This bill amends and recodifies an existing statute (RCW 43.216.200) into chapter 28A.300 RCW and adds a new section. It transfers responsibility for selecting a Washington state–based qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit to create and operate the "imagination library of Washington" program to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, subject to amounts appropriated. The selected nonprofit must manage daily operations, establish and support affiliate programs across the state, run a public awareness campaign, and contract with a national nonprofit foundation to provide monthly age-appropriate books at no cost to families of eligible children (defined as birth to age five). The bill establishes a funding arrangement requiring the selected Washington nonprofit to pay the national nonprofit foundation an amount equal to 50 percent of the cost to provide books to enrolled children, with each affiliate required to pay the remaining cost. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction may seek, accept, and spend gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources for the program according to their terms. The selected nonprofit must report annually, beginning by November 1, 2026, to the governor and relevant legislative committees on the number of affiliate programs, enrollment per affiliate, and total statewide enrollment, with reports to comply with RCW 43.01.036. The bill affects the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the selected Washington nonprofit and its affiliates, the contracted national nonprofit foundation, the governor and relevant legislative committees, and references the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. Several implementation details are not specified in the provided text, including the amounts appropriated that trigger selection, the identity of the national nonprofit, the selection process or criteria for the qualified 501(c)(3), which legislative committees are “relevant,” how affiliates will collect or remit their share of costs, and the exact new RCW section number within chapter 28A.300.

If enacted, the state superintendent’s office would take responsibility for picking a Washington-based nonprofit to build and run an "imagination library" that mails monthly, age-appropriate books free to families with children birth to five. The chosen nonprofit would run day-to-day operations, recruit and support local affiliate programs around the state, lead a public awareness campaign, contract with a national foundation to supply the books, and report annually (first by Nov. 1, 2026) to the governor and the legislature on affiliates and enrollment. The nonprofit operator must pay the national foundation half of the book costs and each local affiliate must cover the remaining half, while the superintendent’s office can seek outside gifts or grants; selection and action are subject to whatever funding the Legislature appropriates. The parties most affected are OSPI (new administrative duties and oversight), the selected Washington 501(c)(3) (responsible for running the program and paying half the supply cost), local affiliates (likely facing a new per-child cost liability), and the national book provider (contracted supplier). Because the bill ties implementation to appropriations and does not specify the amounts, the identity of the national foundation, how the nonprofit is chosen, which legislative committees get reports, or how affiliates will collect and remit payments, the scale and timing of rollout and the financial pressure on local affiliates remain uncertain and could create budget or operational risks for those organizations.