20th District lawmaker’s measures reflects his dedication to private-sector jobs

The Senate voted Monday in favor of four bills introduced by Sen. John Braun, who said each bill passed would help to bring stability, predictability and efficiency to Washington’s private sector.

“Yesterday the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus confirmed its commitment to jobs by passing four of the bills we’d highlighted as job-makers. Geographical limitations on Seattle’s sick-leave entitlement, renewing business licenses online, the frequency of sales tax changes, and a good faith defense for employers were addressed with thoughtful and meaningful improvements,” said Braun, R-Centralia. “These bills should help small-businesses to succeed and encourage them to hire new employees, increasing benefits for existing workers, and investing in capital-improvement projects.”

Braun and his fellow bipartisan-coalition members have put together a collection of proposed legislation designed to help Washington’s private sector create jobs. All four bills are part of that group.

“Our caucus has focused our efforts on jobs, education and a sustainable budget. If we could now get these four bills through the House of Representatives they will go a long way toward helping our private sector create jobs,” Braun said.

Braun introduced each of these four measures, all of which attracted bipartisan sponsorship and have been sent over to the House for its consideration.

• Senate Bill 5656 would require all cities that impose a business and occupation tax to have their general business licenses issued and renewed, if renewal is applicable, through the business licensing system or the city run portal by July 1, 2016. Cities that do not impose a business and occupation tax must have their general business licenses issued and renewed, if renewal is applicable, through the business licensing system or the city run portal by January 1, 2019.

• Senate Bill 5697 would restrict the frequency with which the state Department of Revenue can change local sales and use taxes. Unless otherwise specified, a local sales and use tax change may take effect no sooner than 75 days after DOR receives notice of the change, and only on the first day of April or October. If the local sales and use tax is a credit against the state sales or use tax, it may take effect no sooner than 30 days after DOR receives notice of the change, and only on the first day of a month.

• Senate Bill 5726 would prohibit a local jurisdiction such as a city, town, code city, or county from requiring an employer to provide paid sick or safe leave to employees unless the employer is physically located within the jurisdiction and only applies to an employee who works at a physical location of the employer within the jurisdiction for at least 85 percent of the hours worked for that employer in the current calendar year.

• Senate Bill 5158 states that employers are not liable, nor can they be assessed a penalty for their failure to pay minimum wages or overtime compensation under the Minimum Wage Act if the employer can establish that they relied in good faith upon an agency regulation, order, advice, or interpretation of the director of the Department of Labor and Industries. This is true regardless of whether the regulation, order, advice, or interpretation of the director is later modified, rescinded, or overturned in court.