House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox and House Deputy Majority Leader Larry Springer headlined WPPA’s latest Tuesday Roundtable to talk specifics about economic recovery. Ports are one of the most important economic engines in Washington state, and their unique role as business-promoting governments mean that ports will play an essential role in the state’s recovery.

Rep. Larry Springer began the discussion with his desire to hold a special session to address the unprecedented crisis the state is facing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was clear about the depth of the economic problem for the state, and figuring out ways to address the budget gap Washington will face going forward.

Similarly, Rep. Wilcox outlined the ways in which economic activity in the state had been severely impacted by COVID-19-related shutdowns. He highlighted the ways in which ports are currently working to provide economic development to the communities they serve, and called out some specific examples of ports particularly helping in rural economies.

Finally, Les Reardanz of Chmelik, Sitkin Davis spoke about the expiration of the waivers on annual financial filings, Open Public Meetings Act and Public Records Act tomorrow, June 17th and how local governments can prepare.

In today’s conversation:

·       When Rep. Larry Springer thinks there might be a special session

·       Some of Rep. Wilcox’s ideas to stimulate Washington’s economy

·       The possibility of adding virtual meetings to the Open Public Meetings Act as an option.

Do you need more resources on economic recovery, legal and compliance, internal port operations or health and safety related to the COVID-19 crisis? You can find past presentations from previous Tuesday Roundtable speakers, resources, information and more on our COVID-19 response page for ports: https://www.washingtonports.org/covid19

You can listen to the whole meeting here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qwbvk6lh9ngbv0g/2020-06-16_Recording.mp4?dl=0

Do you have ideas for future topics we could cover in our Tuesday Roundtables? Email your ideas to Washington.ports@washingtonports.org