BILL REQ. #: S-3867.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/19/12. Referred to Committee on Economic Development, Trade & Innovation.
AN ACT Relating to associate development organizations; and amending RCW 43.330.080, 43.330.082, and 43.162.020.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 43.330.080 and 2011 c 286 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
((In carrying out its obligations under RCW 43.330.070,)) (1)(a)
The department must ((provide business services training to and))
contract with county-designated associate development organizations to
increase the support for and coordination of community and economic
development services in communities or regional areas. ((The business
services training provided to the organizations contracted with must
include, but need not be limited to, training in the fundamentals of
export assistance and the services available from private and public
export assistance providers in the state. The organizations contracted
within each community or regional area must work closely with the
department to carry out state-identified economic development
priorities and must be broadly representative of community and economic
interests. The organization must)) The contracting organizations in
each community or regional area must:
(i) Be broadly representative of community and economic interests;
(ii) Be capable of identifying key economic and community
development problems, developing appropriate solutions, and mobilizing
broad support for recommended initiatives((. The contracting
organization must));
(iii) Work closely with the department to carry out state-identified economic development priorities;
(iv) Work with and include local governments, local chambers of
commerce, workforce development councils, port districts, labor groups,
institutions of higher education, community action programs, and other
appropriate private, public, or nonprofit community and economic
development groups; and
(v) Meet and share best practices with other associate development
organizations at least two times each year.
(b) The scope of services delivered under ((these)) the contracts
required in (a) of this subsection must include two broad areas of
work:
(((1))) (i) Direct assistance, including business planning, to
companies throughout the county who need support to stay in business,
expand, or relocate to Washington from out of state or other countries.
Assistance must comply with business recruitment and retention
protocols established in RCW 43.330.062, and includes:
(((a))) (A) Working with the appropriate partners throughout the
county((,)) including, but not limited to, local governments, workforce
development councils, port districts, community and technical colleges
and higher education institutions, export assistance providers, the
Washington manufacturing services, the Washington state quality award
council, small business assistance programs, innovation partnership
zones, and other federal, state, and local programs to facilitate the
alignment of planning efforts and the seamless delivery of business
support services within the entire county;
(((b))) (B) Providing information on state and local permitting
processes, tax issues, export assistance, and other essential
information for operating, expanding, or locating a business in
Washington;
(((c))) (C) Marketing Washington and local areas as excellent
locations to expand or relocate a business and positioning Washington
as a globally competitive place to grow business, which may include
developing and executing regional plans to attract companies from out
of state;
(((d))) (D) Working with businesses on site location and selection
assistance;
(((e))) (E) Providing business retention and expansion services
throughout the county((, including)). Such services must include, but
are not limited to, business outreach and monitoring efforts to
identify and address challenges and opportunities faced by businesses,
assistance to trade impacted businesses in applying for grants from the
federal trade adjustment assistance for firms program, and the
provision of information to businesses on:
(I) Resources available for microenterprise development;
(II) Resources available on the revitalization of commercial
districts; and
(III) The opportunity to maintain jobs through shared work programs
authorized under chapter 50.60 RCW;
(((f))) (F) Participating in economic development system-wide
discussions regarding gaps in business start-up assistance in
Washington; ((and)) (G) Providing or facilitating the provision of export
assistance through workshops or one-on-one assistance; and
(g)
(H) Using a web-based information system to track data and
coordinate work with other economic development partners on business
recruitment, retention, expansion, and trade; and
(((2))) (ii) Support for regional economic research and regional
planning efforts to implement target industry sector strategies and
other economic development strategies, including cluster-based
strategies((, that support increased living standards and increase
foreign direct investment throughout Washington)). Research and
planning efforts should support increased living standards and
increased foreign direct investment, and must be aligned with the
statewide economic development strategy. Activities include:
(((a) Participation)) (A) Participating in regional planning
efforts with workforce development councils involving coordinated
strategies around workforce development and economic development
policies and programs. Coordinated planning efforts must include, but
not be limited to, assistance to industry clusters in the region;
(((b) Participation between the contracting organization and)) (B)
Participating with the state board for community and technical colleges
as created in RCW 28B.50.050, and any community and technical colleges
in ((providing for)) the coordination of the job skills training
program and the customized training program within its region;
(((c))) (C) Collecting and reporting data as specified by the
contract with the department for statewide systemic analysis. The
department must consult with the Washington state economic development
commission in the establishment of such uniform data as is needed to
conduct a statewide systemic analysis of the state's economic
development programs and expenditures. In cooperation with other
local, regional, and state planning efforts, contracting organizations
may provide insight into the needs of target industry clusters,
business expansion plans, early detection of potential relocations or
layoffs, training needs, and other appropriate economic information;
(((d))) (D) In conjunction with other governmental jurisdictions
and institutions, participate in the development of a countywide
economic development plan, consistent with the state comprehensive plan
for economic development developed by the Washington state economic
development commission.
