| Momentum Bucket | Early Stage |
| Legal Title | AN ACT Relating to establishing the Washington state commission on boys and men; |
| Bill Description | Establishing the Washington state commission on boys and men. |
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What this bill does
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Creates a new state agency structure by establishing the Washington state commission on boys and men in the governor’s office. The bill creates an executive director position appointed by the governor to hire staff and perform duties such as monitoring and advocating on legislation, coordinating with specified commissions and the governor’s office of Indian affairs, working with state agencies to assess programs affecting boys and men, serving as a public–private liaison, and maintaining a list of eligible nominees for commission membership. It establishes an 11-member nonlegislative voting commission with appointments split among the governor and legislative leaders, plus four nonvoting legislative advisory members, sets initial staggered terms and subsequent three-year terms, requires senate advice and consent for governor appointees, provides reimbursement rules, and sets a simple majority quorum.
The commission is given duties and powers including serving as a clearinghouse for related legislation, collecting and disaggregating data, consulting with nonprofits and faith-based organizations, holding public hearings, submitting biennial reports to the legislature and governor in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, requesting reasonable assistance from state agencies, soliciting public and private gifts and grants (with private-source funds reported semiannually to the Office of Financial Management and prohibited from replacing legislatively appropriated funds), entering into agreements with public and private entities, and adopting rules under chapter 34.05 RCW.
This is a new law that adds a new chapter to Title 43 RCW and makes administrative and procedural changes (creating a new commission, appointment and reporting procedures, rulemaking authority, and limits on private funding use). It does not create new crimes or change criminal penalties in the extracted text. The extract does not include a budget appropriation, a specific new chapter number, an effective date or implementation timeline, or details on staffing levels or the executive director’s salary amount beyond that the governor sets it.
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Why it matters
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If enacted, the state would create a new commission in the governor’s office focused on the health, education, economic well‑being, family relationships, and justice system experiences of boys and men, staffed by an executive director appointed by the governor and an 11‑member citizen commission plus four nonvoting legislative advisors. That setup will add new duties for the governor’s office (hosting and hiring the director), for legislative leaders who make appointments and for the Senate which must confirm governor appointees, and it will require state agencies and the named equity commissions to provide data and reasonable assistance when asked; the commission will collect disaggregated data, hold hearings, submit biennial reports to the legislature and governor, and may accept private grants subject to semiannual reporting to OFM but not to replace legislature funding.
Practical costs and risks are unclear because the bill text does not specify any appropriation, staffing levels, salary amounts, or an effective date; as a result the commission’s ability to operate will likely depend on future legislative funding or private grants (which cannot substitute for legislative dollars), and state agencies and the Office of Financial Management should expect added workload to respond to data requests and to track reported private funds.
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| Official Documents | View Full Bill Text |
| Date Introduced | 01/14/2025 |
| Originating Chamber | House |
| Biennium | 2025-26 |
| Total Campaign Dollars Backing Bill | $4,811,748.00 |
| MEN |
| STATE AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS |