On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, Governor Inslee signed into law SB 5096, expanding employee ownership in Washington State. This bipartisan legislation is among the most ambitious state employee ownership legislation to date, and it passed both chambers unanimously with no opposition. Legislation has now been introduced to eliminate the year old employee ownership commission citing the 4 billion deficit that the state is facing. The program costs very little (1 FTE staff and a tax credit limited to $200k per year). Thanks to John McNamara at NWCDC for flagging this important development.
HB 2047 was introduced on March 24, 2025 and proposes the elimination of the WA Employee Ownership Program and the Commission. A hearing on the bill is scheduled for Thursday, April 3 at 1:30pm. You can show your support by submitting testimony AGAINST HB 2047 in-person, remotely, or in written form.
Here is a sample testimony from the USFWC in support of the bill for your reference. If you do submit testimony, please let us know if you did so we can track support.
