Seattle, King County no longer require COVID vaccinations for employees while the state persists
King County and the City of Seattle announced this week that they have ceased requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for employees, […]
Downtown Seattle urgently needs new ideas for rebirth
By The Seattle Times editorial board For a lot of people, the news last month that Nike shuttered its retail shop in […]
Mobile phone use policies are smart business
Distracted driving claimed 3142 lives in 2020. Due to the inherent dangers, handheld device use and texting while driving is illegal in […]
Legislative Update
Today marks the 24th day of the 105-day session, and WR’s policy and government affairs team (pictured right) are continuing to review […]
WR weighs in on police pursuit bills
This week Washington Retail testified in support of several bills designed to allow law enforcement to once again pursue suspected criminals. Three […]
Senate panel advances multiple-accomplices ORC bill
The state Senate Law and Justice Committee today voted last week to advance Sen. Nikki Torres’ legislation to further define the crime […]
Combating Organized Retail Crime Act reintroduced in Congress
On Monday, Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-NV) have introduced the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2023. A summary of […]
Paid family and medical leave premium rate could decrease to 0.76% next year
By: Emily Makings, Washington Research Council Two weeks ago, the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce approved SSB 5286, which would make […]
AG’s office recovers $9.3M in stolen unemployment money
Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced last week that his office recovered another $9.3 million stolen as part of a massive fraud carried […]
Why the Fed’s next interest rate decision is hard
Bill Conerly, Sr. contributor, Forbes The Federal Reserve’s policy making committee will meet January 31-February 1, 2023, and their decision will be […]
Consumers plan to increase Valentine’s Day spending to nearly $26 billion
Consumers are projected to spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, up from $23.9 billion in 2022, an 8.4% increase. More […]
2022 ends with strong economic growth
As predicted, the economy grew at the end of 2022 with GDP expanding 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Consumer spending rose 2.1%, […]