(1)(a) The economic and revenue forecast council is hereby created. The council shall consist of two individuals appointed by the governor, the state treasurer, and eight legislators, two of whom shall be appointed by the chairperson of each of the two largest political caucuses in the senate and house of representatives.

(b) The chair of the council shall be selected from among the eight caucus appointees. The council may select such other officers as the members deem necessary.

(2) The council shall employ an economic, revenue, and transportation revenue forecast supervisor to supervise the preparation of all economic and revenue forecasts, transportation revenue forecasts under RCW 82.33.015, and the presentation of state budget outlooks. As used in this chapter, "supervisor" means the economic, revenue, and transportation revenue forecast supervisor. Approval by an affirmative vote of at least seven members of the council is required for any decisions regarding employment of the supervisor. 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.

(3) The economic and revenue forecast council shall oversee the preparation of and approve, by an affirmative vote of at least seven members, the official, optimistic, and pessimistic state economic and revenue forecasts prepared under RCW 82.33.020. If the council is unable to approve a 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.

(4) The economic and revenue forecast council shall oversee the preparation of and approve, by an affirmative vote of at least seven members, 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.

(5) A councilmember who does not cast an affirmative vote for approval of the official economic and revenue forecast or the state budget outlook 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.

(6) 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.

Effective date—1990 c 229: See note following RCW 41.06.087.

(1)(a) The transportation economic and revenue forecast council is hereby created. The council shall consist of the following members:

(i) The director of the office of financial management;

(ii) The director of the department of licensing;

(iii) The state treasurer;

(iv) The chair and ranking member of the house transportation committee; and

(v) The chair and ranking member of the senate transportation committee.

(b) The chair of the council shall be selected from among the legislative members of the council identified in (a)(iv) and (v) of this subsection. The council may select such other officers as the members deem necessary.

(2) The council shall work with the economic, revenue, and transportation revenue forecast supervisor identified under RCW 82.33.010 to supervise the preparation of all transportation economic and revenue forecasts. The supervisor shall employ staff sufficient to accomplish the purposes of this section.

(3)(a) The transportation economic and revenue forecast council shall oversee the preparation of and approve, by an affirmative vote of at least five members, the official, optimistic, and pessimistic transportation economic and revenue forecasts prepared under RCW 82.33.020.

(b) If the council is unable to approve a 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.

(4) A councilmember who does not cast an affirmative vote for approval of the official transportation economic and revenue forecast may request, and the supervisor shall provide, an alternative economic and revenue forecast based on assumptions specified by the member.

(5) Members of the transportation 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:

(a) An official state economic and revenue forecast;

(b) An unofficial state economic and revenue forecast based on optimistic economic and revenue projections; and

(c) An unofficial state economic and revenue forecast based on pessimistic economic and revenue projections.

(2) Beginning with the September 2024, and four times each year thereafter, the supervisor must prepare, subject to the approval of the transportation economic and revenue forecast council created under RCW 82.33.015, an official transportation revenue forecast for the transportation budget. Additionally, the supervisor must prepare unofficial projections as deemed warranted by the supervisor, which may include optimistic and pessimistic assumptions. For purposes of this subsection, the transportation revenue forecast for the transportation budget includes, but is not limited to, transportation taxes, vehicle fees, drivers' fees, fares and tolls, and aircraft and vessel fees.

(3) The supervisor must submit forecasts prepared under this section, along with any unofficial forecasts provided under RCW 82.33.010, to the governor and the members of the ways and means committee of the senate and appropriations committee of the house of representatives and the chairs of the committees on transportation of the senate and house of representatives, including one copy to the staff of each of the committees, on or before November 20th, February 20th in the even-numbered years, March 20th in the odd-numbered years, June 27th, and September 27th. All forecasts must be based on the most recent economic and revenue forecast council economic forecast. All forecasts must include both estimated receipts and estimated revenues in conformance with generally accepted accounting principles as provided by RCW 43.88.037. In odd-numbered years, the period covered by forecasts for the state general fund and related funds must cover the current fiscal biennium and the next ensuing fiscal biennium, and the period for the transportation related funds must cover the current fiscal biennium and the next two ensuing fiscal biennia. In even-numbered years, the period covered by the forecasts for the state general fund and related funds shall be current fiscal and the next two ensuing fiscal biennia, and the period for the transportation related funds shall be the current fiscal and the next two ensuing fiscal biennia.

(4) All agencies of state government must provide to the supervisor immediate access to all information relating to economic and revenue forecasts. Revenue collection information must be available to the supervisor the first business day following the conclusion of each collection period.

(5) The economic, revenue, and transportation revenue forecast supervisor and staff must share information, data, and files with the tax research section of the department of revenue and the department of licensing but may not duplicate the duties and functions of one another.

(6) As part of its forecasts under subsection (1) of this section, the supervisor must provide estimated revenue from tuition fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020.

(7) The economic and revenue forecast council must, in consultation with the economic and revenue forecast work group created in RCW 82.33.040, review the existing economic and revenue forecast council revenue model, data, and methodologies and in light of recent economic changes, engage outside experts if necessary, and recommend changes to the economic and revenue forecast council revenue forecasting process to increase confidence and promote accuracy in the revenue forecast. The recommendations are due by September 30, 2012, and every five years thereafter.

