Policy Council
The Eastside’s hub for local, state and federal advocacy.
Mission & Scope
The Bellevue Chamber’s Policy Council is the Eastside’s hub for local, state, and federal advocacy.
Council members come from a wide range of industries and bring deep experience in land use, transportation, affordable housing, taxation, public safety, and the broader economy. Together, they set the Chamber’s policy direction, decide when to lean in on an issue, and coordinate with our subcommittees (PLUSH, Transportation, and the Bellevue Mobility Coalition) to turn strategy into action.
Voting members of the Policy Council are appointed to two‑year terms. Any Chamber member at the Advocate level or above is eligible to serve on an advocacy subcommittee; those groups are open to qualified members by interest and expertise.
The Policy Council oversees the Chamber’s letters, testimony, and coalition work at City Hall, in Olympia, and in Washington, D.C., from housing and transportation investments to tax policy, public safety, and the safety net.
Policy Council meetings pair real-world operator insight with timely data. In 2025, members worked through election dynamics and budget math, refined EKCC’s positions on taxes and housing, urged near-term mobility improvements and supported a federal agenda that speeds delivery for transportation and housing projects. On public safety, the council’s letter to City Council helped focus attention on repeat theft sentencing. On economic competitiveness, the council continues to brief employers on revenue proposals and regulatory changes so they can prepare early and engage constructively.
11
Signature advocacy events each year.
50+
Committee meetings annually
65+
Advocacy letters submitted
31
Employers represented
What We’ve Done
2025
State tax opposition and BudgetBreakdown.org
During the 2025 legislative session, the Policy Council led the Chamber’s work to oppose new and increased business taxes, including a proposed state payroll tax that would have added significant ongoing costs for employers. Working with partners, the Council coordinated joint letters and policy statements, helped launch BudgetBreakdown.org to highlight unsustainable state spending growth. These efforts helped prevent the payroll tax from passing reinforcing that tax changes must support jobs.
2025
Mandatory minimums for repeat theft
The Policy Council formally urged Bellevue City Council to adopt Ordinance 25-588, which established mandatory minimum sentences for repeat theft offenses. When Council later voted 6 to 1 to direct staff to draft the ordinance, the Chamber highlighted how business input, ViBe polling, and regional best practices shaped a balanced response to retail theft and chronic offenders, framing the ordinance as a tool to support a safe and predictable environment for residents, workers, and employers.
2025
Sessions on budget, trade, crime and road-usage charges
In 2025, Policy Council meetings focused on state budget choices, crime, rent control, and transportation funding tools. Budget negotiations, trade policy, and crime dominated the discussion as members assessed how decisions on revenues and sentencing in Olympia would affect the local economy. Another 2025 meeting examined road-usage charges and rent control, with the Chamber’s Olympia lobbyist briefing members on evolving proposals and their potential impact on Eastside employers and residents.
October 8, 2025
Election update and 2025 state agenda
At an October 8, 2025 Policy Council meeting, the Chamber hosted Paul Graves, President of Enterprise Washington, for an election update. Council members reviewed the East King Chambers Coalition’s 2025 state agenda and previewed federal priorities, focusing on how the election could shape state policy on taxes, spending, public safety, housing, energy, and transportation.
2025
Provider spotlights and safety-net focus
Policy Council meetings also featured briefings with PorchLight and Plymouth Housing, bringing homelessness and supportive-housing providers into the conversation. These discussions connected land-use and funding decisions to on-the-ground service work and reinforced that public safety and livability required both accountability and a functioning safety net.
2024
Preparing for the 2025 legislative session
The Policy Council met to prepare for the 2024 election and the 2025 legislative session. Members heard from voter-behavior experts, City officials, and Chamber advocacy staff about the likely policy landscape, then walked through Chamber priorities on taxes, public safety, housing, and transportation. These discussions informed both the Chamber’s state-session strategy and the EKCC’s 2025 policy platform, ensuring that Eastside employers spoke with a coordinated voice in Olympia.
2024
Renewal Food Bank tour
Under the Policy Council’s umbrella, the Chamber continued to highlight the social infrastructure that supported a strong economy. Councilmembers toured Renewal Food Bank, spotlighting food security as a key element of community resilience and giving the organization a platform with the business community.
