HB 1595 Washington House · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Creating a five-year statewide economic development plan.

HB 1595 establishes a 16-member advisory committee to develop a five-year statewide economic development plan, directly affecting Washington state government and economic sectors. The committee must include diverse representation from communities, industries (like tech, agriculture, and tourism), state agencies, and commissions focused on minority and women's business development. Key mechanisms require the committee to hold public meetings, provide input on plan priorities, and submit the first proposal with recommended legislation by November 2025, with updates every five years. The plan must include measurable goals and policy recommendations to guide state economic strategy.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to increase the minimum size of the economic development advisory committee from 15 to 16 members and added a provision allowing the committee to expand further to include emerging economic sectors. Additionally, a new requirement was added to ensure the department follows specific state laws regarding fair and equitable appointments when selecting committee members.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include a mechanism for the committee to grow as needed to represent new industries, and the appointment process now includes explicit compliance with state diversity and fairness statutes.

REQUIREMENT

The minimum number of advisory committee members was increased from 15 to 16.

The committee is now authorized to expand its membership on an as-needed basis to represent emerging or rapidly growing economic sectors.

A new subsection requires the department to comply with RCW 43.18A.020 (fair appointment practices) and submit the report required by RCW 43.18A.030 when making committee appointments.

The list of required representatives in subsection (f) was updated to explicitly include 'industry associations' representing specific sectors like retail, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, and hospitality.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

lower

Feb 17, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Feb 14, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM.

lower

Feb 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 8:00 AM.

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans at 10:30 AM.

lower

1 primary · 10 co-sponsors