(1) The legislature finds that: The health and safety of its citizens and environment are of vital interest to the state's long-term quality of life; Washington state is a national leader in protecting its environment; and Washington state has a vibrant and diverse economy that is dependent on the state maintaining high environmental standards. Further, the legislature finds that a complex and confusing network of environmental and land use laws and business regulations can create obstacles to sustainable growth.

It is the intent of the legislature to promote accountability, timeliness, and predictability for citizens, business, and state, federal, and local permitting agencies, and to provide information and assistance on the regulatory process through the creation of the office of regulatory assistance in the governor's office.

(2) The office of regulatory assistance is created to work to continually improve the function of environmental and business regulatory processes by identifying conflicts and overlap in the state's rules, statutes, and operational practices; the office is to provide project proponents and business owners with active assistance for all permitting, licensing, and other regulatory procedures required for completion of specific projects; and the office is to ensure that citizens, businesses, and local governments have access to, and clear information regarding, regulatory processes for permitting and business regulation, including state rules, permit and license requirements, and agency rule-making processes.

(3) The legislature declares that the purpose of this chapter is to provide direction, practical resources, and a range of innovative and optional service delivery options for improving the regulatory process and for providing assistance through the regulatory process on individual projects in furtherance of the state's goals of governmental transparency and accountability.

(4) The legislature intends that establishing an office of regulatory assistance will provide these services without abrogating or limiting the authority of any agency to make decisions on permits, licenses, regulatory requirements, or agency rule making. The legislature further intends that the office of regulatory assistance shall have authority to provide services but shall not have any authority to make decisions on permits.

Effective date—2010 c 162: See note following RCW 43.42.090.