Title 43 — Title 43 STATE GOVERNMENT—EXECUTIVE

In carrying out its duties under RCW 43.330.502, the department may: (1) Sue and be sued on behalf of the life sciences discovery fund; (2) make and execute agreements, contracts, and other instruments, with any public or private person or entity; (3) employ, contract with, or en…

Members of the governing board of trustees of the life sciences discovery fund authority and persons acting on behalf of the authority, while acting within the scope of their employment or agency, are not subject to personal liability resulting from carrying out the powers and du…

(1) A keep Washington working statewide work group is established within the department. The work group must:(a) Develop strategies with private sector businesses, labor, and immigrant advocacy organizations to support current and future industries across the state;(b) Conduct re…

(1) The defense community compatibility account is created in the state treasury. Revenues to the account consist of appropriations by the legislature, private contributions, and all other sources deposited in the account.(2)(a) Expenditures from the account may only be used for …

(1) The department must produce a biennial report identifying a list of projects to address incompatible developments near military installations.(a) The list must include a description of each project, the estimated cost of the project, the amount of recommended state funding, a…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this section and RCW 43.330.532 through 43.330.538, 43.330.412, 43.330.5393, and 43.330.5395 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1)(a) "Advanced telecommunications capability" means, without regard to any transmission me…

(1) The governor's statewide broadband office is established. The director of the office must be appointed by the governor. The office may employ staff necessary to carry out the office's duties as prescribed by chapter 365, Laws of 2019, subject to the availability of amounts ap…

(1) The office has the power and duty to:(a) Serve as the central broadband planning body for the state of Washington;(b) Coordinate with local governments, tribes, public and private entities, public housing agencies, nonprofit organizations, and consumer-owned and investor-owne…

It is a goal of the state of Washington that:(1) By 2024, all Washington businesses and residences have access to high-speed broadband that provides minimum download speeds of at least twenty-five megabits per second and minimum upload speeds of at least three megabits per second…

(1)(a) Beginning January 1, 2021, and biennially thereafter, the office shall report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over broadband policy and finance on the office's activities during the previous two years.(b) The report must, at a minimum, contain:(i) An analys…

(1) The office, in consultation with the digital equity forum, the utilities and transportation commission, and the department of social and health services, must develop a state digital equity plan.(a) The office must seek any available federal funding for purposes of developing…

(1) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this specific purpose, the department shall establish a digital equity planning grant program.(2)(a) This program must provide grants to local governments, institutions of higher education, workforce development councils, …

(1) The Washington digital equity forum is established for the purpose of developing recommendations to advance digital connectivity in Washington state and advising the statewide broadband office on the digital equity opportunity program as provided under RCW 43.330.412 and the …

(1) The cannabis social equity technical assistance grant program is established and is to be administered by the department.(2)(a) The cannabis social equity technical assistance grant program must award grants to:(i) Cannabis license applicants who are social equity applicants …

The department must apply and comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of chapter 70A.02 RCW.[ 2021 c 314 s 8.]Notes:Conflict with federal requirements—2021 c 314: See note following RCW 70A.02.005.

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, a project is created in the department to foster community engagement through neighborhood organizing, law enforcement-community partnerships, youth mobilization, and business engagement. The depar…

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department, in collaboration with the department of children, youth, and families, shall provide or contract to provide remote or in-person technical assistance to employers interested in suppo…

The definitions in this section apply throughout RCW 43.330.565, 43.330.570, and 43.330.575 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Department" means the department of commerce.(2) "Green electrolytic hydrogen" means hydrogen produced through electrolysis and does not …

(1) The statewide office of renewable fuels is established within the department. The office shall report to the director of the department. The office may employ staff as necessary to carry out the office's duties as prescribed by chapter 292, Laws of 2022, subject to the availa…

(1) The office shall:(a) Coordinate with federally recognized tribes, local government, state agencies, federal agencies, private entities, the state's public four-year institutions of higher education, labor unions, and others to facilitate and promote multi-institution collabor…

The renewable fuels accelerator account is created in the state treasury. Revenues to the account consist of appropriations made by the legislature, federal funds, gifts or grants from the private sector or foundations, and other sources deposited in the account. Moneys in the ac…

(1) Subject to funds appropriated for this specific purpose, a program is established in the department to fund the construction costs necessary to start up substance use disorder treatment and services programs and recovery housing in regions of the state that currently lack acc…

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the Washington employee ownership program is created to support the efforts of businesses considering a sale to an employee ownership structure. The Washington employee ownership program must be ad…

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the Washington employee ownership commission is hereby created to exercise the powers in developing and supervising the program created in RCW 43.330.590.(2) The commission shall consist of:(a) One…

