COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          8o 
ACTION ITEM                            Date of Meeting     November 8, 2022 
DATE:     October 28, 2022 
TO:        Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director 
FROM:    Eric ffitch, Senior Government Relations Manager 
SUBJECT:  Adoption of 2023 State Legislative Agenda 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Commission Adoption of the Port’s 2023 State Legislative Agenda and Authorization for Staff to
Advocate on the Agenda During the 2023 Legislative Session. 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Since the end of the 2022 state legislative session in Olympia, Washington, staff from the
Government Affairs team has been working with subject-matter experts across the Port,
members of the Executive Leadership Team, staff from the Commission office, and  the
Commissioners themselves to develop a draft legislative agenda for the 2023 legislative session. 
Staff briefed commissioners in public session on October 25th and are before the Commission in
this November 8th meeting seeking final adoption. 
Proposed State Legislative Agenda for 2023 
Priority Agenda Items: 
Invest in essential workforces: Essential activities that kept the economy running early in the
pandemic included maritime and freight operations, air cargo and more. The Port seeks
continuing state partnership on workforce development in port-related industries, including
support for pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs and policies intended to support
retention by ensuring a respectful worksite free of harassment and intimidation. 
Progressive climate action: Enactment of progressive climate policies spurs investment in new
technologies and generates demand for a newly skilled workforce, while reducing emissions and
improving environmental justice action. With the Clean Fuels Program and Climate Commitment
Act in place, the state should pursue partnership with ports on decarbonization of heavy
transportation from maritime to aviation sectors, including a focus shorepower, on-dock cargo
equipment, and working toward zero emission trucking. 

Template revised April 12, 2018.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 8o                                  Page 2 of 7 
Meeting Date: November 8, 2022 
The Port of Seattle fully supports state partnership in: 
-    Proposed maritime decarbonization investments put forward by The Northwest Seaport
Alliance 
-    Potential  state  partnership  on  development  of  a  regional  clean  maritime  fuels
collaborative effort, with the goal of promoting regional leadership in the clean maritime
fuels space 
-    Development of an incentive package to promote deployment of Sustainable Aviation
Fuels and other low- and zero-carbon aviation technologies 
Further, the Port acknowledges that siting of clean energy facilities sufficient to meet state
demand for renewable energy will require legislative changes, and we support state work to
promote development of in-state renewable energy sources. 
Equity and Community focus: The onset of the pandemic was accompanied by a nationwide push
to address historic inequities and systemic racism. The Port supports state leadership in
addressing social injustice, and specifically supports action in the following areas: 
-    Reduced local match for community improvements: The Port supports reducing the
required local match that non-profit entities must provide in order to receive small-dollar
grants for public improvement projects. This statutory change will help the Port distribute
grant funding at a time when many local government partners will be forced to reduce
grantmaking. 
-    Public contracting and grantmaking: The Port’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
is eager to work with our community to increase the share of grants and contracts that
go to underserved populations. Legislative changes may be required to meet our goals,
and we will partner with Olympia lawmakers to pursue such changes. 
Vessel noise and impacts: With the state’s prior investment in Quiet Sound leading to successful
program implementation and early successes, the Port supports additional state funding for
Quiet Sound to ensure continued program success and further growth and development. 
Priority Issue Areas: Quality Jobs and Small Business 
Quality Jobs: Support proposals that are consistent with the Port’s focus on bringing quality,
sustainable jobs to the region, including proposals that: 
-    Expand state-level support for worker training programs in port-related industries of
aviation, maritime, construction trades, and green jobs that seek to foster maritime
innovation and provide incentives to incorporate new technology into port-related
sectors. 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 8o                                  Page 3 of 7 
Meeting Date: November 8, 2022 
-    Support career-connected and work-based learning programs that seek to expose middleand
high-school age students to professions in port-related industries, to include a focus
on STEM fields that are directly relevant to port operations. 
-    Expand  and  strengthen  state  support  for  pre-apprenticeship  and  apprenticeship
programs, with a focus on retention especially among BIPOC apprentices. 
-    Ensure responsible enforcement of labor standards, including a culture of respect and
inclusion on jobsites. 
-    Support continued state partnership on tourism promotion as an economic sector critical
to the overall recovery of the Washington state economy. 
-    Pursue partnerships in trucking that expand the workforce and the supply of drivers
serving port operations, to speed the movement of goods and services. 
-    Ensure local governments have access to qualified and well-trained law enforcement
personnel by supporting state efforts to expand the reach of the newly established 
Criminal Justice Training Commission. 
-    Support  rural  economic  development:  Partner  with  the  state  and  other  ports  and
economic development actors to promote rural economic development initiatives,
including  rural  broadband  deployment,  tourism  promotion,  support  for  small
manufacturers in rural Washington, investments in freight corridors in rural areas, and
other actions to support economic growth across Washington state. 
Small Business: Support proposals that reduce structural barriers and provide equity in the
workplace for disadvantaged groups, and promote inclusion of small businesses, including
disadvantaged, minority, and women owned business enterprises (SMWBEs). This includes: 
-    Continued support for the repeal of Initiative 200, the enactment of Initiative 1000, and
any other policy proposals that seek to achieve similar equity objectives. 
-    Support for proposals that provide flexibility in contracting to public owners, including
alternative public works, while ensuring that contracting practices support SMWBEs. 
-    Support proposals that enhance the opportunities for SMWBEs to more effectively
compete for small works projects. 
-    Support business assistance programs at the state-level that are focused on supporting
BIPOC and rural-based small businesses that face challenges accessing resources and
relief programs 