Effective date—2015 c 3: "This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately [February 19, 2015]." [ 2015 c 3 s 16.]

Effective date—2012 c 182: "This act takes effect October 1, 2012." [ 2012 c 182 s 2.]

Findings—Intent—Part headings—Effective dates—2005 c 319: See notes following RCW 43.17.020.

Effective date—1992 c 231: See note following RCW 28B.10.016.

Effective date—1990 c 229: See note following RCW 41.06.087.

The administrator of the legislative evaluation and accountability program committee may request, and the supervisor shall provide, alternative economic and revenue forecasts based on assumptions specified by the administrator.

Legislative evaluation and accountability program committee: Chapter 44.48 RCW.

(1) 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:

(a) Department of revenue;

(b) Office of financial management;

(c) Legislative evaluation and accountability program committee;

(d) Ways and means committee of the senate;

(e) Ways and means committee of the house of representatives;

(f) Transportation committee of the senate;

(g) Transportation committee of the house of representatives;

(h) Washington state department of transportation; and

(i) Department of licensing.

(2) 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.

(3) 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.

The state economic and revenue forecast council shall perform the state employment growth forecast and general state revenue estimates required by Article VII, section 12.

Contingent effective date—2007 c 484 ss 2-8: See note following RCW 43.79.495.

(1) To facilitate compliance with, and subject to the terms of, RCW 43.88.055 and 43.88.030, the state budget outlook work group shall prepare, subject to the approval of the economic and revenue forecast council under RCW 82.33.010, an official state budget outlook for state revenues and expenditures for the general fund and related funds. The revenue and caseload projections used in the outlook must reflect the most recent official forecasts adopted by the economic and revenue forecast council and the caseload forecast council for the years for which those forecasts are available.

(2) The outlook must:

(a) Estimate revenues to and expenditures from the state general fund and related funds. The estimate of ensuing biennium expenditures must include maintenance items including, but not limited to, continuation of current programs, forecasted growth of current entitlement programs, and actions required by law, including legislation with a future implementation date. Estimates of ensuing biennium expenditures must exclude policy items including, but not limited to, legislation not yet enacted by the legislature, collective bargaining agreements not yet approved by the legislature, and changes to levels of funding for employee salaries and benefits unless those changes are required by statute. Estimated maintenance level expenditures must also exclude costs of court rulings issued during or within fewer than ninety days before the beginning of the current legislative session;

(b) Address major budget and revenue drivers, including trends and variability in these drivers;

(c) Clearly state the assumptions used in the estimates of baseline and projected expenditures and any adjustments made to those estimates;

(d) Clearly state the assumptions used in the baseline revenue estimates and any adjustments to those estimates; and

(e) Include the impact of previously enacted legislation with a future implementation date.

(3) The outlook must also separately include projections based on the revenues and expenditures proposed in the governor's budget documents submitted to the legislature under RCW 43.88.030.

(4) The economic and revenue forecast council shall submit state budget outlooks prepared under this section to the governor and the members of the committees on ways and means of the senate and house of representatives, including one copy to the staff of each of the committees, as required by this section.

(5) Each January, the state budget outlook work group shall also prepare, subject to the approval of the economic and revenue forecast council, a state budget outlook for state revenues and expenditures that reflects the governor's proposed budget document submitted to the legislature under chapter 43.88 RCW. Within thirty days following enactment of an operating budget by the legislature, the work group shall prepare, subject to the approval of the economic and revenue forecast council, a state budget outlook for state revenues and expenditures that reflects the enacted budget.

(6) All agencies of state government shall provide to the supervisor immediate access to all information relating to state budget outlooks.

(7) The state budget outlook work group must publish its proposed methodology on the economic and revenue forecast council website. The state budget outlook work group, in consultation with the economic and revenue forecast work group and outside experts if necessary, must analyze the extent to which the proposed methodology for projecting expenditures for the ensuing fiscal biennia may be reliably used to determine the future impact of appropriations and make recommendations to change the outlook process to increase reliability and accuracy. The recommendations are due by December 1, 2013, and every five years thereafter.

Effective date—2020 c 218: See note following RCW 43.88.030.

(1) To promote the free flow of information and to promote legislative input in the preparation of the state budget outlook, immediate access to all information relating to the state budget outlook shall be available to the state budget outlook work group, hereby created. The state budget outlook work group shall consist of one staff member selected by the executive head or chairperson of each of the following agencies or committees:

(a) Office of financial management;

(b) Legislative evaluation and accountability program committee;

(c) Office of the state treasurer;

(d) Economic and revenue forecast council;

(e) Caseload forecast council;

(f) Ways and means committee of the senate; and

(g) Ways and means committee of the house of representatives.

(2) The state budget outlook work group shall provide technical support to the economic and revenue forecast council. Meetings of the state budget outlook 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 budget outlook, or for any other purpose which may assist the economic and revenue forecast council.