

introduced SB 5636, which would require the state to evaluate the real-world

impact of bills that increase or decrease state revenue by $10 million. She

first proposed the idea in 2017. It was pending in the Senate.

Nuclear waste repository

Brown introduced SJM 8018 calling on Congress,

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to

develop a permanent federal repository for high-level radioactive waste.

Funding for a waste site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, was terminated nearly a

decade ago. It was pending in the Senate.

Blockchain leader?

Brown wants Washington to take the lead

on blockchain technology. SB 6065 would create a work group to examine

applications of technology in computing, financial services, real estate,

health care and public record keeping. It was pending in the Senate.

Death with Dignity

Rep. Skyler Rude, R-Walla Walla,

introduced HB419, which calls for the University of Washington to study the

barriers rural residents face accessing the Death with Dignity Act. Voters

approved the act allowing state residents with terminal illnesses to request

medication to end their life 10 years ago. It was pending in the House.

Death penalty

SB 5339, which passed in the Senate on

Jan. 31, would abolish the death penalty as a sentencing option. The bill has

bipartisan support. The state Supreme Court ruled the death penalty

unconstitutional in 2018, and Inslee put a moratorium on it four years prior to

that. It passed out of the Senate and was pending in the House.

Degrees behind bars

Rep. Brad Klippert, R-Kennewick, is a

sponsor of HB 2299, which allows the Department of Corrections to implement

post-secondary certificate and degree programs in state prisons. It was pending

in the House.

King County ‘big

business’ tax

HB 2907 authorizes counties with a

population of at least 2 million to impose payroll taxes of 0.1 percent to 0.2

percent on businesses at a graduated rate based on employee compensation. Small

businesses, government and certain industries are exempted from the tax, which

would raise money to support affordable housing and development. The bill

essentially targets large businesses such as Amazon in King County. It was

pending in the House.