Priority Issue Areas: Transportation and Competitiveness 
General transportation priorities: 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 8o                                  Page 4 of 7 
Meeting Date: November 8, 2022 

-    Continued state support for transportation networks that serve essential public facilities,
with a specific emphasis on funding for needed upgrades to State Route 518 and the ontime
delivery of the Puget Sound Gateway Program (SR509/SR167). 
-    Support proposals that speed the movement of freight and passengers from origin to
destination through seaport and airport facilities and improve the trade competitiveness
of Washington state and our gateway. 
-    Continue to deepen partnership with Washington State Legislature, Executive Agencies,
and other public and private stakeholders on promoting Washington state as an
international trading partner, supporting the state’s exporters while also ensuring that
transportation facilities that support trade are modernized, world-class, and can operate
efficiently. 
-    Support proposals that clarify and affirm the authority of the Port Commission to control
access to port facilities by all transportation modes -- including private vehicle access,
commercial ground transportation providers, and public transportation providers -- and
promote fairness and equity among transportation service providers, in support of
responsible operation in all areas of regulation, including insurance, monitoring, safety,
and environmental standards 
-    Support state engagement in regional conversations related to a potential increase in
passenger vessel routes operating in Puget Sound, and other innovative transportation
partnerships that reduce congestion on roadways and reduce emissions associated with
transportation sector. Increases in passenger vessel routes should be accompanied by
consideration of potential mitigation measures associated with increased vessel traffic. 
-    Support state actions that promote resilience in the transportation network, and support
collaboration with other government agencies, including on issues of climate resilience. 
-    Support coordinated approach to regional transportation planning, including aviation
planning, to reflect the unprecedented growth in the region and the related stresses on
our existing infrastructure. 
Land use priorities: Continue to advocate on land use issues facing Washington ports, with a
specific focus on zoning issues that may affect port competitiveness. This may include: 
-    Proposals that reflect the “Guiding Principles: Stewardship, Enhancement, and Protection
of Maritime and Manufacturing Lands” document that was adopted by the Northwest
Seaport Alliance on November 1, 2016; 
-    Proposals that reduce pressure on critical industrial lands by focusing dense residential
development in existing residential areas 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 8o                                  Page 5 of 7 
Meeting Date: November 8, 2022 
-    Proposals that reflect the Port's commitment to environmental sustainability, including
promoting Puget Sound ecosystem health and resource stewardship, and acknowledge
the fact that manufacturing and industrial centers designated under the Growth
Management Act are resource lands of statewide economic significance that are
irreplaceable; and 
-    Proposals  that  recognize  the  role  industrial  resource  lands  play  in  global  port
competitiveness and in supporting job retention in diverse economic sectors that provide
ladders of opportunity to underserved groups; and 
-    Proposals  that  seek  to  strengthen  the  Container  Ports  Element  of  the  Growth
Management Act 
-    Recommendations  related  to  the  Department  of  Commerce’s  Interbay  Public
Development Advisory Committee; and 
-    Any legislative changes that may impact the efficient functioning of statewide essential
public facilities. 
Priority Issue Areas: Energy and Environment 
Support and advocate for continued state investment in environmental cleanup programs and
state-level policies that promote the adoption and implementation of clean energy sources to
reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels and seek to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions. That
includes: 
-    Policies that promote the use of low- and zero-carbon fuels for transportation, low or
zero emission transit options, and otherwise support the continued reduction in the
cost of low- and zero-carbon energy sources to consumers in the state.
-    Programs  directed  at  Puget  Sound  health,  to  include:  water  quality,  habitat
restoration,  cleanups,  stormwater  management,  underwater  noise  reduction,
bankline “softening,” kelp conservation & recovery, and other issues related to orca
recovery in the Puget Sound. 
-    Improving prioritization, transparency, and funding for Department of Ecology’s
wetland  mitigation  banking  program  so  that  cost-effective  and  large-scale
compensatory mitigation projects can be built in advance of permitted impacts. 
-    Programs funded through the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) that assist ports in
their efforts to promote environmental stewardship, to include cleanup grants and
public participation grants to community organizations, including a streamlined
pathway that promotes voluntary, expeditious cleanup of habitat restoration and/or
shoreline public access projects in underserved communities.
-    Policies that promote use of clean energy technology, build energy efficiency, and
support a statewide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as well as statewide goals
for clean power, and that can be implemented in ways that: leverage our state’s

