In 2025 the 6 Chambers in Skagit County came together to form a Joint Legislative Agenda under the Skagit Chamber Alliance. We now represent over 1,450 businesses in Skagit County.
The Anacortes Chamber of Commerce amplifies the voices of its members by collaborating with other business advocacy organizations to propose, advocate for, and support government policies and procedures that benefit the business community and allow it to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.
Skagit Chamber Alliance
Joint Legislative Priorities 2026
Skagit County’s Chambers of Commerce stand united as the Skagit Chamber Alliance (SCA) in advocating for these legislative priorities to ensure our businesses and communities thrive. SCA represents over 1,455 businesses in Skagit County.
1. Expanding housing options to support families and workforce development
Attainable housing is essential to the health of families and the strength of the local workforce. In Skagit County, the shortage of available housing drives up costs, forces families to relocate, and discourages workers from living and working in the community. Without meaningful solutions, employers will continue to face challenges attracting and retaining the talent needed to sustain agriculture, manufacturing, maritime, and service industries.
Key Challenges:
- Rising housing costs place significant financial burdens on families and reduce disposable income.
- A lack of affordable workforce housing deters potential employees from relocating to or remaining in Skagit County.
- Limited housing availability restricts growth opportunities for local businesses that need a stable and reliable workforce.
- Restrictions on development that are no longer needed.
Proposed Solutions:
- Support state and local policies that increase housing supply through zoning flexibility, expedited permitting, and reduced barriers for new development.
- Implement a cost analysis on energy codes, to balance up front costs and future savings.
- Expand tax incentives and public-private partnerships to encourage the construction of affordable and workforce housing.
- Invest in infrastructure and community amenities that make housing developments viable and attractive to working families.
- Prioritize multi-family housing more highly.
- Growth Management Act should evolve with the need for housing.
2. Addressing the rising cost of doing business in Washington
The cost of doing business in our state is escalating significantly, some of which is passed along to residents, compounding the affordability crisis. Additionally, the tax burden on businesses relative to other states is quite high, reducing their ability to compete.
Key Challenges:
- Regulations that have recently taken effect along with those scheduled to be implemented in 2026, particularly in employment law, are quite expensive for businesses and more are expected.
- The business tax burden in WA places us 45th overall in competitiveness, in 2025. In 2022, the state and local taxes paid by WA businesses, was 18.8% above the national average.
- State predictive scheduling laws are likely to be proposed again.
- Lack of accountability on infrastructure projects.
- Unsustainable minimum wage increases.
Proposed Solutions:
- Reduce the tax burden on businesses to preserve their vital role in the economy.
- Reexamine current budget/spending before adding new taxes.
- Do the fiscal analysis and disclose impacts of proposed state taxes on businesses.
- Carefully consider and balance the added costs to businesses of regulations such as predictive scheduling, with the needs of employees.
3. Workforce Development and Infrastructure Needs
Businesses in Skagit County face hiring challenges due to the lack of qualified applicants, coupled with the high cost of living, limited transportation options, and inadequate childcare services. Addressing these issues will support employee retention and attract new talent to the area.
Key Challenges:
- Inadequate workforce development for employer needs.
- Insufficient childcare availability limits workforce participation.
- Public transportation inadequacies hinder commuting for employees.
- The lack of attainable housing challenges employee and employer retention and attraction.
Proposed Solutions:
- Workforce training that matches regional employer needs.
- Expand state funding for childcare providers, including tax breaks for businesses offering on-site childcare.
- Increase investments in regional transportation infrastructure to improve accessibility for commuters.
4.Infrastructure: Long-Term Maintenance Planning
Reliable infrastructure is critical for Skagit County’s business community to function efficiently and support growth. Aging infrastructure and increasing energy demands pose significant risks to economic stability.
Key Challenges:
- Electrical grid reliability is inadequate for current and future demand, threatening operational continuity for businesses, especially in tech and manufacturing sectors.
- Aging bridges and ferry system hinder transportation and commerce.
- Aging municipal infrastructure and inability to expand housing and commercial/industrial development.
Proposed Solutions:
- Accelerate funding for long-term maintenance plans, including modernizing the electrical grid and integrating renewable energy options.
- Prioritize state investment in repairing and upgrading aging transportation and municipal infrastructure, including key bridges and ferries.
