Marko Liias

Two pieces of good economic news were announced this week, as the unemployment rate dropped for the third straight month and a new business ranking gives Washington strong marks.

June's unemployment rate is the lowest in over a year and shows that the private sector added jobs in several sectors, including manufacturing.  The state's investments in infrastructure are reflected in the increases in private sector construction jobs as well.

I was proud to vote to put nearly 100,000 people back to work through our state's transportation and construction budgets, and these numbers show our approach is working.

The other good piece of news was the new CNBC rankings for "America's Top States for Business" which ranked Washington as the #15 state for business.  Our state far out ranked our neighboring states, Oregon (#23), Idaho (#26), California (#32), Montana (#36), and Alaska (#50).

While we can always do more to help struggling businesses survive in this tough economy, this is good news.  I will continue to stand up for small businesses and help them stay healthy and strong employing our friends and neighbors.

For more information on the new unemployment numbers, click here.

For more information on the CNBC rankings, click here.