The citizens of Washington should enjoy a high quality of life, which requires a healthy state economy. To achieve this goal, the legislature recognizes that the state must be able to compete economically at a national and international level. It is critical to the economic well-being of the citizens of this state that the legislature strive to continually improve the state's economic climate. Therefore, the legislature intends to provide a mechanism whereby the information necessary to achieve this goal is available on a timely and reliable basis.

(1) The economic climate council is hereby created.

(2) The council shall select a series of benchmarks that characterize the competitive environment of the state. The benchmarks should be indicators of the cost of doing business; the education and skills of the workforce; a sound infrastructure; and the quality of life. In selecting the appropriate benchmarks, the council shall use the following criteria:

(a) The availability of comparative information for other states and countries;

(b) The timeliness with which benchmark information can be obtained; and

(c) The accuracy and validity of the benchmarks in measuring the economic climate indicators named in this section.

(3) Each year the council shall prepare an official state economic climate report on the present status of benchmarks, changes in the benchmarks since the previous report, and the reasons for the changes. The reports shall include current benchmark comparisons with other states and countries, and an analysis of factors related to the benchmarks that may affect the ability of the state to compete economically at the national and international level.

(4) All agencies of state government shall provide to the council immediate access to all information relating to economic climate reports.