JLARC work plans

AN ACT Relating to modifying joint legislative audit and review 1
committee work plans to ensure efficient use of staff resources; and 2
amending RCW 67.28.1816 and 50.22.157. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 67.28.1816 and 2013 c 196 s 1 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(1) Lodging tax revenues under this chapter may be used, directly 7
by any municipality or indirectly through a convention and visitors 8
bureau or destination marketing organization for: 9
(a) Tourism marketing; 10
(b) The marketing and operations of special events and festivals 11
designed to attract tourists; 12
(c) Supporting the operations and capital expenditures of 13
tourism-related facilities owned or operated by a municipality or a 14
public facilities district created under chapters 35.57 and 36.100 15
RCW; or 16
(d) Supporting the operations of tourism-related facilities owned 17
or operated by nonprofit organizations described under 26 U.S.C. Sec. 18
501(c)(3) and 26 U.S.C. Sec. 501 (c)(6) of the internal revenue code 19
of 1986, as amended. 20
H-2530.1
HOUSE BILL 2120
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Pollet, Orcutt, Barnard, Reed, Zahn, Scott, Berg,
and Reeves
Prefiled 12/09/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on State Government & Tribal Relations.
p. 1 HB 2120
(2)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, applicants 1
applying for use of revenues in this chapter must provide the 2
municipality to which they are applying estimates of how any moneys 3
received will result in increases in the number of people traveling 4
for business or pleasure on a trip: 5
(i) Away from their place of residence or business and staying 6
overnight in paid accommodations; 7
(ii) To a place ((fifty)) 50 miles or more one way from their 8
place of residence or business for the day or staying overnight; or9
(iii) From another country or state outside of their place of 10
residence or their business. 11
(b)(i) In a municipality with a population of ((five thousand )) 12
5,000 or more, applicants applying for use of revenues in this 13
chapter must submit their applications and estimates described under 14
(a) of this subsection to the local lodging tax advisory committee.15
(ii) The local lodging tax advisory committee must select the 16
candidates from amongst the applicants applying for use of revenues 17
in this chapter and provide a list of such candidates and recommended 18
amounts of funding to the municipality for final determination. The 19
municipality may choose only recipients from the list of candidates 20
and recommended amounts provided by the local lodging tax advisory 21
committee. 22
(c)(((i))) All recipients must submit a report to the 23
municipality describing the actual number of people traveling for 24
business or pleasure on a trip: 25
(((A))) (i) Away from their place of residence or business and 26
staying overnight in paid accommodations; 27
(((B))) (ii) To a place ((fifty)) 50 miles or more one way from 28
their place of residence or business for the day or staying 29
overnight; or 30
(((C))) (iii) From another country or state outside of their 31
place of residence or their business. A municipality receiving a 32
report must: Make such report available to the local legislative body 33
and the public; and furnish copies of the report to the joint 34
legislative audit and review committee and members of the local 35
lodging tax advisory committee. 36
(((ii) The joint legislative audit and review committee must on a 37
biennial basis report to the economic development committees of the 38
legislature on the use of lodging tax revenues by municipalities. 39
Reporting under this subsection must begin in calendar year 2015.))40
p. 2 HB 2120
(d) This section does not apply to the revenues of any lodging 1
tax authorized under this chapter imposed by a county with a 2
population of ((one million five hundred thousand )) 1,500,000 or 3
more. 4
Sec. 2. RCW 50.22.157 and 2016 c 197 s 6 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(((1))) The employment security department shall report to the 7
appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2016, and 8
every five years thereafter, on the status of the training benefits 9
program and the resulting outcomes. The report shall include a survey 10
based assessment of the employment outcomes for program participants 11
within the previous three years. The department shall also include in 12
its report: 13
(((a))) (1) A demographic analysis of participants in the 14
training benefits program under this section including the number of 15
claimants per North American industry classification system code and 16
the gender, race, age, and geographic representation of participants;17
(((b))) (2) The duration of training benefits claimed per 18
claimant; 19
(((c))) (3) An analysis of the training provided to participants 20
including the occupational category supported by the training, 21
whether the training received would lead to employment in a high-22
demand occupation, whether a degree or certificate is required in 23
that occupational category to obtain employment, those participants 24
who complete training in relationship to those that do not, the 25
number of participants who take courses in basic language, reading, 26
or writing skills to improve their employability, and the reasons for 27
noncompletion of approved training programs; 28
(((d))) (4) The employment and wage history of participants, 29
including the pretraining and posttraining wage, the type of work 30
participants were engaged in prior to unemployment, and whether those 31
participating in training return to their previous employer within 32
two years of receiving training, or are employed in a field for which 33
they were retrained; 34
(((e))) (5) An identification and analysis of administrative 35
costs at both the local and state level for administering this 36
program; 37
(((f))) (6) A projection of program costs for the next fiscal 38
year; and 39
p. 3 HB 2120
(((g))) (7) The total funds obligated for training benefits, and 1
the net balance remaining to be obligated subject to the restrictions 2
of RCW 50.22.140. 3
(((2) The joint legislative audit and review committee is 4
directed to conduct a thorough review and evaluation of the training 5
benefits program on the following schedule:6
(a) Three years after the implementation of the training benefits 7
portion of chapter 4, Laws of 2011 and every five years thereafter; 8
and9
(b) In any year in which the employment security department is 10
required to suspend obligation of training benefits funds pursuant to 11
RCW 50.22.140(2), or total expenditures exceed twenty-five million 12
dollars.13
(3) As part of the review conducted under subsection (2) of this 14
section, the joint legislative audit and review committee shall:15
(a) Assess whether the program is complying with legislative 16
intent;17
(b) Assess whether the program is effective;18
(c) Assess whether the program is operating in an efficient and 19
economical manner which results in optimum performance; and20
(d) Make recommendations on how to improve the training benefits 21
program.22
(4) After a review of the training benefits program has been 23
completed by the joint legislative audit and review committee, the 24
appropriate committees of the legislature must hold a public hearing 25
on the review and consider potential changes to improve the 26
program.))27
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p. 4 HB 2120