Olympia Day 2017 Highlights

Article contributed by Rod Kauffman, President, BOMA Seattle King County

On March 21st, we had 49 BOMA members attend our Annual BOMA Olympia Day. More than a dozen of those in attendance were early career professionals and first-time participants.

BOMA members from across Washington State gathered at the state capitol to meet in small groups with over 51 elected officials on issues important to our industry. Whether in a lawmaker’s office or outside committee hearing rooms or at BOMA’s lunch, members met with their district lawmakers to talk about BOMA’s legislative priorities and the contribution commercial real estate makes to our state and local economies.

BOMA Legislative Priorities Olympia Day 2017

BOMA 2017 Issues Talking Points

Highlights 

• We focused on promoting a bill that would prohibit commercial rent control.
• We also focused on another that would promote jobs by extending a sales tax rebate associated with public facilities districts.
• We asked lawmakers for their support in passing Marketplace Fairness which would lead to more retail sales tax collection from out of state online retailers and would help our industry’s brick and mortar retailers.
• We also helped educate our lawmakers on the need to create improved pathways for building engineers to get their 07 electrical license.

BOMA held a briefing meeting on the issues and the advocacy process a week before our meetings with lawmakers with over 30 participants. We had a BOMA bus that carried 20 members down and back.

Thank you to our Bus Sponsors:

Get Involved

If you want to expand your industry awareness, network with some fabulous colleagues and grow your career and elevate your resume, consider joining BOMA’s Government Affairs Committee and definitely sign up for the next Olympia Day in late January of 2018. If you would like to learn more about your state legislative district lawmakers, put in your home address here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/