Invest in the Advocacy Fund

Strong businesses build strong communities—and they need champions at every level of government. The Chamber’s Advocacy Fund powers the education, engagement, and influence needed to advance policies that support a thriving South Sound economy.

Guided by business needs, the Advocacy Fund is focused on key issues impacting our region’s business vitality:

• Public Safety
• Housing
• Taxation
• Property Rights​​

As the Voice for Business, the Chamber works at Local, State, and Federal Levels to represent your business interests, ensuring that the South Sound remains a desirable place to build and grow business.

This means you can concentrate on running your business while we meet with elected officials, community leaders, and business stakeholders to create and sustain pro-business policy that will provide a favorable climate for your business to succeed.

The Chamber's Legislative Agenda

The vision of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber is to make the South Sound the most equitable, inclusive, and thriving place to do business in Washington State. Through this mission, the Chamber will provide businesses in the South Sound strong advocacy efforts in order to protect the rights of business owners, grow business and the economy, increase our private sector workforce, and improve the overall business climate. In this legislative cycle it is critical we have a strong presence by uniting our business community at the state capitol.

2026 Legislative Goals

• Support legislation that protects small businesses from new taxes and fees.
• Improve public safety for our community’s businesses, their customers, and their employees.
• Oppose new employment mandates on businesses that increase costs and liabilities, create administrative burdens, or limit the ability of employers and employees to design mutually beneficial work arrangements.
• Protect the Puget Sound Gateway, Connecting Washington, and Move Ahead Washington transportation funding packages and existing incentives to help meet our regional transportation and economic development needs.
• Advance Washington’s goal of “doubling the state's manufacturing employment base, the number of small businesses, and the number of women and minority-owned manufacturing businesses by 2031.”
• Strengthen the talent pipeline for technology-advanced manufacturing by aligning education and workforce development with industry needs – both present and future.
• Support policy solutions to address the housing shortage, while avoiding policy choices that discourage housing development like price and market controls.

The Chamber will support legislation that:

• Positively impacts Pierce County’s and the South Puget Sound’s economy, enhances the business climate, and creates an equitable and inclusive economic development environment.
• Promotes private sector job growth and capital investment – especially in the manufacturing sector.
• Provides enhanced funding for education and workforce development.
• Builds attainable housing of all types.
• Decreases the regulatory burden on businesses.
• Improves public safety in our communities.
• Supports the legislative priorities of the Chamber’s partner entities.

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The Chamber's Advocacy Work

The South Sound Manufacturing Industrial Council

The Chamber works closely with the Port of Tacoma and its surrounding industrial businesses so that it will remain one of the South Sound's greatest economic driving forces. ​

​Transportation and Infrastructure
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The Chamber works to ensure a healthy regional economy associated with the development of an effective, efficient transportation system and the resources to sustain it.

​Policy and Regulation

The Chamber advocates on behalf of businesses throughout Pierce County, at the State Legislature, and with Congressional delegates & federal agencies.

​Leveraging our resources and relationships, we are able to take a proactive role in discussions concerning policy decisions and regulations. ​

Member Engagement Opportunities

• Government Affairs Committee
• ​Washington-to-Washington, D.C. Conference
• Public Officials Holiday Reception

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Additional Resources

Find Your County Council District

Find Your Legislative & Congressional District

Register to Vote

Association of Washington Business

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Contact Info

South Sound Manufacturing Industrial Council:

Ryan Spence
Program Director, South Sound Manufacturing Industrial Council

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