This bill adds a new section to chapter 44.04 RCW directing the secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of the house to jointly establish and run a publicly accessible "government efficiency portal." The portal must be optimized for persons with disabilities and mobile use and include fields for the submitter's name and address (with an option to remain anonymous), the state agency and policy area involved if known, whether the submitter is a state employee, and a description of perceived duplicative, wasteful, or inefficient government services. By January 10 each year the secretary and chief clerk must transmit all submissions from the prior calendar year to the chairs and ranking members of the senate ways and means committee and the house appropriations committee (or their successors). State employees whose portal submissions are implemented and produce net savings or revenue are eligible for cash awards under RCW 41.60.041. The bill is filed as Senate Bill 5146 (S-0359.1), 69th Legislature, 2025 Regular Session. Legally, this is a new statutory requirement creating an administrative reporting mechanism and assigning procedural duties to legislative clerks; it does not create a new crime or change criminal penalties. The text references employee award authority in RCW 41.60.041 but does not provide details on funding, award administration, or payment procedures. The draft does not specify the new section number, a deadline to establish the portal, definitions for terms like "duplicative," "wasteful," or "inefficient," or procedures for processing, record retention, privacy protections, evaluation of submissions, or who will administer any related funding.

If enacted, the bill would create a public, accessible online portal run jointly by the secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of the house where state employees and members of the public can report government services they view as duplicative, wasteful, or inefficient; submitters can provide identifying information or submit anonymously, and annual submissions must be sent by January 10 to the chairs and ranking members of the senate ways and means and house appropriations committees. In practice this gives employees and the public a formal channel to surface potential savings and makes legislative leaders regularly receive a year’s worth of such tips, while employees whose implemented suggestions produce net state savings become eligible for cash awards under the existing employee-award statute. The immediate burden falls on the offices of the secretary of the senate and the chief clerk to build and run the portal and on the two appropriations committees to review incoming reports, so those offices will likely need staff time and website resources; state agencies may face increased scrutiny or follow-up resulting from submissions. The bill does not specify a launch date, how submissions will be evaluated or protected, who pays for portal operation or any awards, or what counts as “duplicative,” “wasteful,” or “inefficient,” so costs, timelines, and privacy or process risks remain unclear and could affect how consistently the portal is used and acted on.