5. Funding Education
Investing in education ensures a capable and competitive workforce for the future. Skagit County businesses depend on a well-educated workforce to remain innovative and meet industry demands. Current challenges include insufficient funding for early childhood education and educators. There are limited career pathways for students, due to the burden of unfunded mandates on local schools.
Key Challenges:
- Inadequate support for trade education and secondary education pathways limits career opportunities.
- Early childhood education remains underfunded, affecting workforce readiness in the long term.
- Lack of state accountability in funding allocations leaves schools unable to meet mandates.
Proposed Solutions:
- Advocate for increased funding for trade schools and apprenticeships alongside traditional college programs.
- Support state-level grants for early childhood education centers and workforce scholarships.
- Require transparent reporting and fully funding of the use of state education funds to ensure mandates are adequately supported.
6. Healthcare
Accessible healthcare, including behavioral health services, directly impacts the productivity and well-being of Skagit County’s workforce. Small businesses, in particular, struggle with the prohibitive cost and limited options for employee health insurance.
Key Challenges:
- Insufficient behavioral health resources increase public safety concerns and affect employee wellness.
- A lack of competition among health insurance providers drives up premiums, limiting small business affordability.
Proposed Solutions:
- Advocate for state policies that attract additional health insurance providers to Washington, increasing competition and offering more affordable options for businesses. This could include easing regulatory barriers for out-of-state insurers or creating a statewide health insurance exchange tailored to small businesses.
- Expand funding for mental health initiatives to ensure accessible services in rural and underserved areas.
Candidate Forums
Held twice annually for the primary and general election, the Anacortes Candidate Forums provide an opportunity to hear firsthand from candidates running for local and state offices. Our Government Affairs Committee works diligently to create questions that are of importance to the minds of citizens as well as collect questions directly from the community.
Watch past forums:
2023 General
2022 General
2021 General
2021 Primary
2019 Primary
2018 Primary
2017 Primary
Government Officials
City of Anacortes
Skagit County Commissioners
Washington State Legislature
Legislative Links
- Washington State Public Disclosure Commission –The PDC provides timely and meaningful public access to information about the political campaigns, lobbyist expenditures, and the financial affairs of public officials and candidates – View Site
- Washington State Legislature – Access to House of Representatives and Senate personnel pages, legislative information, and bill tracking – View Site
Federal Regulatory Agencies
- U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services – Federal immigration regulations, forms, review filing fees, instructions for employee hiring/verification and reporting requirements – View Site
- Federal Register – The official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential documents – View Site
- Thomas-Legislative Information on the Internet – A complete online searchable database of almost all activities of the US Congress. A directive of the 104th Congress to “make Federal legislative information freely available to the Internet public.” – View Site
- Commerce Dept – Int’l Trade Administration – A comprehensive resource for information on all U.S. Federal Government export assistance programs – View Site
- Occupational Safety & Healthy Administration – Information and resources to aid compliance with federal health and safety regulations – View Site
- Environmental Protection Agency – Federal regulations affecting environmental and natural resources, waste disposal, air, and water quality, obtain regulatory updates, find regional staff and offices, local assistance programs, get news, etc – View Site
- Department of Labor – Comply with federal labor regulations, forms, access to an online library, and more – View Site
Tax Information
- Washington State Employment Security Department – Unemployment insurance forms and information – View Site
- Internal Revenue Service – Forms, information, and tax advice – View Site
- Washington State Dept of Revenue – Forms, information, and tax advice – View Site
- Washington State Dept of Labor & Industry – Forms, information, and advice on industrial insurance and WISHA – View Site
Transportation Organization & Links
- Washington State Dept of Transportation – Operations, principals of management, audits, and other information on the workings of WSDOT – View Site
- WA Senate Transportation Committee – WA state senate proceedings – View Site
- WA House Transportation Committee – WA state house transportation proceedings – View Site
- Skagit Transit – Skagit transit information, routes, policy issues – View Site
State & Local Government Research
- Washington Research Council – Provides independent information on state and local government in WA state – View Site
- Washington Policy Center – A non-partisan, free-market, state-based think tank in Seattle that publishes studies, sponsors events and conferences and educates citizens on public policy issues facing WA state – View Site
- Washington Roundtable – The WA Roundtable is composed of 40 CEOs and citizen members. It was formed in 1983 to study and make recommendations on critical public policy issues affecting the state – View Site
Competitiveness Issues
- Association of Washington Business – Statewide business organization, representing member businesses. A great site for legislative issues, voting records, and the current take on the state’s business climate – View Site