The legislature finds that public policies and programs will be improved when informed by independent scientific analysis and communication with state and local policymakers. Throughout the state there are highly qualified persons in a wide range of scientific disciplines who are willing to contribute their time and expertise in such reviews, but that presently there is lacking an organizational structure in which the entire scientific community may most effectively respond to requests for assessments of complex public policy questions. Therefore it is the purpose of chapter 305, Laws of 2005 to authorize the creation of the Washington academy of sciences as a nonprofit entity independent of government, whose principal mission will be the provision of scientific analysis and recommendations on questions referred to the academy by the governor, the governor's designee, or the legislature.

The Washington academy of sciences authorized to be formed under RCW 70A.40.030 shall serve as a principal source of scientific investigation, examination, and reporting on scientific questions referred to the academy by the governor or the legislature under the provisions of RCW 70A.40.040. Nothing in this section or this chapter supersedes or diminishes the responsibilities performed by scientists employed by the state or its political subdivisions.

(1) The presidents of the University of Washington and Washington State University shall jointly form and serve as the cochairs of an organizing committee for the purpose of creating the Washington academy of sciences as an independent entity to carry out the purposes of this chapter. The committee should be representative of appropriate disciplines from the academic, private, governmental, and research sectors.

(2) Staff from the University of Washington and Washington State University, and from other available entities, shall provide support to the organizing committee under the direction of the cochairs.

(3)(a) The committee shall investigate organizational structures that will ensure the participation or membership in the academy of scientists and experts with distinction in their fields, and that will ensure broad participation among the several disciplines that may be called upon in the investigation, examination, and reporting upon questions referred to the academy by the governor or the legislature.

(b) The organizational structure shall include a process by which the academy responds to inquiries from the governor or the legislature, including but not limited to the identification of research projects, past or present, at Washington or other research institutions and the findings of such research projects.

(4) The committee cochairs shall use their best efforts to form the committee by January 1, 2006, and to complete the committee's review by April 30, 2007. By April 30, 2007, the committee, or such individuals as the committee selects, shall file articles of incorporation to create the academy as a Washington independent organizational entity. The articles shall expressly recognize the power and responsibility of the academy to provide services as described in RCW 70A.40.040 upon request of the governor, the governor's designee, or the legislature. The articles shall also provide for a board of directors of the academy that includes distinguished scientists from the range of disciplines that may be called upon to provide such services to the state and its political subdivisions, and provide a balance of representation from the academic, private, governmental, and research sectors.

(5) The articles shall provide for all such powers as may be appropriate or necessary to carry out the academy's purposes under this chapter, to the full extent allowable under the proposed organizational structure.

(1) The academy shall investigate, examine, and report on any subject of science requested by the governor, the governor's designee, or the legislature. The procedures for selecting panels of experts to respond to such requests shall be set forth in the bylaws or other appropriate operating guidelines. In forming review panels, the academy shall endeavor to assure that the panel members have no conflicts of interest and that proposed panelists first disclose any advocacy positions or financial interest related to the questions to be addressed by the panel that the candidate has held within the past ten years.

(2) The governor shall provide funding to the academy for the actual expense of such investigation, examination, and reports. Such funding shall be in addition to state funding assistance to the academy in its initial years of operation as described in *RCW 70.220.060.

*Reviser's note: RCW 70.220.060 was repealed by 2017 3rd sp.s. c 25 s 9.

The academy may carry out functions or provide services to its members and the public in addition to the services provided under RCW 70A.40.040, such as public education programs, newsletters, websites, science fairs, and research assistance.