Legislation

One of the most important functions of the WSFA has been to act as the representative of Fairs to the Legislature of Washington State. Your Board has worked tirelessly on an annual campaign to keep Fairs and Fair Funding in the hearts and minds of our Legislators.

Each Fair is encouraged to have an active Legislative Committee or assigned persons to work closely with the WSFA.

Always keep your local legislators up to date on your Fair, both good and bad.

To find your legislators, click here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

To find their email addresses, click here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/MemberEmail/Default.aspx

You may also leave a message via telephone at: 1.800.562.6000.

Heather Hansen
Office: 360-705-2040
Cell: 360-480-5567
E-mail: heather@wafriends.org

The following statements provided in the WA Fairs Economic Impact Report, completed in 2006, create the foundation for our reasons to continue receiving the full balance of the Fair Fund:

In 2005 7.8 million people attended events held at fairgrounds throughout Washington State, more than the state population of 6.3 million people (Washington State Office of Financial Management, 2006). By comparison, 4.6 million people visited Seattle Center and approximately 1.2 million attended events at Key Arena in 2005(Beyers, 2006).
Gross economic impacts from Washington State fairs and other fairground activities were between $350 million and $385 million in 2005.
Fairs and fairground activities supported between an estimated 5,630 to 5,807 temporary jobs in 2005 with numerous more volunteer opportunities.
Estimated labor income for all jobs related to the fairs is between $48 million and $51 million in 2005.
Estimated tax revenues generated by fair and non-fair gross economic activity range between $22.7 million and $25.0 million in 2005.
Fairs and other fairground activities played a vital role in fund raising for many non-profit groups throughout the state.
In addition to the economic contribution that fairgrounds provide to the state, they can also provide a space for emergency services (The Daily Herald, 2006).

Fairs - Washington’s Largest Classroom

Four learning goals provide the foundation for the development of all academic learning standards in Washington state:

Read with comprehension, write effectively, and communicate successfully in a variety of ways and settings and with a variety of audiences;
Know and apply the core concepts and principles of mathematics; social, physical, and life sciences; civics and history, including different cultures and participation in representative government; geography; arts; and health and fitness;
Think analytically, logically, and creatively, and to integrate technology literacy and fluency as well as different experiences and knowledge to form reasoned judgments and solve problems; and
Understand the importance of work and finance and how performance, effort, and decisions directly affect future career and educational opportunities.

ALL of these Common Core Goals are utilized and expanded upon by the youth exhibitor at Washington State Fairs!

Contacting Your Legislator

When making contacts, Legislators are interested in the following information. Please have it ready when you contact them.

Fair Funds percentage to overall budget. What is it used for?
Economic impact on fair users/service groups.
Percentage of Youth as participants *especially important to county fairs
Employment numbers, not only directly with fair but also ripple affect.