FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick Connor, Washington State Director,  patrick.connor@nfib.org,
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager,  anthony.malandra@nfib.org

OLYMPIA, Wash., Jan. 29, 2025—Washington state’s leading small business association today released its legislative agenda for the year, with changes in the state’s business personal property tax and greater health-care affordability top priorities.

“We will lobby strenuously for passage of House Bill 1004 and House Joint Resolution 4200 that will expand the business personal property tax exemption to all businesses and increase that exemption to $50,000,” said Patrick Connor, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in Washington. “As another top priority, we will also push for passage of House Bill 1382 that will modernize the all-payer claims database to make it consistent with federal rules. This would be a huge step toward health-care affordability.”

Other agenda items include finally passing a right-to-repair law (HB 1483, SB 5423), allowing small repair shops and individuals to purchase parts, tools, and instructions from electronic device manufacturers. “We’ve been working with tech industry leaders on this bill,” said Connor.

Included in the opposition side of NFIB’s agenda are extending unemployment benefits to striking workers, accelerating the state’s existing minimum wage schedule, and funding wage replacement for workers not eligible to receive UI benefits. “The unemployment insurance system was built to take taxes from employers, the only people who pay into the trust fund, and disperse it to workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. It was not meant to be an open bar tab for everyone else,” added Connor.

Keep up with the latest Washington state small-business news at www.nfib.com or on X @NFIB_WA or on Facebook @NFIB.WA

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For more than 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB Washington
111 – 21st Avenue Southwest
Olympia, WA 98501
360-786-8675
NFIB.com/WA
Twitter: @NFIB_WA
Facebook: @NFIB.WA