Office of Governor Gary Locke
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 6, 2003
Contact:  Governor's Communications Office, 360-902-4136

Gov. Gary Locke Reconvenes Competitiveness Council

Gov. Gary Locke today announced that he has reconvened the Washington Competitiveness Council to continue its previous work as well as address higher education issues to further improve Washington’s competitiveness.

The next meeting of the Washington Competitiveness Council is set for tomorrow, Oct. 7, at Seattle Central Community College. The council plans to meet two more times this winter and issue specific recommendations to the governor and the Legislature before the 2004 legislative session. The Council will also meet during the legislative session to review progress on the agenda.

Locke will address the council at tomorrow’s meeting and participate in the discussion, which will be led by Alan Mulally, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and co-chair of the Washington Competitiveness Council. Several original members of the Competitiveness Council have returned for the second round of meetings, and a number of new members have been added (complete list below).

“We’ve made great progress in making our state more competitive, but we can’t rest on our laurels,” Locke said. “We must continue to push for implementation of the Competitiveness Council’s agenda. And we also must harness higher education to help drive economic growth.”

The Competitiveness Council comprises business, labor, education and government leaders from across the state. The governor originally convened the group in 2001 to examine Washington’s ability to compete in the global economy of the 21st century. Council members identified competitiveness issues of greatest concern and developed recommendations to address them.

The council’s initial report, finalized in January 2001, contained recommendations for improving the business climate in Washington state. The council’s top recommendation was improving transportation, and, under the governor’s leadership, the Legislature passed a major transportation-improvement package this year and the governor signed it into law.

Locke and the Legislature have taken steps to implement the majority of the Competitiveness Council’s recommendations. Locke has implemented many of these recommendations via executive order or through instructions to his cabinet agencies. Legislators adopted many others in the 2002 and 2003 legislative sessions. The full progress report can be obtained at http://www.governor.wa.gov/wcc/wcc.htm.

The progress report describes 32 bills promoting competitiveness passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor this year, including:

· A $4.2 billion transportation-improvement package;
· An estimated $3 billion tax incentive package for Washington’s aerospace industry;
· Consolidation of the permit appeals process for complex projects;
· Establishment of the Office of Regulatory Assistance within the Governor’s Office;
· Development of an integrated permit system through a multi-agency pilot project;
· Greater tuition-setting authority for universities – legislation supported by Boeing;
· Simplified municipal B&O taxation, elimination of taxation of same revenue by multiple cities;
· Legislation requested by the governor that establishes a permanent funding source for the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB), which helps fund infrastructure for economic development in rural areas;
· Creation of incentives for the use of biodiesel fuels; and
· Establishment of the state Economic Development Commission in statute.

Competitiveness highlights from 2002 include streamlining regulatory and permitting processes and transforming the state Department of Ecology into a more business-friendly agency without compromising environmental standards.

Details for tomorrow’s meeting are listed below:

WHAT
Competitiveness Council Meeting

WHO
Gov. Gary Locke
Martha Choe, Director, Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development
Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Competitiveness Council members

WHEN
Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2003
4 p.m.-6 p.m.

WHERE
Broadway Performance Hall
Seattle Central Community College
1625 Broadway
Seattle

# # #

Editor’s Note: Media are welcome to attend the meeting; however, there will not be availability with the governor due to his schedule. A complete list of Competitiveness Council members is attached. The Competitiveness Council scorecard can be found at http://www.governor.wa.gov/wcc/wcc.htm.



2003 Competitiveness Council Members

Co-Chairs

Kerry Killinger, Chairman, President & CEO
Washington Mutual, Inc., Seattle

Alan Mulally, President & CEO
Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Renton

Judith Runstad
Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC, Seattle

Other Members

Tom Alberg, Managing Director
Madrona Venture Group, LLC, Seattle

The Honorable Ron Allen*, Chair
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Sequim

Stan Barer, Co-Chairman & CEO
Saltchuk Resources, Inc., Seattle

Rick Bender, President
Washington Labor Council, AFL CIO, Seattle

Roger Boatwright, Executive Secretary
Washington State Building and Construction
Trades Council, Olympia

Phyllis J. Campbell, President & CEO
The Seattle Foundation

The Honorable Frank Chopp (D-43)
Democratic Speaker of the House
Washington State House of Representatives

Jon Clemens*, President
Sharp Technology Ventures, Camas

Steve Davis*, President & CEO
Corbis, Inc., Seattle

M.R. (Mic) Dinsmore, CEO
Port of Seattle

Bob Drewel, Snohomish County Executive

Charlie Earl*, President
Everett Community College

Tom Fritz*, Executive Director
Inland Northwest Health Services, Spokane

Ron Howell*, President
Washington Research Foundation, Seattle

Lee Huntsman, Interim President
University of Washington

Sally Jewell, CEO
REI, Inc., Sumner

The Honorable James Kastama (D-25)
Washington State Senate

Nelson D. Ludlow*, CEO
Mobilisa, Inc., Port Townsend

Mike McGavick*, Chairman, President & CEO
Safeco Corporation, Seattle

Scott Morris, President
Avista Utilities, Spokane

The Honorable Greg Nickels*, Mayor
City of Seattle

H. Stewart Parker, President & CEO
Targeted Genetics, Seattle

Leonard K. Peters*, Director
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland

Michael J. Phillips*, Chairman & CEO
Frank Russell Company, Tacoma

The Honorable John T. Powers, Jr., Mayor
City of Spokane

Andrea Riniker, Executive Director
Port of Tacoma

The Honorable Barry Sehlin (R-10)
Washington State House of Representatives

Bradford L. Smith*
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary,
Mircosoft Corporation

Sandra Schroeder*, President
American Federation of Teachers Local 8045, Tukwila

The Honorable Sid Snyder, Retired
Washington State Senate

The Honorable James West (R-6)
Washington State Senate

John Zeglis*, Chairman & CEO
AT&T Wireless, Redmond

Executive Director

Dick Thompson
Director of Government Relations
University of Washington

* Denotes new members

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