The bill amends existing state law governing the Washington tourism marketing authority (amending RCW 43.384.030 and RCW 43.384.050). It revises board composition and rules (two house members plus alternates, two senate members plus alternates, nine governor-appointed industry representatives with four-year terms, chair must be from the tourism industry, majority constitutes a quorum, meetings at least quarterly, bylaws, removal for misfeasance/malfeasance/willful neglect after notice and hearing, no compensation but reimbursement from authority funds). It adds a nonvoting advisory committee with ex officio agency representatives and a federally recognized tribe representative, prohibits board members from serving on organizations that could be contracted, and creates a tourism self-supported assessment advisory group to evaluate an industry-funded assessment with appointment and reporting deadlines. It defines "sustainable whale watching" and authorizes the authority to contract for a multiyear statewide tourism marketing plan with a statewide nonprofit whose sole purpose is marketing Washington to tourists, to contract evaluations, to deposit nonstate matching funds into the authority’s private local account, and to pay administrative expenses not to exceed 2% of the state portion of funds in any fiscal year. The authority may incur expenditures for certain purposes until June 30, 2026. This is a procedural and governance change to existing law, plus a funding and contracting authority change and a new temporary advisory body; it creates a new advisory group, a new statutory definition, and time-limited authorities and deadlines (the advisory group must be appointed within two weeks after the section’s effective date and must submit recommendations by November 1, 2025; that advisory group section expires June 1, 2026). The text provided does not identify which “department” is referenced for ex officio representation, does not state the effective date that triggers the two-week appointment requirement, and does not include the full text of the referenced RCW 43.384.020(4) or RCW 43.384.060 provisions.

If enacted, the bill sets up a short-term advisory process to evaluate creating an industry-funded assessment to pay for statewide tourism promotion and empowers the state tourism marketing authority to hire a single statewide nonprofit on a multiyear contract to run that marketing with emphasis on rural tourism, outdoor recreation (including “sustainable whale watching”), international visitors, and help for areas hit by disasters. The authority’s board is reshaped with specific memberships, conflict-of-interest limits (no member may sit on a potential contractor’s board), four-year appointments, a required industry chair, and an administrative expense cap of 2% of state-collected funds; the authority may spend on the new marketing activities through mid-2026. Those most affected will be tourism businesses commonly included in such assessments (lodging, beverage, arts and culture, tour operators, attractions, transportation), which could face new mandatory fees if the advisory group recommends and the Legislature approves an assessment; a statewide tourism nonprofit could gain a large, multiyear contract; the authority, its board, state agencies on the advisory committee, and tribes (one advisory representative) will see clearer roles and limits. Key details remain unclear from the provided text—most importantly which exact businesses would be assessed, the effective date that triggers the advisory group’s deadlines, and the assessment’s structure or rates.