Creates a new statutory program called the "Washington national guard retention program" by adding a new section to chapter 38.24 RCW. The program is established only if amounts are appropriated for it. The adjutant general is directed to set up the program to study retention needs (including length of service and critical skills), determine eligibility criteria, and set reenlistment bonus amounts and a payment schedule. The adjutant general may consider reenlistment term, conversion to shortage specialties, and other retention factors when deciding bonus amounts. The state military department must report on retention needs and recommendations to the governor and the legislature at least once every three years, beginning November 1, 2027. Eligibility criteria must be specified in policy and any changes to those criteria must be published. Affected parties named include the adjutant general, the state military department, members of the Washington National Guard, the governor, and the legislature. This is a programmatic and procedural statutory change (a new law creating an authority and reporting requirements) that authorizes reenlistment bonuses; it does not specify penalties or change criminal procedures. The text does not include appropriation amounts, specific bonus amounts or payment timelines, a formal statutory definition of "reenlistment bonus," the exact new RCW cite, or other implementation or enforcement details; those items are not provided in the extracted facts.

If funded by the Legislature, the bill creates a Washington National Guard retention program that lets the adjutant general study retention needs and offer reenlistment bonuses and other incentives (such as conversion to shortage specialties) to encourage members to extend their service. Practically, that means the adjutant general will decide who is eligible, how much any bonuses will be, and the payment schedule, and the state military department must report retention needs and recommendations to the governor and Legislature at least once every three years beginning November 1, 2027. The most affected parties are the adjutant general and the state military department, which gain new responsibilities to design, administer, publish policy changes, and report on the program, and Washington National Guard members, who may have new financial incentives and options for reenlistment or specialty conversion. The program only takes effect if the Legislature appropriates money for it, and no appropriation amounts, eligibility rules, or bonus schedules are specified in the bill text provided, so the timing, scale, and cost to the state and the specific benefits to members remain uncertain.