The Economic Development District Board gave preliminary approval of the economic policies for the VISION 2020 update.

The Growth Management Policy Board is leading the effort to update VISION 2020, the regional growth, transportation and economic strategy. A key part of the update is to develop multicounty planning policies for the environment, development patterns, the economy, transportation, and public services and facilities. The Economic Development District Board is playing a key role in the update of the economic policies. The policies will be released at the same time as the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement for analysis and public review. The policies are available online at psrc.org.

For more information, contact Rocky Piro at 206-464-6360 or rpiro@psrc.org.

The Economic Development District Board amended the Prosperity Partnership's 2007 Action Items to include the creation of the Minority Economic Development Working Group.

The Prosperity Partnership is committed to including communities of color in the implementation of the Regional Economic Strategy and wants to build on the efforts partners representing minority groups are making. The Minority Economic Development Working Group will identify specific issues affecting minority businesses and develop action items the Partnership can take to address them. The new group will also advise the Partnership in its overall efforts to ensure that diversity is incorporated into all of its programs. Seattle Councilmember David Della, Nate Miles of Eli Lilly & Company, and Estella Ortega of El Centro de la Raza will chair the working group.

For more information, contact Bill McSherry at 587-5663 or bmcsherry@psrc.org.

The Economic Development District Board amended the 2007 Action Items to change the emphasis of the Cultural Taskforce item.

The Cultural Taskforce has refined its goals to focus on increased access to the arts for the region's residents, including additional free days, discounted tickets, and an outreach program. After minor edits, the action initiative now reads: "Develop broad consensus on a proposal to increase access to cultural institutions in the four-county region through the creation of a cultural funding district."

For more information, contact Bill McSherry at 587-5663 or bmcsherry@psrc.org.

The Economic Development District Board was briefed on Governor Gregoire's budget for higher education in Washington State.

Overall, the Governor's proposed budget is in line with the Prosperity Partnership's goals for higher education. The budget offers considerably more investment in education than in previous years, though the Partnership believes the mix of new degree offerings could be tweaked to better match the jobs being created. The Partnership will be actively working with the Legislature and Governor during the session to fill capacity in high-demand, high-impact degree fields and begin working to produce 10,000 more degree in our state by 2020.

For more information, contact Angela Kerwin at 587-5061 or akerwin@psrc.org.

In Other Business, the Economic Development District Board: