The proposed bill establishes the Public Counsel Integrity Act, which mandates that all legal services for local public entities in Washington must be provided exclusively by public counsel, thereby prohibiting contracts with outside counsel. The legislation aims to enhance transparency, protect taxpayer funds, and ensure that public legal services are not monopolized by private vendors. It outlines definitions for legal services, local public entities, outside counsel, and public counsel, and emphasizes the need for local public entities to utilize their in-house legal resources or enter interlocal agreements for additional support.

Furthermore, the bill includes provisions for accountability and reporting, requiring local public entities to submit quarterly reports of legal expenditures to the state auditor, who will maintain a public database of these expenditures. It also allows residents or taxpayers to take legal action against local public entities for violations of the act, with the potential for civil penalties imposed by the attorney general. Temporary exceptions for retaining outside counsel can be granted by the attorney general under specific circumstances, but such authorizations are limited in duration and scope. Overall, the act seeks to ensure that public legal representation is conflict-free and effectively managed within local governments.