(2) The department must provide business services training to the
contracting organizations, including but not limited to:
(a) Training in the fundamentals of export assistance and the
services available from private and public export assistance providers
in the state; and
(b) Training in the provision of business retention and expansion
services as required by subsection (1)(b)(i)(E) of this section.
Sec. 2 RCW 43.330.082 and 2011 c 286 s 3 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1)(a) Contracting associate development organizations must provide
the department with measures of their performance and a summary of best
practices shared and implemented by the contracting organizations.
Annual reports must include information on ((the impact of the
contracting organization on employment, wages, tax revenue, and capital
investment. Specific measures must be developed in the contracting
process between the department)) the community or regional area served
by the contracting organization. Annual reports may include the impact
of the contracting organization on employment, wages, exports, tax
revenue, small business creation, foreign direct investment, business
relocations, expansions, terminations, and capital investment. Data
must be input into a common web-based business information system
managed by the department. Specific measures, data standards, and data
definitions must be developed in the contracting process between the
department, the economic development commission, and the contracting
organization every two years. Except as provided in (b) of this
subsection, performance measures should be consistent across regions to
allow for statewide evaluation.
(b) In addition to the measures required in (a) of this subsection,
contracting associate development organizations in counties with a
population greater than one million five hundred thousand persons must
include the following measures in reports to the department:
(i) The number of small businesses that received retention and
expansion services, and the outcome of those services;
(ii) The number of businesses located outside of the boundaries of
the largest city within the contracting associate development
organization's region that received recruitment, retention, and
expansion services, and the outcome of those services.
(2)(a) The department and contracting associate development
organizations must agree upon specific target levels for the
performance measures in subsection (1) of this section. Comparison of
agreed thresholds and actual performance must occur annually.
(b) Contracting organizations that fail to achieve the agreed
performance targets in more than one-half of the agreed measures must
develop remediation plans to address performance gaps. The remediation
plans must include revised performance thresholds specifically chosen
to provide evidence of progress in making the identified service
changes.
(c) Contracts and state funding must be terminated for one year for
organizations that fail to achieve the agreed upon progress toward
improved performance defined under (b) of this subsection. During the
year in which termination for nonperformance is in effect,
organizations must review alternative delivery strategies to include
reorganization of the contracting organization, merging of previous
efforts with existing regional partners, and other specific steps
toward improved performance. At the end of the period of termination,
the department may contract with the associate development organization
or its successor as it deems appropriate.
(3) The department must submit a preliminary report to the
Washington economic development commission by September 1st of each
even-numbered year, and a final report to the legislature and the
Washington economic development commission by December 31st of each
even-numbered year on the performance results of the contracts with
associate development organizations.
(4) Contracting associate development organizations must provide
the Washington state economic development commission with information
to be used in the comprehensive statewide economic development strategy
and progress report due under RCW 43.162.020, by the date determined by
the commission.
