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Business fared well in the Republican-controlled Legislature this year, but still is waiting to tote up the final score with Gov. Gary Locke. At midweek, the governor had yet to act on several major bills the business community wants. So far, "we're batting two for four," said Don Brunell, president of the Association of Washington mp4 watchesthanks Business. Locke has signed two bills that business badly wanted, one completing the rollback of the 1993 business and occupation tax hikes on the service sector (effective July next year), the other exempting intangible property - such as goodwill, logos and franchise agreements -from taxation. Both were "major victories" for businesses, said Carolyn Logue, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. But there were also major disappointments. Locke vetoed most of the legislation aimed at stabilizing the market for individual health insurance policies, a move that AWB manager Trent House called shortsighted. "What remains of the bill will just make problems worse," he said. Locke also vetoed legislation that would have tied property tax increases to the rate of inflation or to a maximum of 6 percent, whichever is less. At midweek, as the Business Journal went to press, the business community still was waiting to learn the fate of several other bills, including Wholesale Mp4one with regulatory reforms and another that would authorize "environmental excellence program agreements," which are vigorously opposed by environmental groups. The 1997 legislative session ended Sunday, and Locke has 20 days to sign or veto bills passed by lawmakers this year. Bills to which he does neither automatically become law. The regulatory reform bill on Locke's desk, HB 1032, has many sections that were vetoed in last year's reform bill by Gov. Mike Lowry. "It's still up in the air," Logue said. Among other things, the bill would require state agencies to review their rules every seven years to see whether they are outdated, duplicative or still necessary. It would limit rule making by the Department of Labor and Industries, the Insurance Commissioner and the Forest Practices Board. And it would require state agencies to go through the formal process of converting guidelines and policy wholesale mp3interpretations into rules before using them as the basis for citations and fines. Also on Locke's desk was HB 1866, called the environmental excellence bill, which would allow businesses and local governments to strike agreements with state agencies on alternative and less costly ways to obey environmental regulations - as long as the results meet or exceed current standards. "What we're hearing is that the Department of Ecology will support the bill as passed," said AWB director Scott Hazlegrove. Another bill awaiting Locke's decision was SB 5571, which would require the state Department of Employment Security to disclose to employers how much they have paid in unemployment insurance premiums and how much has been paid out to their former employees. Businesses favoring this bill claim that 70 percent of Washington firms have been paying more into the system than their former employees have been taking out, in effect subsidizing the other 30 percent, which are mainly in the heavy construction, food processing,wholesale furniturethe fishing and agriculture sectors. Also pending the governor's action was HB 1292, which would give employers taking part in the state's retrospective rating program for workers compensation the authority to schedule medical exams, initiate vocational rehabilitation services and close claims that do not involve permanent disability. An unemployment insurance tax bill, HB 2214, died despite business support, but in the end employers got what they wanted - an end to the diversion of unemployment insurance funds for general worker retraining programs. The governor reached agreement with lawmakers to provide $61.8 million from the general fund to continue the state's retraining program for dislocated workers at community and technical colleges. For his part, Locke expressed approval of what the Legislature accomplished this year: "On balance, I am extremely pleased with the outcome of my first legislative session as governor. Although we had some tense moments, I think we can all be proud of the work we did to raise academic standards and stay the course on education reform, help working families and make our communities safer by imposing tougher penalties on serious juvenile criminals."