This bill amends existing law (RCW 63.30.530) governing claims for unclaimed property. It continues to require a person claiming ownership to file a claim on a form prescribed by the administrator and to verify the claim's completeness and accuracy. The amendment allows the administrator to waive the claim-filing requirement and pay or deliver property directly to a person when that person is shown as the apparent owner on a report filed under RCW 63.30.220 and the administrator reasonably believes the person is entitled to the property. The administrator may likewise waive the filing requirement and directly pay or deliver property when the apparent owner is a local government and the administrator reasonably believes the local government is entitled. The amendment also requires the administrator to annually notify an appropriate local government when the administrator has identified property for which the local government is an apparent owner and potentially eligible for the waiver; the notice must include a description of the property, its value, and any associated conditions or restrictions. The administrator may request additional documentation from a local government to establish entitlement. The act takes effect January 1, 2026. The text provided does not include formal definitions of terms used (such as "administrator," "local government," or "apparent owner"), the prescribed claim form, or surrounding procedures and standards that may appear elsewhere in the chapter.

If enacted, the law makes it easier for the state administrator to deliver unclaimed property directly to people shown as the apparent owners in reports and to local governments without those recipients having to file the usual claim form, while other claimants must use a form the administrator prescribes and verify its accuracy. For local governments, the administrator must also send an annual notice listing identified property, its value, and any conditions, and may ask for extra documentation to prove entitlement; these changes could mean some local governments receive property or funds more quickly but will also get regular notices and may need to supply proof when asked. The main effects fall on the unclaimed property administrator (more discretion to waive claims, a new annual notification duty, and possible extra review work), on local governments (new incoming notices, potential direct receipts, and occasional documentation requests), and on individual claimants (they must follow the prescribed claim form unless the administrator waives the requirement). Important details are missing from the excerpt — definitions of key terms, the exact form and standards, and related procedures — so the timing, scope, and administrative burden are uncertain beyond what’s stated; the act would take effect January 1, 2026.