wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2401 > Original Bill
The legislature finds that it is important for all Washingtonians to thrive. The legislature finds that on many fronts men and boys struggle at a higher rate. Boys are struggling in school, with a lower average grade point average and a growing gap in graduation rates. Additionally, boys make up 94 percent of the population of juvenile rehabilitation. These issues are exacerbated for boys of color. As boys transition into adulthood, these problems continue to persist. Men make up 71 percent of the unsheltered population and 63 percent of people experiencing homelessness. Men also account for 79 percent of suicides. The legislature finds that addressing men's issues and improving the emotional well-being of men and increasing their sense of belonging will have a positive impact on larger societal issues such as loneliness, isolation, and gender-based violence.
The legislature further finds that the development of public policy and the efficient delivery of governmental services to meet the needs of boys and men can be improved by establishing a focal point in state government focused on the well-being of men and boys. This includes but is not limited to increasing pathways to work and education, increasing mental health support, and addressing the pervasive crisis of loneliness.
Therefore, the legislature deems it necessary to establish in statute the boys and men commission to further these purposes. The boys and men commission shall address issues relevant to the problems and needs of boys and men including improving mental health outcomes, reducing stigma around mental health treatment, and expanding access to meaningful education, vocational, and mentorship opportunities. The boys and men commission shall place an emphasis on addressing the challenges faced by boys and men of color, those in rural locations, those who identify as LGBTQ, and those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged and often find themselves left out of important conversations regarding their well-being and future.
The Washington state boys and men commission is established contingent upon the receipt of gifts, grants, or other nonstate contributions in an amount sufficient to fully fund the boys and men commission's operational costs through December 31, 2029, including all associated administrative costs or costs to contract for work to carry out the purposes and provisions of this act.
By June 30, 2026, the office of financial management must:
Identify the amounts, by fiscal year, necessary to fully fund the operating costs of the boys and men commission from July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2029; and
Notify the governor, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the secretary of the senate, the state treasurer, the office of the code reviser, and other interested parties of these amounts.
Prior to the establishment of the boys and men commission, the office of financial management or its designee must seek and receive gifts, grants, and other contributions from nonstate sources to carry out the provisions of subsection (1) of this section. Any amounts received for this purpose must be individually tracked by the office of financial management and deposited into the boys and men commission account.
This section expires upon the office of financial management receiving gifts, grants, or other nonstate contributions in an amount sufficient to fully fund the boys and men commission's operational costs through December 31, 2029, and providing notice in accordance with section 10 of this act that such condition has been met, or on January 1, 2030, whichever occurs later.
The Washington state boys and men commission is established.
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The boys and men commission shall consist of nine members appointed by the governor, with at least one member being a tribal chair, board member, councilmember, or enrolled member from a federally recognized Indian tribe.
The governor shall consider nominations for membership based upon maintaining a balanced and diverse distribution of ethnic, geographic, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, and occupational representation, where practicable. The majority of members shall self-identify as male to maintain sufficient representation of individuals with direct lived experience on the boys and men commission.
All boys and men commission members shall serve at the pleasure of the governor, but in no case may any member serve more than three years without formal reappointment by the governor. All legislative advisory members shall serve for a two-year term and the position of any legislative advisory member shall be deemed vacated whenever such member ceases to be a member of the house from which the member was appointed. Of the persons initially appointed by the governor to the boys and men commission, three shall be appointed to serve one year, three to serve two years, and three to serve three years. Upon expiration of such terms, subsequent appointments shall be for three years. Any vacancies occurring in the membership of the boys and men commission shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointments.
Two members of the senate, one from each of the two major political parties, appointed by the president of the senate, and two members of the house of representatives, one from each of the two major political parties, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, shall serve as advisory members.
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Nonlegislative members shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
Legislative members shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in accordance with RCW 44.04.120.
A simple majority of the boys and men commission's membership constitutes a quorum for the purpose of conducting business.
The boys and men commission shall be administered by an executive director, who shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the governor. The governor shall set the salary of the executive director.
The executive director shall:
Employ the staff of the boys and men commission;
Monitor state legislation and advocate for legislation affecting men and boys;
Work with state agencies to assess programs and policies that affect men and boys;
Coordinate with the minority commissions, LGBTQ commission, and women's commission to address issues of mutual concern; and
Work as a liaison between the public and private sector to ensure vocational pathways for men and boys.
The boys and men commission shall have the following duties:
Provide a clearinghouse for information regarding both state and federal legislation as it relates to the purpose of this chapter;
Identify and define specific needs of men and boys of color, those in rural locations, those who identify as LGBTQ, and those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, and provide recommendations for addressing those needs in the biennial report to the legislature and governor under (g) of this subsection;
Consult with state agencies regarding the effect of agency policies, procedures, practices, laws, and administrative rules on the unique problems and needs of men and boys. The boys and men commission shall also advise such state agencies on the development and implementation of comprehensive and coordinated policies, plans, and programs focusing on those problems and needs;
Provide resource and referral information to agencies and the public. The boys and men commission may gather data and disseminate information to the public in order to implement the purposes of this chapter;
Hold public hearings to gather input on issues related to the unique problems and needs of men and boys. The boys and men commission must include in the biennial report submitted under (g) of this subsection the input received and recommendations for addressing the problems and needs discussed at the public hearings;
Advocate for policies that increase the sense of belonging and decreases isolation and loneliness in boys and men; and
Submit a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature and the governor by December 31, 2029, and every two years thereafter detailing the boys and men commission's activities. The report submitted must be in electronic format pursuant to RCW 43.01.036.
State agencies must provide appropriate and reasonable assistance to the boys and men commission as needed, including gathering data and information, in order for the boys and men commission to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
The boys and men commission have the following powers:
Solicit and receive gifts, grants, and endowments from public or private sources that are made for the use or benefit of the boys and men commission and to expend the same or any income therefrom according to their terms and the purpose of this chapter. Amounts received must be deposited into the boys and men commission account. The boys and men commission's executive director shall make a report of such funds received from private sources to the office of financial management on a regular basis. Amounts received from private sources must supplement and may not supplant amounts appropriated by the legislature, but shall be used for projects and functions authorized by this chapter but not funded by legislative appropriation; and
Adopt rules necessary to implement this chapter.
The boys and men commission account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from gifts, grants, and endowments received by the boys and men commission must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for the purposes of sections 3 through 5 of this act. Only the executive director of the boys and men commission or the director's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.
(1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury, and may be commingled with moneys in the state treasury for cash management and cash balance purposes.
(1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury, and may be commingled with moneys in the state treasury for cash management and cash balance purposes.
Sections 3 through 6 of this act take effect upon the receipt of funds in the boys and men commission account in an amount sufficient to fully fund the boys and men commission's operational costs from that date until December 31, 2029, including all associated administrative costs or costs to contract for work to carry out this chapter, pursuant to section 2 of this act.
If the condition under subsection (1) of this section is met on or before December 31, 2029, the office of financial management shall notify affected parties, the governor, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the secretary of the senate, the office of the code reviser, and others deemed appropriate of the date the condition was met.
If, by January 1, 2030, the condition under subsection (1) of this section has not been met:
The office of financial management shall notify affected parties, the governor, the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the secretary of the senate, the office of the code reviser, and others deemed appropriate that the condition was not met and shall return all nonpublic contributions received prior to that date to the individual or entity making the original contribution; and
Sections 1 through 7 of this act expire.
This section expires upon the conditions under subsections (1) and (2) of this section being met, or on January 1, 2030, whichever occurs later.
Section 8 of this act expires July 1, 2030.
Section 9 of this act takes effect July 1, 2030.