CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2000
Chapter 336, Laws of 2024
(partial veto)
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS—VARIOUS PROVISIONS
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the House March 5, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 74 Nays 22
I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the
House of Representatives of the
LAURIE JINKINS State of Washington, do hereby
Speaker of the House of certify that the attached is
Representatives ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE
BILL 2000 as passed by the House of
Representatives and the Senate on
the dates hereon set forth.
Passed by the Senate February 29,
2024
Yeas 49 Nays 0 BERNARD DEAN
Chief Clerk
DENNY HECK
President of the Senate
Approved March 28, 2024 10:59 AM with FILED
the exception of section 2, which is
vetoed. March 29, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2000
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By House Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives
Mena, Berry, Ramel, Low, Walen, Ryu, Timmons, Reed, Cheney, Nance,
Cortes, Santos, and Hackney)
READ FIRST TIME 02/05/24.
1 AN ACT Relating to renewing Washington's international
2 leadership; amending RCW 43.290.005, 43.290.020, 43.330.065,
3 43.15.050, 43.15.060, and 43.15.090; adding new sections to chapter
4 43.290 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 44.04 RCW; and
5 recodifying RCW 43.330.065.
6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
7 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.290
8 RCW to read as follows:
9 (1) The office of international relations and protocol shall
10 develop a strategic international engagement plan to guide
11 Washington's international economic development and engagement
12 consistent with RCW 43.290.005. The plan must create a common
13 framework for the state's engagement in international activities, to
14 include: Trade missions, economic development, and interpersonal
15 knowledge, educational, and cultural exchanges.
16 (2) The office may consult with entities relevant to Washington's
17 international presence when developing the strategic plan, including:
18 Associate development organizations, business and civic
19 organizations, consular officials, executive and small cabinet
20 agencies, institutions of higher education, immigration and labor
p. 1 E2SHB 2000.SL
 1 organizations, public ports, state offices, state ethnic commissions,
2 and private and nonprofit organizations.
3 (3) The office may utilize the resources of Results Washington
4 for technical and operational assistance in developing the strategic
5 plan.
6 (4) The office must complete an initial strategic plan by July 1,
7 2025. This strategic plan shall undergo periodic review to measure
8 progress and outcomes at least every two and a half years thereafter,
9 and it shall be fully updated at least every five years thereafter.
10 *Sec. 2. RCW 43.290.005 and 1991 c 24 s 1 are each amended to
11 read as follows:
12 The legislature finds that it is in the public interest to create
13 an office of international relations and protocol in order to: Make
14 international relations and protocol ((a broad-based,)) focused((,))
15 and functional ((part of)) across state government; provide
16 leadership in state government and assist the legislature and state
17 elected officials on international issues affecting the state;
18 establish coordinated methods for responding to foreign governments
19 and institutions seeking cooperative activities with and within
20 Washington; coordinate and improve communication and resource sharing
21 among various state offices, agencies, and educational institutions
22 with international programs; develop and promote state policies that
23 increase international ((literacy)) engagement and cross-cultural
24 understanding among Washington state's citizens; expand Washington
25 state's international cooperation role in such vital areas ((as the
26 environment, education, science, culture, and sports)) of public
27 policy as economic development, trade and industry, and tourism and
28 sports, as well as education, culture, science, and resilience;
29 ((establish coordinated methods for responding to the increasing
30 number of inquiries by foreign governments and institutions seeking
31 cooperative activities within Washington state; provide leadership in
32 state government on international relations and assistance to the
33 legislature and state elected officials on international issues
34 affecting the state;)) and assist with multistate international
35 efforts((; and coordinate and improve communication and resource
36 sharing among various state offices, agencies, and educational
37 institutions with international programs)).
38 It is the purpose of this chapter to bring these functions
39 together in a new office under the office of the governor in order to
p. 2 E2SHB 2000.SL
 1 establish a visible, coordinated, and comprehensive approach to
2 international relations and protocol.
*Sec. 2 was vetoed. See message at end of chapter.