Sec. 3 RCW 43.162.020 and 2011 c 311 s 5 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The commission must concentrate its major efforts on strategic
planning, policy research and analysis, advocacy, evaluation, and
promoting coordination and collaboration.
(2) During each regular legislative session, the commission must
consult with appropriate legislative committees about the state's
economic development needs and opportunities.
(3)(a) By October 1st of each even-numbered year, the commission
must submit to the governor and legislature a biennial comprehensive
statewide economic development strategy with a report on progress from
the previous comprehensive strategy.
(b) The comprehensive statewide economic development strategy must
include the industry clusters in the state and the strategic clusters
targeted by the commission for economic development efforts. The
commission must consult with the workforce training and education
coordinating board and include labor market and economic information by
the employment security department in developing the list of clusters
and strategic clusters that meet the criteria identified by the working
group convened by the economic development commission and the workforce
training and education coordinating board under chapter 43.330 RCW.
(4)(a) In developing the comprehensive statewide economic
development strategy, the commission must use, but may not be limited
to: Economic, labor market, and populations trend reports in office of
financial management forecasts; the annual state economic climate
report prepared by the economic climate council; joint office of
financial management and employment security department labor force,
industry employment, and occupational forecasts; the results of
scientifically based outcome evaluations; the needs of industry
associations, industry clusters, businesses, and employees as evidenced
in formal surveys and other input.
(b) The comprehensive statewide economic development strategy may
include:
(i) An assessment of the state's economic vitality;
(ii) Recommended goals, objectives, and priorities for the next
biennium, and the future;
(iii) A common set of outcomes and benchmarks for the economic
development system as a whole;
(iv) Recommendations for removing barriers and promoting
collaboration among participants in the innovation ecosystem;
(v) An inventory of existing relevant programs compiled by the
commission from materials submitted by agencies;
(vi) Recommendations for expanding, discontinuing, or redirecting
existing programs, or adding new programs; and
(vii) Recommendations of best practices and public and private
sector roles in implementing the comprehensive statewide economic
development strategy.
(c) The report on progress from the previous comprehensive strategy
must include information provided by associate development
organizations as requested by the commission. The commission may
include recommendations for associate development organizations in the
report on progress or in the comprehensive statewide economic
development strategy.
(5) In developing the biennial statewide economic development
strategy, plans, inventories, assessments, and policy research, the
commission must consult, collaborate, and coordinate with relevant
state agencies, private sector businesses, nonprofit organizations
involved in economic development, trade associations, associate
development organizations, and relevant local organizations in order to
avoid duplication of effort.
(6) State agencies and associate development organizations must
cooperate with the commission and provide information as the commission
may reasonably request.
(7) The commission must develop a biennial budget request for
approval by the office of financial management. The commission must
adopt an annual budget and work plan in accordance with the omnibus
appropriations bill approved by the legislature.
(8)(a) The commission and its fiscal agent must jointly develop and
adopt a memorandum of understanding to outline and establish clear
lines of authority and responsibility between them related to budget
and administrative services.
(b) The memorandum of understanding may not provide any additional
grant of authorities to the commission or the fiscal agent that is not
already provided for by statute, nor diminish any authorities or powers
granted to either party by statute.
(c) Periodically, but not less often than biannually, the
commission and fiscal agent must review the memorandum of understanding
and, if necessary, recommend changes to the other party.
(d) As provided generally under RCW 43.162.015, the executive
director of the commission must report solely to the governor and the
commissioners on matters pertaining to commission operations.
(9) To maintain its objectivity and concentration on strategic
planning, policy research and analysis, and evaluation, the commission
may not take an administrative role in the delivery of services.
However, subject to available resources and consistent with its work
plan, the commission or the executive director may conduct outreach
activities such as regional forums and best practices seminars.
(10) The commission must evaluate its own performance on a regular
basis.
(11) The commission may accept gifts, grants, donations,
sponsorships, or contributions from any federal, state, or local
governmental agency or program, or any private source, and expend the
same for any purpose consistent with this chapter.