This bill adds two new sections to chapter 43.330 RCW to create a new advisory committee to advance economic development of quantum technologies and to establish a state grant program to support applicants for federal quantum-technology grants. The advisory committee is to be appointed by the director, staffed and overseen by the department’s office of economic development and competitiveness (with accountability through its information technology sector lead), must select a chair, meet at least quarterly, hold its first meeting by August 1, 2025, produce an annual report to the legislature and a workforce development plan, and the advisory committee section expires June 30, 2027. Membership categories are specified and include the lieutenant governor or designee, one statewide elected official, the director or designee, higher education representatives (as defined in RCW 28B.10.016), representatives from in-state technology company headquarters, an aerospace company with a state factory, a company that builds and sells quantum computers and software, and a Pacific Northwest National Laboratory representative. The grant program must be established by the department, subject to available appropriations, and requires a partnership with an institution of higher education that has a quantum research program. The department may consult with technology companies, the northwest quantum nexus coalition, companies that build and sell quantum computers and software, or the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to identify federal grant opportunities. The department must award grants at least annually, determine applicant procedures, and may adopt rules to implement the program. This bill creates new statutory provisions (a new law) and makes procedural changes for forming and operating the advisory committee and for creating a grant program; it does not set specific funding amounts, detailed grant eligibility criteria, member terms, vacancy or removal rules, quorum or compensation provisions, the required content of the workforce plan, or application and evaluation procedures. The text provided does not identify the specific department or director named, and it is unclear whether additional related provisions appear elsewhere.

If enacted, the bill creates a short-term state advisory group to push a Washington quantum technology ecosystem, requiring regular meetings, a workforce plan, and an annual report to the legislature; those duties will fall on the office of economic development and competitiveness (through its information technology sector lead) and the people and organizations appointed to the committee, including higher education, tech and aerospace firms, quantum companies, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Expect added staff time and coordination work for that office and for appointed members, and new expectations that the committee produce concrete recommendations by its deadlines (initial meeting by August 1, 2025, and the section expires June 30, 2027). The bill also directs the department to create a grant program, subject to available appropriations, to help applicants pursue federal quantum research grants and to partner with a higher education research institution; this could make it easier for universities and companies to compete for federal funds but only if the legislature provides money and the department sets eligibility and application rules. Key practical uncertainties remain: the bill does not identify which specific department or the director named, it sets no funding levels, and it leaves grant eligibility, selection criteria, and the workforce plan’s required content to be defined later.