This bill creates a new Office of Entrepreneurship by adding three sections to chapter 43.330 RCW. It is a new law that establishes definitions, creates the office and director (appointed by the governor), and sets out the office’s powers, duties, and reporting obligations. The office’s mission is to make it easier to start and grow businesses in Washington by promoting initiatives for entrepreneurship, working with stakeholders to provide learning, skills and technical support, identifying government regulations and fees that hinder business formation, and serving as a point of contact for businesses in operation for not more than five years when they interact with state agencies. The office may hire staff subject to amounts appropriated for that purpose, and specified state agencies are required to cooperate and provide necessary data for the office’s reporting obligations. The bill requires the office to encourage that 5 percent of both the total number and total dollar value of state contracts be awarded to Washington-based businesses that have been in operation for five years or less. It directs the office to focus on Washington-based businesses with fewer than 10 employees and to include demographic and geographic breakdowns (including women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses) in its reporting. Procedurally, the office must submit its first report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over economic development policy by November 1, 2026, and biennially thereafter; reports must include contract counts and dollar amounts for businesses ≤5 years, comparisons to all contracts, counts and types of women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses ≤5 years awarded state contracts, recommendations to improve access to contracts and entrepreneurship, and any additional information the office deems necessary. The text does not specify how the 5 percent contracting target is to be implemented or measured, does not define “principal place of business,” does not provide appropriation amounts or ongoing funding mechanisms, and does not include enforcement mechanisms or penalties.

If enacted, the state will create a new office focused on helping very small and new Washington businesses (those under 10 employees and businesses operating five years or less) by acting as a single point of contact with state agencies, promoting training and technical support, identifying regulatory barriers, and pushing for a goal that 5 percent of state contract counts and dollars go to these newer in-state firms. In practice this could make it easier for startups to get referrals, guidance, and a stronger shot at state contracts, but the degree of help and any increase in contract awards will depend on whether the legislature funds staff and programs and the office’s ability to coordinate with agencies. State agencies listed in the bill will have to cooperate and provide contract and demographic data for a report due Nov. 1, 2026, and every two years after, which will create added administrative work and tracking requirements; the bill does not specify funding amounts, enforcement mechanisms for the 5 percent contracting goal, or how to measure “principal place of business,” so the actual costs, timelines, and effectiveness of the office remain uncertain.