MOSES LAKE - Association of Washington Business (AWB) Government Affairs Director Gary Chandler talked about issues delaying the passage of the state's budget in Moses Lake on Tuesday.

The points included the dilemma over laying teachers off by seniority or performance, workers compensation, and taking the capital budget cap from 9 percent to 7 percent over the next 15 years because of the concern about debt service it's creating, he explained.

One bill means school districts could lay off a less experienced teacher doing well, instead of an older teacher on probation, he said during a Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

The AWB's position is to first lay off teachers based on their performance.

With the workers' compensation issue, Washington state is one of the few states that doesn't allow settlement agreements. 

The AWB's position is that voluntary settlements should be allowed for employees, preventing them from seeking a lifetime pension from employers. It would allow workers to go on to other jobs.

He said the state is currently short $5 billion in its budget.

"The state is in tough times right now as well as other states," Chandler commented.

What is hurting us is the real estate, with the market not doing well on the West side of the state, he said.

Retail is showing weakness because of higher gas prices, he said.

The state economist is saying consumers start shuffling how they spend their money once gas reaches $4 per gallon.

There is gas selling for $5 per gallon on the other side of the state.

"It is much, much better here than on the other side," he commented. 

Late Tuesday, he said the House closed session for the week and adjourned until Monday or Tuesday, pushing the state to another special session. The last day of the current special session is Wednesday, he said.

It means everyone's lives touched by the budget are delayed, whether it is those depending on school money or local government money, he added.

He also discussed the AWB's membership, which now has 8,000 members, with 85 percent  of the members having fewer than 50 employees.

The AWB is also an umbrella for many associations. One example is the AWB's chamber division, as it is the state chamber.

During the Legislative session, Chandler takes part in about 17 chamber calls per week. The first call starts at 6:30 a.m.

"We interact because the chamber is our advocacy group," he said. "We want to grow and be able to stand up there and talk about businesses and industries we represent back home."

He pulled together 18 of the largest organizations, called the Coalition of Washington Business Organizations (COWBO), to define what the three to five most important Legislative issues are.

The group doesn't hold a press conference because they don't to show areas of disagreement, he said.

Instead they work by paper, sending their issues to the members, the governor and legislators.