3 Sec. 3. RCW 43.290.020 and 1991 c 24 s 4 are each amended to
4 read as follows:
5 The office of international relations and protocol may:
6 (1) Create ((temporary)) advisory committees as necessary to
7 ((deal with specific international issues)) execute its
8 responsibilities. The duration and composition of such advisory
9 committees may be determined by the office. Advisory committee
10 representation may include statewide elected officials from the
11 executive branch, or their designees, as well as representatives of
12 the legislative branch and the judiciary. Representation may also
13 include external organizations such as ((the Seattle consular
14 corps,)) world affairs councils, public ports, world trade
15 organizations, ((private nonprofit organizations dealing with
16 international education or international environmental issues,
17 organizations concerned with international understanding, businesses
18 with experience in international relations, or other organizations
19 deemed appropriate by the director)) associate development
20 organizations, business and civic organizations, consular officials,
21 executive and small cabinet agencies, institutions of higher
22 education, immigration and labor organizations, public ports, state
23 offices, and private and nonprofit organizations. The governor, or
24 the governor's designee, shall chair such advisory committees;
25 (2) In conjunction with the legislative committee on economic
26 development and international relations, designate foreign
27 jurisdictions, such as national governments, subnational governments,
28 and international organizations, as jurisdictions of strategic
29 importance to Washington;
30 (3) Establish procedures and requirements for operations and
31 expenditures to support and enhance state government partnership and
32 relationships with foreign jurisdictions, particularly those
33 identified as of strategic importance. Such operations and
34 expenditures are intended to strengthen state agency economic
35 development and policy cooperation, enable the implementation of the
36 strategic international engagement plan, as determined by the
37 director, and provide resources for government-to-government
p. 3 E2SHB 2000.SL
 1 engagement, as well as support of inbound and outbound delegations to
2 and from Washington state;
3 (4) Accept or request grants or gifts from citizens and other
4 private sources to be used to defray the costs of appropriate hosting
5 of foreign dignitaries, including appropriate gift-giving and
6 reciprocal gift-giving, or other activities of the office. The office
7 shall open and maintain a bank account into which it shall deposit
8 all money received under this subsection. Such money and the interest
9 accruing thereon shall not constitute public funds, shall be kept
10 segregated and apart from funds of the state, and shall not be
11 subject to appropriation or allotment by the state or subject to
12 chapter 43.88 RCW.
13 Sec. 4. RCW 43.330.065 and 2023 c 470 s 2081 are each amended to
14 read as follows:
15 ((The department of commerce, in consultation with the office of
16 protocol, the office of the secretary of state, the department of
17 agriculture, and the employment security department[,])) (1) The
18 office of international relations and protocol and the legislative
19 committee on economic development and international relations, in
20 consultation with the department of commerce, the department of
21 agriculture, the office of the secretary of state, and other state
22 agencies and offices as appropriate, shall jointly identify up to
23 ((fifteen countries)) 15 foreign jurisdictions that are of strategic
24 importance to the development and diversification of Washington's
25 international trade relations.
26 (2) When designating such jurisdictions of strategic importance,
27 the office and committee shall consider factors including:
28 (a) Existing or potential partnerships in key industrial sectors;
29 (b) The presence of cultural and people-to-people ties;
30 (c) The state's economic development priorities and shared
31 interests, consistent with the state strategic international
32 engagement plan;
33 (d) The presence of international trade offices or other program-
34 based engagement conducted by state agencies; and
35 (e) Historic or existing bilateral agreements established on a
36 government-to-government basis.
37 (3) A foreign jurisdiction may not be designated as a
38 jurisdiction of strategic importance under this section if it is
39 currently subject to United States government sanctions for and has
p. 4 E2SHB 2000.SL
 1 been identified by the United States department of state as being
2 engaged in state-sponsored terrorism.
