This bill creates a new advisory committee in a new section of chapter 43.330 RCW to guide a five-year statewide economic development plan. The committee must have at least 16 members chosen to reflect geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity and historically marginalized communities, and the director may expand membership to add representatives from emerging sectors. Required members include a chair from the department’s office of economic development and competitiveness (appointed by the director), a representative of the governor’s office, the workforce training and education coordinating board director (or designee), the department of ecology director (or designee), and at least eight director-appointed representatives from specified organizations (associate development organizations, ports, labor councils, research institutions, the department’s office of tribal relations, the department’s small business resiliency network, and industry associations for retail, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, and hospitality and tourism). Members serve two-year terms, may be reimbursed for travel under RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060, and the department must staff the committee. The bill is a procedural and administrative change establishing structure, membership, meetings, consultation, and reporting requirements rather than creating a new crime or changing penalties. The department must convene the committee every five years starting in 2025, meet multiple times during plan development (including at least four regional public meetings), consult listed commissions and the Employment Security Department before the committee’s third meeting, and produce a final proposal containing long-term goals and measurable benchmarks. The department must deliver the first proposal with recommended legislation to legislative committees and the governor by November 30, 2025, provide any recommended implementing legislation by June 30, 2026, deliver progress reports two years after the proposal, and update proposals and any legislation every five years thereafter. The act takes effect May 5, 2025, and is declared an emergency measure. The bill also directs compliance with appointment and reporting requirements in RCW 43.18A.020 and RCW 43.18A.030. The extracted text leaves some uncertainties: the specific “department” responsible is not named in the provided facts; the clause about “Two representatives and two senators, representing each of the four caucuses” is ambiguous in scope; the meeting-frequency language appears redundant or unclear; and the exact new section number within chapter 43.330 RCW is not specified.

If enacted, the law creates a standing process led and staffed by a state department’s office of economic development and competitiveness to convene a diverse advisory committee every five years to shape a statewide five-year economic development plan. Practically this means the department and its director will need to invest staff time and resources to recruit and support at least 16 members, hold multiple regional public meetings, consult several commissions and agencies, reimburse travel, produce a plan with measurable goals, deliver the first proposal by November 30, 2025, and provide recommended implementing legislation by June 30, 2026 and periodic progress reports thereafter. The groups most affected are the unnamed department and its director (new recurring responsibilities, meeting and reporting workload, and likely increased staffing or budget needs), the listed state agencies and industry and community organizations (required to participate, attend regional meetings, and provide input, which brings time and travel costs), and the legislature and governor (who will receive proposals and potential implementing legislation to consider). Important details missing here — notably which specific “department” is responsible and some unclear language about legislative membership and meeting-frequency requirements — could affect how quickly and smoothly this gets implemented.