This bill amends existing administrative procedure statutes (RCW 34.05.434 and RCW 34.05.461) and adds an effective date section. It creates a time-limited pilot allowing notices and initial orders in adjudicative cases arising under Title 50 RCW to be served electronically through June 30, 2029; in non-Title 50 cases electronic service is permitted only with the party’s agreement. The act takes effect July 1, 2026. The bill was introduced at the request of the Office of Administrative Hearings. The amendments retain and specify procedural requirements: agencies must give written notice of hearing at least seven days in advance and include specified contents in that notice; initial and final orders must contain findings and conclusions, the reasons and basis for the decision, the remedy or sanction, actions on petitions for stay, identification of credibility-based findings, supporting evidence when findings paraphrase law, procedures and time limits for seeking reconsideration or other administrative relief, and (for initial orders) the circumstances under which the order may become final without further notice. Initial or final orders must be served in writing within 90 days after the hearing concludes or after submission of memoranda or briefs unless that time is waived or extended for good cause; the final order of the shorelines hearings board on appeal under RCW 90.58.180(3) is exempted from that 90-day provision. The text provided does not define “electronic distribution” or describe technical standards, consent mechanisms, authentication, or other procedures for electronic service, nor does it include details about how the pilot program will be administered, its scope, or reporting requirements. Other terms and procedural references rely on broader statutory context not included here, so some implementation details and limits on the pilot remain unclear.

If enacted, the law would let the Office of Administrative Hearings and agencies serve hearing notices and initial orders electronically for cases under Title 50 during a pilot running from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029, while electronic service in other types of cases would only happen with a party's agreement. Practically, that gives agencies and parties another way to receive documents and requires agencies and presiding officers to keep providing at least seven days' written notice of hearings, to issue initial and final orders with prescribed findings and content, and to serve those orders in writing within 90 days after a hearing or after briefs unless the time is waived or extended; the shorelines hearings board’s final order is exempt from the 90‑day rule. The groups most affected are the Office of Administrative Hearings, state agencies that conduct adjudicative proceedings, administrative law judges or presiding officers, parties and intervenors; their responsibilities will shift toward meeting the new notice contents and timing rules and toward handling electronic service where allowed. The bill does not define what “electronic distribution” means or set procedures, consent, authentication, pilot administration, or reporting requirements, so it is unclear what operational changes, costs, or training will be needed to implement electronic service in practice.