2013 State Legislative Priorities

Snohomish County is the manufacturing backbone of Washington State with highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the state (over twice the state average) and the largest number of aerospace employees (46,000). Home to two state Innovation Partnership Zones – Aerospace Convergence Zone, Bothell Biomedical Manufacturing – the County’s manufacturing sector accounts for $5.9 billion in wages annually.

Our regional private-public coalition including Economic Alliance Snohomish County, Snohomish County, Snohomish County Cities, Snohomish County Committee for Improved Transportation (SCCIT), and the Port of Everett has coalesced around the priority areas of Education & Workforce, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Competitivenessnecessary to secure our aerospace and advanced manufacturing base while also creating a region where all communities and businesses thrive.

Download the 2013 Regional Priorities for Snohomish County

Education & Workforce Training – Access to a skilled workforce is one of the top priorities for companies looking to bring jobs to our region as well as those who are already here. The ranking of local school districts also plays an important role when businesses assess a region’s attractiveness. Property values are also shown to be impacted by the quality of local public schools making continuous improvement to our P-20 education system imperative to protect our region’s future workforce, attract new businesses and their employees to our region, and sustain local governments’ tax bases.

Transportation & Infrastructure – Freight mobility is important in a just-in-time manufacturing environments and critical to our regional competitiveness, but so is the movement of people. Attractive and efficient transportation systems connecting major employment centers such as light rail and BRT, improve the marketability of our region to those businesses and employees accustomed to transit-centric environments. Such investments also stimulate private sector investments helping communities thrive. See our Key Transportation Corridors document for corridor and project specific information.

Competitiveness & Entrepreneurship – An attractive business environment is necessary as we compete with other states and regions to retain and attract aerospace and advanced manufacturing companies. In addition to investments mentioned above, competitiveness includes creating and maintaining a suite of economic development tools and incentives, keeping the cost of local government reasonable while providing adequate public safety, and offering well-coordinated permitting and planning processes which make government more predictable and efficient.

For detailed agenda of our 2013 State Legislative Priorities, click here.

2012 Federal Legislative Priorities

Continue progress on efforts to increase the profile and strategic importance of Naval Station Everett and other military assets in Snohomish County including support for veterans and military families.

Reauthorization of major federal initiatives including Federal Surface Transportation, Workforce Investment Act, Federal Aviation Administration, and Elementary and Secondary Education Act.


For more information about EASC’s Advocacy program and our priorities, please contact Patrick Pierce, Public Policy Director, at 425.248.4228 or patrickp@economicalliancesc.org.