2023
Bellevue budget negotiations, transit safety and tax structure
The Policy Council worked with Chamber leadership to advocate for a budget that prioritized public safety, fiscal responsibility and competitiveness. The Chamber supported adding 23 full-time officers to the Police Department’s Transit Division to strengthen safety in transit corridors and business districts as the region grew. The Council also worked with City leaders to adjust a proposed Business and Occupation tax structure so it did not disproportionately affect Bellevue’s technology sector.
2023
Bellevue Parks Levy and Livability Bellevue PAC
The Policy Council helped shape the Chamber’s support for the Bellevue Parks Levy that went before voters in 2023. Through the Livability Bellevue PAC, the Chamber commissioned polling on parks, growth, and costs, and crafted a levy strategy that balanced growth and quality of life, emphasizing how parks, trails, and open space support employers’ ability to attract talent. The PAC also helped shape the levy’s financial mechanism and allocation so the measure would be financially responsible.
2022
Washington, D.C. Fly-In launch
In 2022, the Chamber launched its annual D.C. Fly-In, with Policy Council leadership helping to shape the agenda. The Fly-In brought Eastside business, civic, and nonprofit leaders to Washington, D.C. to meet with federal agencies. It elevated local priorities on housing, transportation, infrastructure, trade, and workforce, and led to direct requests from federal delegation staff. The Fly-In also helped solidify the Chamber as a key partner for the City of Bellevue on federal strategy.
2022-2025
Federal advocacy focus areas
From 2022–2025, Policy Council federal advocacy prioritized: funding the Affordable Connectivity Program for digital equity/broadband; expanding LIHTC and the Section 8 Choice in Affordable Housing Act; workforce/education upskilling, retraining, and STEAM pipelines; updated Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement; broader access to TIFIA loans and infrastructure banks; stable USMCA trade; and permitting and surface-transportation reforms benefiting Eastside projects.
2022
Nonprofit and community investments
Policy Council helped elevate nonprofit funding priorities in Washington, D.C. by advocating directly to Senator Patty Murray on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue when key funding sources were at risk. The Chamber organized storytelling and outreach that highlighted the organization’s community impact and made the case for continued federal support for youth programs.
2021-2026
Building strategic relationships with City stakeholders
Since 2021, the Policy Council and Chamber leadership have built relationships with all seven Bellevue City Councilmembers, serving as a consistent, trusted voice for business during major decisions. They also engaged boards and commissions, supporting pro-business appointments to influence policy early, and maintained strong ties with the City Manager’s Office, including during the City Manager selection, to keep competitiveness and employer needs central.
2021
East King Chambers Coalition leadership
The Policy Council strengthened the Chamber’s leadership in the East King Chambers Coalition, uniting 11 Eastside chambers to align legislative priorities. The Coalition hosts annual kickoff and wrap-up events, an Olympia lobbying day with Eastside lawmakers, and a shared legislative agenda adopted by each chamber. This coordination amplifies Eastside employers’ voice on transportation, taxation, housing, public safety, and more, multiplying Policy Council impact.
2021
Polling and public opinion groundwork
Early polling work, followed later by the Chamber’s annual ViBe Check Polling, gave the Policy Council a clearer picture of how residents thought about housing, transportation, taxation, and public safety. The Council used this data to show how often business-community positions aligned with voters, to shape talking points and testimony at City Hall and in Olympia, and to guide where the Chamber deployed limited advocacy time and resources.
2021-2026
Supporting ViBe Check Polling
The Policy Council supported the Chamber’s ViBe Check Polling, an annual voter-insight survey that measured public sentiment on top regional issues. Polling results underpinned many Council positions and letters by grounding advocacy in clear, current voter data.
2021-2025
Backing safety-net and community assets
Throughout 2021 to 2025, the Policy Council backed key safety-net and community partners, including Renewal Food Bank, PorchLight, Plymouth Housing, and the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue. This work helped ensure that economic-development advocacy remained connected to a functioning social safety net and overall community resilience.
2021-2025
Keeping the focus on implementation
The Council also kept a strong focus on implementation. Through letters, briefings, and coalition work, it helped ensure that state and federal programs, from broadband and housing tools to infrastructure bills, translated into real projects and investments on the Eastside rather than remaining only on paper.