3 NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 43.290
4 RCW to read as follows:
5 The office of international relations and protocol shall:
6 (1) Advise and assist the governor, the legislature, and other
7 independently elected officials on international developments that
8 may affect the state;
9 (2) Establish and build government-to-government relationships
10 between the state, foreign governments, and international
11 organizations;
12 (3) Coordinate protocol for foreign dignitaries visiting the
13 governor, the legislature, the judiciary, and other state agencies
14 and offices, including the appropriate criteria and procedures for
15 the signing of bilateral agreements by the governor on behalf of the
16 state of Washington;
17 (4) Advise, coordinate, and support engagement between the state,
18 foreign governments, and international partners;
19 (5) Establish, in coordination with the office of the premier of
20 British Columbia, an intergovernmental exchange between the state and
21 British Columbia, cochaired by the governor and the premier of
22 British Columbia or their designees, concerning issues of mutual
23 interests;
24 (6) Designate an international engagement advisory committee to
25 leverage the expertise of the state's international engagement
26 community;
27 (7) Assist institutions of higher education in implementing
28 programs for international cooperation and student exchange; and
29 (8) Improve coordination between state government and the
30 Washington tourism marketing authority.
31 NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. A new section is added to chapter 44.04
32 RCW to read as follows:
33 A Washington state—British Columbia interparliamentary exchange
34 group is created. The purpose of the group is to facilitate
35 legislator-to-legislator communication between the two governments,
36 in coordination with the province of British Columbia. The state's
37 representative for the group is the chair of the legislative
38 committee on economic development and international relations.
p. 5 E2SHB 2000.SL
 1 Sec. 7. RCW 43.15.050 and 2003 c 265 s 1 are each amended to
2 read as follows:
3 The legislative international trade account is created in the
4 custody of the state treasurer. All moneys received by the president
5 of the senate and the secretary of state from gifts, grants, and
6 endowments for international trade hosting, international relations,
7 and international missions activities must be deposited in the
8 account. Only private, nonpublic gifts, grants, and endowments may be
9 deposited in the account. A person, as defined in RCW 42.52.010, may
10 not donate, gift, grant, or endow more than five thousand dollars per
11 calendar year to the legislative international trade account.
12 Expenditures from the account may be used only for the purposes of
13 international trade hosting, international relations, and
14 international trade mission activities, ((excluding travel and
15 lodging,)) in which the president and members of the senate, members
16 of the house of representatives, and the secretary of state
17 participate in an official capacity. An appropriation is not required
18 for expenditures. All requests by individual legislators for use of
19 funds from this account must be first approved by the secretary of
20 the senate for members of the senate or the chief clerk of the house
21 of representatives for members of the house of representatives. All
22 expenditures from the account shall be authorized by the final signed
23 approval of ((the chief clerk of the house of representatives, the
24 secretary of the senate, and)) the president of the senate.
25 Sec. 8. RCW 43.15.060 and 2020 c 114 s 20 are each amended to
26 read as follows:
27 (1) Economic development and in particular international trade,
28 tourism, and investment have become increasingly important to
29 Washington, affecting the state's employment, revenues, and general
30 economic well-being. Additionally, economic trends are rapidly
31 changing and the international marketplace has become increasingly
32 competitive as states and countries seek to improve and safeguard
33 their own economic well-being. The purpose of the legislative
34 committee on economic development and international relations is to
35 provide responsive and consistent involvement by the legislature in
36 economic development to maintain a healthy state economy and to
37 provide employment opportunities to Washington residents.
38 (2) There is created a legislative committee on economic
39 development and international relations which shall consist of
p. 6 E2SHB 2000.SL
1 ((six)) eight senators and ((six)) eight representatives from the
2 legislature and the lieutenant governor who shall serve as
3 chairperson. The senate members of the committee shall be appointed
4 by the president of the senate and the house members of the committee
5 shall be appointed by the speaker of the house. Not more than
6 ((three)) four members from each house shall be from the same
7 political party. Vacancies occurring shall be filled by the
8 appointing authority.
9 Sec. 9. RCW 43.15.090 and 1985 c 467 s 23 are each amended to
10 read as follows:
11 The legislative committee on economic development and
12 international relations shall cooperate, act, and function with
13 legislative committees, executive agencies, and with the councils or
14 committees of other states and of provinces and territories of Canada
15 similar to this committee, and with other interstate research
16 organizations.
17 NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. RCW 43.330.065 is recodified as a section
18 in chapter 43.290 RCW.
Passed by the House March 5, 2024.
Passed by the Senate February 29, 2024.
Approved by the Governor March 28, 2024, with the exception of
certain items that were vetoed.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 29, 2024.
Note: Governor's explanation of partial veto is as follows:
"I am returning herewith, without my approval as to Section 2,
Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill No. 2000 entitled:
"AN ACT Rel