AN ACT Relating to creating manufacturing partnerships; and adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

(2) Over time, manufacturing business ecosystems evolve as members share capabilities and resources and align objectives. Manufacturing business ecosystems enable regions of similar focus and interests to share visions, align investments, and provide mutually supportive roles that benefit the entire region, resulting in job creation and maintenance, leverage of advantages and opportunities, coordination of research and commercialization, acceleration of new technologies across manufacturing industries, growth of small and medium-sized businesses, collaborative development of public infrastructure, and increased access to capital.

(3) Providing legislative support to the efforts of manufacturing business ecosystems and designating an entity to unify efforts, provide oversight, and leverage regional resources and strengths, are appropriate and innovative means of moving forward with manufacturing economic development in Washington.

(4)(a) There has been extensive progress towards creating a manufacturing business ecosystem, called the Pacific Northwest manufacturing partnership, in the southwest part of the state of Washington and the geographic region located within the Willamette Valley and the Columbia river corridor in Oregon. The partnership was formed in response to a federal initiative known as the investing in manufacturing communities partnership program in the United States economic development administration, which aims to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in the United States. The federal initiative seeks to encourage communities to develop comprehensive economic development strategies and best practices that will strengthen the communities' competitive edge for attracting global manufacturer and supply chain investments. The partnership will make application to the federal initiative program for a federal designation as a manufacturing community in accordance with the program requirements and geographical limitations. The partnership is an example of the type of business ecosystem that this state should encourage and support, and may serve as a model for future partnerships for manufacturing economic development in other regions of this state and the Pacific Northwest.

(b) The central Puget Sound's aerospace manufacturing sector has recently been designated as an investing in manufacturing communities partnership program to implement a comprehensive economic development strategy to strengthen their competitive edge for attracting global manufacturer and supply chain investments.

(c) The department must work with other regions of the state to develop manufacturing business ecosystems suitable for their geographic area.

(1) "Department" means the department of commerce.

(2) "Geographic region" means the following regions and counties:

(a) Washington's aerospace region including Grant, Clallam, King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties and the Spokane metropolitan statistical area including portions of Pend Oreille, Stevens, and Spokane counties.

(b) Mid-Columbia Valley, comprising Hood River, Sherman, and Wasco counties in the state of Oregon and Klickitat county in the state of Washington.

(c) Portland and Vancouver metro, comprising Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill counties in the state of Oregon and Clark and Skamania counties in the state of Washington.

(d) South central Washington region including, but not limited to, Benton, Franklin, Yakima, Grant, and Walla Walla counties.

(e) North Puget Sound region including, but not limited to, Skagit, Whatcom, and Island counties.

(f) South Puget Sound including, but not limited to Thurston, Pierce, and Lewis counties.

(g) Olympic and coastal region including, but not limited to, Mason, Jefferson, Clallam, Grays Harbor, and Pacific counties.

(3) "Manufacturing economic development" means economic development in manufacturing sectors, including but not limited to manufacturing activities related to aerospace, primary metals, wood products, semiconductors, electronics, medical devices, food processing, technological inputs, and machinery.

(4) "Partnership" means the Pacific Northwest manufacturing partnership, or a manufacturing community established under section 2 of this act, consisting of a collaborative alliance of governmental agencies, educational institutions, manufacturing firms and associations, research facilities, workforce boards, labor organizations, and manufacturing economic development entities that has been established in geographic regions in this state for the purpose of:

(a) Integrating knowledge, innovation, research, technology, science, industry, resources, and priorities for manufacturing economic development in the geographic regions; and

(b) Enhancing the geographic regions' capacity as manufacturing business ecosystems.

(b) The department may appoint an advisory committee in other geographic regions of the state seeking to establish a manufacturing community partnership.

(2) The advisory committee, if appointed, must advise and make recommendations to the department regarding the following:

(a) Goals and objectives of the partnership;

(b) Policies, practices, and procedures for the operation of the partnership, including but not limited to the following:

(i) The manner in which members will convene and communicate to further the partnership's goals and objectives;

(ii) The establishment of advisory and standing committees to accomplish discrete goals or objectives of the partnership and prescribing the manner in which committees will report on recommendations to the partnership and the department;

(iii) Determining the distribution of responsibilities, including financial responsibilities, among members of the partnership;

(iv) Creating protocols for conflict avoidance and conflict resolution to resolve competing interests; and

(v) Resolving any other issues of governance structure that arise in carrying out the goals and objectives of the partnership;

(c) Making grants or loans, or providing other financial or technical assistance, to individuals and entities that have made application for assistance or submitted proposals for manufacturing economic development projects that will further the goals and objectives of the partnership;

(d) Establishing guidelines and standards for manufacturing economic development projects that will receive financial and technical assistance from the partnership, including applicant eligibility requirements;

(e) Developing outcome measures and other means for evaluating the progress or success of manufacturing economic development projects that have been funded, supported, or undertaken by the partnership;

(f) Identifying statistical compilation and other research endeavors that would assist the partnership to achieve its goals and objectives;

(g) Coordinating efforts and expertise of members, identifying research that is needed to further the goals and objectives of the partnership, aligning resources and projects and providing other leadership that will maximize return on investments in the geographical region represented by the partnership; and

(h) Creating a web site for the partnership that will provide information about the goals, objectives, purposes, and projects of the partnership.

(3) The director must appoint members to the advisory committee so as to reflect the geographic regions described in section 2 of this act.

(4) The department must provide staff support to the advisory committee.

(a) Providing financial assistance to businesses, programs, and entities engaged in manufacturing economic development that are working in collaboration with, or with the financial or technical assistance of, the partnership;

(b) Identifying and recruiting qualified investors and other sources of capital to support members of the partnership or manufacturing economic development projects identified by the partnership that are eligible for financial or technical assistance; and

(c) Entering into contracts and agreements with institutions of higher education, research facilities, economic development entities, and other manufacturing economic development entities for the purpose of supporting the goals and objectives of the partnership.

(2) The department must act on behalf of the partnership to apply or submit proposals for any federal funds, at the request of the partnership, that the partnership and the department determine will assist the partnership to achieve its goals and objectives, including but not limited to funding available to designated manufacturing communities through the investing in manufacturing communities partnership program in the United States economic development administration. The department may accept and enter into any contracts or agreements on behalf of the partnership for the receipt of the funds from the federal government or its agencies.

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