(1) The employee ownership revolving loan program account is created in the custody of the state treasury. All transfers and appropriations by the legislature, repayments of loans, private contributions, and all other sources must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from …

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the department shall administer a pilot program to implement domestic violence high risk teams. A domestic violence high risk team must, at a minimum, include the following four elements:(a) Early …

(1) The department of commerce shall administer a grant program to provide assistance to qualifying port districts for expenses related to noise mitigation pursuant to RCW 53.54.030(2) (c) and (d).(2) The department of commerce shall prepare and publish an annual report on its we…

(1) The legislature finds that every night thousands of homeless youth in Washington go to sleep without the safety, stability, and support of a family or a home. This population is exposed to an increased level of violence, human trafficking, and exploitation resulting in a high…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this subchapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Child," "juvenile," "youth," and "minor" means any unemancipated individual who is under the chronological age of eighteen years.(2) "Homeless" means without a fixe…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5957.SL) ***(1) There is created the office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs within the department.(2) Activities of the office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs must be carried out by a director of the office of …

(1) The office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs shall identify data and outcomes measures from which to evaluate future public investment in homeless youth services.(2) By December 1, 2016, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the office of homeless youth pre…

(1)(a) The office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs shall report to the director or the director's designee.(b)(i) The office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs may distribute grants to providers who serve homeless youth and young adults throu…

(1) The office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs shall establish a statewide training program on homeless youth for criminal justice personnel. The training must include identifying homeless youth, existing laws governing the intersection of law enforcement and…

The joint legislative audit and review committee shall conduct a review of state-funded programs that serve unaccompanied homeless youth under the age of eighteen, including dependent youth, to determine what performance measures exist, what statutory reporting requirements exist…

(1) In accordance with RCW 43.330.700(5)(a), it is the goal of the legislature, that beginning January 1, 2021, any unaccompanied youth discharged from a publicly funded system of care in our state will be discharged into safe and stable housing, and that this policy applies to a…

(1) The office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs, in coordination with the department of children, youth, and families, shall administer flexible funding, subject to the amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, to support persons under the age of 25 exit…

(1) Subject to the amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs shall select, monitor, and provide funding and assistance for a minimum of six total counties that implement housing stability for youth in crisis pr…

(1) Subject to the amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs shall provide system of care grants that prevent youth from exiting a publicly funded system of care into homelessness.(2) The system of care grants …

(1) Subject to the amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of homeless youth prevention and protection programs shall provide additional funding and assistance to contracted youth service providers or other entities who convene a community support team as descr…

The definitions in this section apply throughout this subchapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Approved plans" means retirement plans offered by private sector financial services firms that meet the requirements of this chapter to participate in the marketpla…

(1) The Washington small business retirement marketplace is created.(2) Prior to connecting any eligible employer with an approved plan in the marketplace, the director shall design a plan for the operation of the marketplace.(3) The director shall consult with the Washington sta…

(1) The director shall contract with a private sector entity to:(a) Establish a protocol for reviewing and approving the qualifications of all private sector financial services firms that meet the qualifications to participate in the marketplace; (b) Design and operate an interne…

In addition to any appropriated funds, the director may use private funding sources, including private foundation grants, to pay for marketplace expenses. On behalf of the marketplace, the department shall seek federal and private grants and is authorized to accept any funds awar…

The department shall not expose the state of Washington as an employer or through administration of the marketplace to any potential liability under the federal employee retirement income [security] act of 1974. As such, the department is specifically prohibited from offering and…

Using funds specifically appropriated for this purpose, and funds provided by private foundations or other private sector entities, the director may provide incentive payments to participating employers that enroll in the marketplace.[ 2015 c 296 s 7.]

The director shall report biennially to the legislature on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Washington small business retirement marketplace, including the levels of enrollment and the retirement savings levels of participating enrollees that are obtained in aggregate on a…

The director shall adopt rules necessary to allow the marketplace to operate as authorized by this subchapter. As part of the rule development process, the director shall consult with organizations representing eligible employers, qualified employees, private and nonprofit sector…

It is the intent of the legislature that Washington retain and build on its leadership in the manufacturing and research and development sectors. The legislature finds that a thriving research and production sector are complimentary and should be promoted in every region of the s…

(1) The department is responsible for identifying and developing strategies to help achieve the goals established in RCW 43.330.760. In support of pursuing the goal, the department must prepare and update each fiscal biennium a report on the state of the manufacturing and researc…

(1) The department must support the development of regionally tailored strategies to facilitate the continued existence and development of [a] manufacturing workforce across the state.(2) To support regional manufacturing cluster development and job creation, the department must …