wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 5117 > Substitute Bill
The legislature recognizes the significant contributions of the state's second largest economic driver and the people who are its heartbeat: Agriculture. The legislature also recognizes the tremendous pressure the agricultural community is under from many sources outside of its control. As such, the legislature seeks to support the people of our agricultural community by alleviating at least one of those burdens by acknowledging that policy decisions can have an impact on their daily lives. The legislature aspires to foster a variety of agricultural enterprises of diverse sizes, interests, and means of operation, and recognizes the most meaningful way of doing so is through an analysis of how ongoing policy decisions are or will affect the ability of Washingtonians to continue to produce food for themselves and the world.
The legislature declares that it is the continuing policy of the state of Washington, in cooperation with federal, tribal, and local governments and other concerned public and private organizations, to use such means and measures, including financial and technical assistance, in a manner calculated to: (a) Promote a stable food supply by maintaining a healthy agricultural economy in Washington state; and (b) ensure that the regulatory environment does not adversely affect the ability of Washington's farmers to continue to grow and sell their products to feed citizens of Washington state and the world.
In order to carry out the policy set forth in this chapter, the legislature finds it is the continuing responsibility of the state of Washington and all agencies of the state to use such practicable means, consistent with other essential considerations of state policy, to improve and coordinate plans, functions, programs, and resources in order to:
Promote agriculture while protecting public health and welfare;
Provide opportunities for farmers and ranchers to utilize agricultural land to produce agricultural products;
Aid farmers and landowners in utilizing the land for the best combination of production, habitat, carbon sequestration, and any combination of commercial and conservation activities; and
Preserve important historical, cultural, and natural aspects of our local, state, and national heritage of agriculture.
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The director of financial management or the director's designee, in cooperation with appropriate legislative committees and legislative staff, must establish a mechanism for the determination of the fiscal impact of proposed legislation which, if enacted into law, would directly or indirectly increase or decrease regulatory costs incurred by entities engaged in agriculture. The office of financial management shall, when requested by a member of the state legislature, report in writing as to the fiscal impact and the report may be known as a fiscal note.
For purposes of this subsection, "entities engaged in agriculture" includes entities registered with the office of the secretary of state as engaged in the manufacturing, production, or processing of agricultural products.
Fiscal notes must indicate by fiscal year the total impact on the agricultural economy for the first two years the legislation would be in effect and also a cumulative six-year forecast of the fiscal impact. Where feasible and applicable, the fiscal note must also indicate the fiscal impact on each industry or a representative sampling of the industry broadly.
A fiscal note must be provided only upon request of a member of the state legislature. A request for a fiscal note on legislation is considered to be a continuing request for a fiscal note on any formal alteration of the legislation in the form of an amendment to the legislation that are adopted by a committee or a chamber of the legislature or a substitute version of the legislation that is adopted by a committee and preparation of the fiscal note on the prior version of the legislation must stop, unless the legislator requesting the fiscal note specifies otherwise or the altered version is first adopted or enacted in the last week of a legislative session.
Fiscal notes must be completed within one week of the request unless an extended time period is authorized by the requesting legislator. In the event a fiscal note has not been completed within one week of a request, a daily report must be prepared for the requesting legislator by the director of financial management. The daily report must summarize the progress in preparing the fiscal note. If the request is referred to the director of commerce, the daily report must also include the date and time such a referral is made.
This chapter may be known and cited as the food economics, availability, and security over time (FEAST) act.
Sections 1 through 3 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.