| Momentum Bucket | Early Stage |
| Legal Title | AN ACT Relating to establishing the boys and men commission; |
| Bill Description | Establishing the boys and men commission. |
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What this bill does
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This bill creates a new state law by adding a chapter to Title 43 RCW to establish the Washington State Boys and Men Commission, and it also reenacts and amends an existing statute (RCW 43.79A.040) that governs investment income distribution in the state treasury. The commission is established contingent on funding conditions described in the act (with certain provisions in Sec. 3 not conditioned on that funding), and the bill creates a dedicated "boys and men commission account" in the state treasury to receive gifts, grants, and endowments for the commission.
The commission is an administrative body with duties to serve as a clearinghouse for related legislation, identify needs of boys and men (with emphasis on men and boys of color, rural, LGBTQ, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups), consult with state agencies, provide resource and referral information, hold public hearings and include that input in a report, advocate to reduce isolation and increase belonging, and submit biennial reports to the governor and appropriate legislative committees. It may solicit and accept public or private funds, report private funds to the Office of Financial Management (OFM), adopt rules, and is administered by a governor‑appointed executive director who hires staff and coordinates with other commissions. State agencies are required to provide reasonable assistance and data to the commission.
The bill sets procedural and funding rules rather than creating a criminal penalty: OFM must identify by June 30, 2026, the amounts needed to fund the commission’s operations from July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2029, and may accept nonstate contributions before the commission is formally established. OFM will monitor the commission account and must notify officials if sufficient funds are received; if the funding condition is not met by January 1, 2030, OFM must return nonpublic contributions received and Sections 1–7 expire. Reports are due December 31, 2029, and every two years thereafter. Important context is missing from the extracted text: section 10 and parts of the reenacted/amended RCW text are not included, the specific funding amounts required are not provided, and the full new chapter language beyond Sections 1–7 is not shown.
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Why it matters
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If the required private gifts and grants are raised, the bill will create a governor-led Washington state boys and men commission funded by a special account held by the state treasurer; that account can receive donations, earn investment income like other treasurer trust funds, and pay commission expenses without a separate appropriation, with only the commission’s executive director able to authorize spending. The Office of Financial Management must identify how much money is needed by June 30, 2026, monitor receipts, and notify officials when the account holds enough to cover operations through December 31, 2029; if the threshold is not met by January 1, 2030, OFM must return nonpublic contributions and the new commission provisions expire.
Those most affected are potential private donors (whose contributions will be tracked and could be returned if the funding target isn’t met), OFM (which must calculate funding needs, monitor the account, and send required notices), the state treasurer (custodian of the account and distributor of any investment earnings), the governor (who appoints the executive director and sets that salary), and state agencies and partner commissions and tribes (which must provide assistance and will see new coordination and reporting duties). The specific dollar amounts needed, some timing details, and a referenced notice provision are not included in the provided text, so the scale of fundraising required and the exact start dates and budgetary consequences remain unclear.
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| Official Documents | View Full Bill Text |
| Hearing | House State Government & Tribal Relations (Public) |
| Hearing | House State Government & Tribal Relations (Executive) |
| Hearing | House Appropriations (Public) |
| Hearing | House Appropriations (Executive) |