As published in IRS e-News for Small Business, Issue 2023-13 The IRS shared new steps the agency is taking to prevent honest taxpayers from falling victim to Employee Retention Credit (ERC) scams. The IRS continues to warn small businesses about aggressive promoters encouraging filing potentially ineligible claims. The IRS urges Read more…
The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound (CFSPS) will soon launch its 2023 grants cycle. Their grants program aims to strengthen our communities through broad, diverse, and flexible funding. Grants support a wide range of nonprofit organizations contributing to the region’s overall social, health, and environmental well-being across a broad Read more…
The Washington State Department of Commerce announced a new grant opportunity for businesses in the hospitality and lodging industry that suffered business losses due to the pandemic. The application portal opens on March 14 at wahospitalitygrants.com. An informational webinar is scheduled for Monday, March 13. To learn more and subscribe to email Read more…
The Washington State Legislature has allocated a new round of grant funding for small businesses affected by the pandemic. $70 million was appropriated by the legislature for the next round of Working Washington Grants: Round 5. In this round of grants, portions of the available funds are set aside for Read more…
Presented to Chamber members on Thursday, February 17 Event Speakers Eric Moll Superintendent & CEO Mason Health Dave Windom Director of Public HealthMason County Community Services Presentation Slides
The long-term WA Cares Act is delayed and premium collection won’t begin until July 2023. On January 27, Gov. Inslee signed bill 1732 to postpone collection of a new worker payroll tax for now. He says this pause allows the State to get the program right. Updated program information and Read more…
Read full story from PBS here. Related statement from OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (1/13/22) Remarks by President Joe Biden on the Supreme Court’s Decision OSHA’s Nationwide Vaccine Mandate on Hold (originally published 11/17/21) Employers with more than 100 nationwide workers were bracing for the impact of a federal mandate requiring Read more…
In October the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee hosted Mason Health CEO Eric Moll, who shared the biggest challenges our county’s medical system has been facing. Overall, the entire industry has faced a moral difficulty regarding how to prioritize care. The vaccine mandate was a curveball not anticipated, but Mason Health Read more…
Parents and employers remain greatly challenged by childcare accessibility and affordability across our region. Even before the Covid crisis, Grays Harbor, Mason, and Thurston counties had already reported a shortage of childcare options. The Chamber chaired a Child Care Task Force in early 2021 to assess childcare challenges, how those Read more…
In early May, the CDC face covering guidance was updated to say that fully vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear a mask indoors or outdoors, except in certain locations (health care settings, jails, homeless shelters, schools, and public transportation). Although 33 states have eliminated it, in Washington, there Read more…