Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Under current rules, the formula for determining each political subdivision's fees contains gaps that create ambiguity. The fees also do not increase smoothly as expenditures rise under the current formula. Finally, the cap on fees has not been updated since 2004, despite the growth in expenditures. As a result, political subdivisions with greater expenditures pay a lower proportion in fees compared to political subdivisions with less expenditures. The new formula will make fees more predictable, less ambiguous, and more proportionate to expenditures. The resulting increase in collections will offset increases in the staff cost for the office of minority and women's business enterprises to certify businesses.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Julie Bracken, 1110 Capitol Way South, Suite 150, Olympia, WA, phone 360-664-9750, fax 360-586-7079, email rules@omwbe.wa.gov, website omwbe.wa.gov.