“The Bellevue Chamber Policy Council brings together business voices to focus on jobs, livability, and efficient government—helping our communities flourish in every sense. The Eastside’s strength as an economic engine depends on this spirit of collaboration and forward-thinking leadership that sustains both our businesses and our quality of life.” - Policy Council Leadership
Policy Council Leadership
What We’re Working On
Bellevue Chamber CEO, Joe Fain, being interviewed on the Chamber's policy efforts (Left), and Jodie Alberts shares eastside housing needs with Representative Suzan DelBene, on the Chamber's annual DC Fly-in (Right).
The Policy Council continues to work on several initiatives that will shape growth in Bellevue over the next few years:
- Budget and revenue proposals
The council is reviewing operating, transportation and revenue packages debated in Olympia, tracking items such as changes to property-tax growth limits and other statewide tax proposals, and refining business impacts for EKCC policy papers.
- Public safety
In September 2025 the council wrote the Bellevue City Council urging mandatory minimum sentences for repeat theft. City Council subsequently voted 6-1 to advance stricter sentencing. The council continues to monitor implementation and community-court outcomes.
- Transportation and micromobility
Ahead of the City’s July 2025 discussion, the council sent a letter encouraging expanded micromobility options, including scooters, to strengthen first- and last-mile connections.
- Federal preview and permitting
The council’s federal preview prioritizes faster permitting, targeted housing tools like expanding the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and a workable national AI framework that enables public-sector innovation and workforce upskilling.
Committee in Action
News & Updates
City Advances Affordable Housing Strategy; Businessed Urge Feasible Incentives and Faster Permiting
On October 28, the Chamber’s PLUSH group met with the City of Bellevue’s Office of Housing to review the city’s affordable housing strategy update, discuss the mixed-use areas housing rezone, and flag permitting and critical areas issues that directly affect delivery timelines and project feasibility.
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Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
October 23, 2025
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PLUSH Committee chimes in on MFTE discussion
Ahead of the Bellevue City Council meeting on October 21, the Chamber's PLUSH Committee submitted the following letter regarding the City's MFTE policies, and naturally, made some suggestions along the way.
Read the letter below, and meet the PLUSH Committee here!
Read the letter below, and meet the PLUSH Committee here!
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Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
October 15, 2025
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Bellevue Chamber Policy Council Speaker Invite Election Update
At the October 8 Policy Council meeting, the Chamber hosted Paul Graves, President of Enterprise Washington, for an election update before reviewing the East King Chambers Coalition’s 2025 state agenda and previewing our federal priorities. The discussion centered on how this year’s races could shape Olympia’s approach to taxes, spending, public safety, housing, energy, and transportation.
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Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
October 13, 2025
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East King County Chambers Convene on Budget Headwinds, AI Policy, and 2025 Legislative Priorities
On September 25, the East King County Chambers Coalition (EKCC) met to align on budget realities, AI policy, and updated position papers ahead of the 2025 session. Max Martin of the Association of Washington Business (AWB) briefed the group on a tightening fiscal outlook and likely policy fronts. Chamber leaders from across the Eastside highlighted near-term transportation, housing, and public safety priorities with direct impact on employers and workers.
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Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
September 25, 2025
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PLUSH Committee Discusses Mass Timber and MFTE Updates
At the PLUSH meeting on Tuesday, members heard a pragmatic look at where mass timber fits in Bellevue and an update from the City on evolving Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) policy, especially the proposed “supercharger” in Wilburton. The discussion underscored near-term code decisions that affect speed to market, cost, and affordability across Eastside projects.
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Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
September 24, 2025
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PLUSH Committee Comments on Bellevue Critical Areas Update
The Bellevue Chamber’s PLUSH Committee supports removing man-made steep slopes from regulation and ending the density penalty, and urges the City to rethink across-the-board buffer expansions that go beyond the state’s no net loss standard, especially in already urbanized TOD areas like Bel-Red. Before the CAO advances, we request clear case studies and visuals comparing current and proposed buffers and their effect on housing and redevelopment.
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Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
September 23, 2025
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Bellevue Chamber Policy Council Endorses Ordinance #25-588 on Mandatory Minimums for Repeat Theft
Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
September 22, 2025
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Chamber signs on letter to Congress re: permitting reform
The Bellevue Chamber joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and dozens of business organizations across the nation to urge Congress to take meaningful, bipartisan action to pass comprehensive permitting reform.
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Advocacy - Bellevue Chamber
August 26, 2025
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Resources & Letters
Policy Council Directory
Click here to view all of the members of our Policy Council.
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Apply to JoinEligibility: Advocate‑level members and above may join this committee and must be appointed by the Council.