Template revised September 22, 2016.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 8o                                  Page 6 of 7 
Meeting Date: November 8, 2022 
competitiveness; maintain the efficient operation of essential public facilities such as
airports and seaports; and support equity between our business partners. 
-    Continued state support for partnership in the development and deployment of
sustainable aviation and maritime technologies, including state-level actions intended
to drive development of low- and zero-carbon aviation and maritime technologies
within the state and for use at in-state transportation facilities. 
-    Support  state  actions  that  promote  climate  change  resilience,  and  support
collaboration with other government agencies in this effort, including a focus on
resilience within the transportation network that serves ports, such as heavy haul
corridors, freight chokepoints, intermodal yards and more. 
-    Policies that reduce carbon and air pollution emissions for passengers, employees,
and cargo traveling to and from Port facilities, with a focus on health equity in nearport
communities. 
-    Promote the improved efficiency of public transportation, public transit investment,
and increase the availability of low carbon fuels for public transportation. 
-    Pursue continued state partnership with efforts to reduce carbon emissions from
waterfront operations while maintaining the international competitive edge that
supports job growth in Washington state. This includes partnership on electric
transmission infrastructure development, on innovation in the clean maritime sector,
and on the state’s ongoing Maritime Blue 2050 initiative. 
Priority Issue Areas: Tax, Governance, Technology, and more 
-    Tax: Support tax policies at the state level that support the economic health of port-
related businesses and activities, including: 
• Policies that promote the efficient movement of freight and supports those
communities  that house  the warehousing  and  distribution  infrastructure
necessary to enable the Port of Seattle, the Northwest Seaport Alliance, and its
partners to serve Washington State businesses, including those in agriculture,
manufacturing, and trade sectors. 
• Policies that reduce manufacturing costs in port-related businesses, including
businesses that support the efficient functioning of Seattle-Tacoma International
Airport and that incentivize construction of fishing vessels in Washington State
shipyards. 



Template revised September 22, 2016.

             COMMISSION AGENDA – Briefing Item No. 8o                                  Page 7 of 7 
Meeting Date: November 8, 2022 
-    Governance: Oppose legislation that would create an imbalance of representatives
between the two homeports in their governing of the Northwest Seaport Alliance.
And further, advocate that any legislative proposal that would alter the previously
voter established governance structure of either homeport include ratification by
citizen vote within the respective homeport district(s). 
-    Cybersecurity: Monitor proposals that seek to balance the importance of transparency
and public disclosure with the vulnerability of public governments that manage critical
infrastructure. 
-    Technology: Monitor proposals related to the use of biometric technology, such as
facial recognition, particularly those that address the protection of individual privacy,
civil liberties, equity and compliance with federal and state regulations. 
-    Broadband: Support continued state and local government efforts to bridge the digital
divide and bring high-speed internet connectivity to communities around the state. 
-    Human trafficking: Engage continued state partnership with Port efforts to combat
human trafficking at port facilities, including the airport, seaport, cruise terminals, and
marina properties, including potential advocacy in support of state anti-human
trafficking efforts that align with efforts underway at the Port. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
(1)   Presentation 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
October 25, 2022 – Port of Seattle Commission was briefed on the 2023 DRAFT State
Legislative Agenda 
December 14, 2021 – Port of Seattle Commission voted to adopt the 2022 State Legislative
Agenda 
November 16, 2021 – Port of Seattle Commission was briefed on the 2022 DRAFT State
Legislative Agenda 





Template revised September 22, 2016.