2016 Federal Legislative Priority Agenda

Greater Spokane Incorporated

Create Something Greater

CREATE SOMETHING GREATER

BUSINESS CLIMATE POLICY

MARKETPLACE FAIRNESS ACTSupport the Marketplace Fairness Act that would enable state governments to collect sales and use taxes from remote retailers with no physical presence in their state.

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIPSupport the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to provide open access to global markets.

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION REAUTHORIZATION Ensure the FAA’s Reauthorization legislation is inclusive of all aviation stakeholders and provides regulatory reforms, maintains adequate protections of the air traffic system, and provides funding programs for the nation’s airports. The reauthorization should also include: • Include an increase in the Passenger Facility Charge to $8.50 to adjust for inflation.

• Ensure the long-term protection of the Contract Tower Program for Congress to protect its oversight abilities if a not-for-profit Air Traffic Control organization is pursued.

EPA’S CLEAN POWER PLAN IMPLEMENTATIONContinue to monitor and engage at the state and federal levels to ensure that the emission reduction targets of the Clean Power Plan can be attained at the lowest possible cost.

PORTS PERFORMANCE ACT S. 1298Reform the U.S. Ports to focus on early identification of port disruptions.

TITLE 41 REFORM•Advocatesforachangeinjobposting requirements for companies that participate in federal contracts. Change to require jobs lasting 30 days or longer to be posted; requirement is currently set at jobs lasting three days or longer. •Encourage correlation of regional demographics to accommodate a calculated credit for contractors who hire non-reporting protected veterans. •ReformOFCCPtoproviderecord- keeping relief for small firms.

TAX REFORM•Encouragelong-termcomprehensive tax reform to provide the certainty and predictability necessary for business investment and job creation.

•SecureResearch&Experimentation Tax Credit extension and permanence to ensure the growth of research and development companies.

•Opposeattemptstoreducethetax deductions related to business advertising-related tax deductions. •ProtecttheTax-ExemptStatusof Municipal Bonds to support preservation of the federal deductibility of local property and income taxes and the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds.

INCREASE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PTACSupport a nationwide increase in funding for Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC). PTAC funding has not increased in five years.

CHEMICAL SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT Support an amendment to the Toxics Substance Control Act (TSCA) so that PCBs generated as unintentional manufacturing impurities – such as pigments – are excluded.

EDUCATION & HEALTH SCIENCES POLICYPROTECT AND EXPAND GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION TRAINING •Continuetofullyreauthorizationofthe Health, Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant funding to create a permanent funding source for Teaching Health Centers to allow Eastern Washington to increase its number of residency slots as a key strategy to address our area’s shortage in primary care physicians. The residents will be trained in the Spokane Teaching Health Clinic, currently being constructed by WSU Spokane, to be operated by the Spokane Teaching Health Consortium (a partnership of Washington State University, Empire Health Foundation and Providence Health Care).

•Support residency growth in the five-state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) in a five-year model that prioritizes expansion of programs in rural settings or medically underserved areas in primary care to create 60 new residency positions in areas of family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, surgeryandOB/GYN.

The 2016 Federal Legislative Priority Agenda represents a targeted, regional advocacy approach that allows GSI to identify specific legislative goals and unify the community around essential items that have the broadest regional impact.

CREATE SOMETHING GREATERSTEM EDUCATION Support Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and higher-education initiatives to expand both intellectual and physical assets in the health sciences and health care fields.

EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS AND FUNDINGSupport programs such as Early Head Start, Preschool Development Grants, and Child Care Development Block Grants to ensure the education of pre-K learners.

GROW HEALTH SCIENCE RESEARCH Support federal funding for health sciences and health care research. •Supportcontinuedfundingforthe U.S. SBA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program to accelerate capital formation for small and startup businesses and promote technology transfer to the private sector.

•Supportfederalfundingforthe Agency for Health Research and Quality that supports patient care, quality and safety.

REAUTHORIZE THE WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN (WIC) SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAMSupport WIC reform to extend the post-partum period to two years and extend eligibility children’s eligibility through fifth birthday.

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE (FAFB)KC-46A TANKERS Support FAFB to be the next active dutyMainOperatingBase(MOB)for siting of the KC-46A refueling tankers.

WATER SURVIVAL PROGRAM Support training facilities (AETC) that are required for the USAF Water Survival Program (336th Training Group) at FAFB. MILCONSupport modernization of facilities and equipment at FAFB through projectseligibleforMILCONas submitted by FAFB and the Air Mobility Command (AMC).

P4 PROJECT Support FAFB’s top P4 Project to create a multi-law enforcement partnership in developing an indoor shooting range where Airmen can train and qualify.

MONITOR CURRENT

ISSUESEPA Water Quality Standards

• Waters of U.S. Ruling

•Executive Order 13650

TRANSPORTATION & INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTSBARKER ROAD/BNSF GRADE SEPARATION PROJECTSupport funding $21 million of $29.5 million to separate vehicle traffic from train traffic.

PINES ROAD/BNSF GRADE SEPARATION PROJECTSupport funding $16.7 million of $17.2 million to reconstruct Pines Road to passunderfourBNSFtracks.

CENTRAL CITY LINESupport the STA’s $53.43 million Small Starts grant application that will provide funding for the Central City Line.

WEST PLAINS TRANSIT CENTERSupport the STA West Plains Transit Center TIGER or bus and bus facilities grant application, to help secure funding for the West Plains Transit Center.

RIVERFRONT PARK BRIDGE REVITALIZATION Support $10 million funding request for the reconstruction of Riverfront Park bridges to ensure public safety in the park.

ABOUT GREATER SPOKANE INCORPORATED’S PUBLIC POLICY WORKGreater Spokane Incorporated works year-round with the business community to advance policies that enhance our region’s business climate through economic development, small business and workforce development initiatives, facilities and infrastructure improvements, and capital and operating budget funding for regional programs and projects. Throughout the past decade, Greater Spokane Incorporated’s advocacy efforts have produced more than $900 million in funding for projects that enhance the economic viabilityoftheInlandNorthwest.

509.624.1393 | GreaterSpokane.org | 801 W Riverside Ave Suite 100 | Spokane WA 99201

Public Policy Program Sponsor

Create Something Greater

Federal Government

Patty Murray US Senator (D)

Suzan DelBene 1st District

US House of Representatives (D)

Derek Kilmer6th District

US House of Representatives (D)

Rick Larsen2nd District US House of

Representatives (D)

Jim McDermott7th District

US House of Representatives (D)

Jaime Herrera Beutler3rd District

US House of Representatives (R)

David Reichert8th District

US House of Representatives (R)

Dan Newhouse4th District

US House of Representatives (R)

Adam Smith9th District

US House of Representatives (D)

Cathy McMorris Rodgers5th District

US House of Representatives (R)

Denny Heck10th District US House of

Representatives (D)

Maria Cantwell US Senator (D)