wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > HB 1838 > Original Bill
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The economic and revenue forecast council is hereby created. The council shall consist of the following members:
The director of the office of financial management;
The state treasurer;
Four individuals, one of whom is appointed by the chairperson of each of the two largest political caucuses in the senate and house of representatives, who shall sit with the council and serve as voting members only at such time as the consideration of the economic and revenue forecast for the operating budget and the state budget outlook;
The director of the department of revenue, who shall sit with the council and serve as a voting member only at such times as the consideration of the economic and revenue forecast for the operating budget and the state budget outlook;
The chair and ranking member of the house transportation committee, and chair and ranking member of the senate transportation committee, who shall sit with the council and serve as voting members only at such time as the consideration of the transportation revenue forecast for the transportation budget; and
Except as provided in (c) of this subsection, the chair of the council shall be selected from among the four caucus appointees. The council may select such other officers as the members deem necessary.
The chair of the council when conducting business related to the transportation revenue forecast for the transportation budget shall be selected from among the four legislative appointees from the transportation budget committees.
A quorum of the council consists of a majority of members appointed for the business to be conducted.
The council shall employ an economic and revenue forecast supervisor to supervise the preparation of all economic and revenue forecasts and the presentation of state budget outlooks. As used in this chapter, "supervisor" means the economic and revenue forecast supervisor. Approval by an affirmative vote of at least eight members of the council is required for any decisions regarding employment of the supervisor. For purposes of this vote, all members of the council set forth in subsection (1)(a) of this section are voting members. Employment of the supervisor shall terminate after each term of three years. At the end of the first year of each three-year term the council shall consider extension of the supervisor's term by one year. The council may fix the compensation of the supervisor. The supervisor shall employ staff sufficient to accomplish the purposes of this section.
The economic and revenue forecast council shall oversee :
The preparation of and approve, by an affirmative vote of at least five members eligible to vote for the economic and revenue forecast for the operating budget, the official, optimistic, and pessimistic state economic and revenue forecasts prepared under RCW 82.33.020; and
The preparation of and approval, by an affirmative vote of at least five members of those members eligible to vote for, the transportation revenue forecast for the transportation budget prepared under RCW 82.33.020.
If the council is unable to approve any forecast before a date required in RCW 82.33.020, the supervisor shall submit the forecast without approval and the forecast shall have the same effect as if approved by the council.
The economic and revenue forecast council shall oversee the preparation of and approve, by an affirmative vote of at least five members of those members eligible to vote for, the state budget outlook prepared under RCW 82.33.060. If the council is unable to approve a state budget outlook before a date required in RCW 82.33.060, the supervisor shall submit the outlook prepared under RCW 82.33.060 without approval and the outlook shall have the same effect as if approved by the council.
A councilmember who does not cast an affirmative vote for approval of the official economic and revenue forecast for the operating budget, the state budget outlook, or the transportation revenue forecast for the transportation budget may request, and the supervisor shall provide, an alternative economic and revenue forecast or state budget outlook based on assumptions specified by the member including, for purposes of the state budget outlook, revenues to and expenditures from additional funds.
Members of the economic and revenue forecast council shall serve without additional compensation but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120 while attending sessions of the council or on official business authorized by the council. Nonlegislative members of the council shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
(1) Four times each year the supervisor must prepare, subject to the approval of the economic and revenue forecast council under RCW 82.33.010:
To promote the free flow of information and to promote legislative input in the preparation of forecasts, immediate access to all information relating to economic and revenue forecasts shall be available to the economic and revenue forecast work group, hereby created. Revenue collection information shall be available to the economic and revenue forecast work group the first business day following the close of each fiscal month. The economic and revenue forecast work group shall consist of one staff member selected by the executive head or chairperson of each of the following agencies or committees:
Department of revenue;
Office of financial management;
Legislative evaluation and accountability program committee;
Ways and means committee of the senate;
Appropriations committee of the house of representatives;
Transportation committee of the senate;
Transportation committee of the house of representatives;
Washington state department of transportation; and
Department of licensing.
The economic and revenue forecast work group shall provide technical support to the economic and revenue forecast council. Meetings of the economic and revenue forecast work group may be called by any member of the group for the purpose of assisting the economic and revenue forecast council, reviewing the state economic and revenue forecasts, or reviewing monthly revenue collection data or for any other purpose which may assist the economic and revenue forecast council.
Staff members from the Washington state department of transportation, department of licensing, transportation committee of the senate, and transportation committee of the house of representatives shall only provide technical support for the transportation revenue forecast for the transportation budget.