EXECUTIVE ORDER  84-17

ESTABLISHING THE WASHINGTON STATE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT BOARD

While the state of Washington is among the leading states in the creation of new jobs, there remain substantial additional opportunities to improve the economic well being of the citizens of the state.

The state of Washington is undertaking an expanded role in the attraction and location of new businesses; in the retention and expansion of domestic and foreign business; in helping with the marketing of Washington products and services to foreign countries; in assisting job development and job training; in attracting additional visitors to the state; and, in assisting and providing adequate infrastructure support for these activities.

Notwithstanding the state's expanded role, the private sector of the state's economy is where the most meaningful and desirable future growth in employment and business opportunities will occur. The private sector of Washington State's economy is intensely engaged in economic development activities at the state and local levels.

In order for state and private sector efforts to be successful in economic development, there must be close coordination and cooperation between public and private organizations engaged in economic development throughout the state. Moreover, there clearly are aspects of economic development that can only be performed exclusively by the private or public sector.

Further, there is a need for development of long-term economic development strategies for the state of Washington. There is a need for strategic analysis of detailed economic and business data with regard to key areas of the Washington economy, including adequate market analysis and analysis of Washington's comparative economic advantages and disadvantages. Because, efforts by other states with respect to the issue of strategic economic analysis have produced mixed results, any effort at strategic analysis in the state of Washington should be developed in the context of Washington's unique social, political, economic, and geographic character.

There is also a need for a continuing evaluation of the structure and effectiveness of the state's Department of Commerce and Economic Development, as well as other economic development agencies and how they relate to each other.

To provide for and evaluate the need for closer coordination and cooperation between the public and private sectors, to analyze the need and means for strategic economic research, planning, and analysis within the state of Washington, and to conduct the necessary ongoing and , continuing review of the state's efforts in economic development, there should be created a board to advise the Governor and the state on a continuing basis, as well as to undertake other specific tasks identified as necessary by the board.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, John Spellman, Governor of the state of Washington, by virtue of the authority vested in me, do hereby direct the following:

A. An advisory board known as the Washington State Economic Development Board shall be established.

B. The board should be composed primarily of citizens from the private sector who are actively engaged in organizations and businesses which support economic expansion and job creation. The Governor shall appoint representatives of various geographic regions; of small, medium, and large businesses; of organized labor; and of economic development professionals. The directors of the Department of Commerce and Economic Development and of the Office of Fiscal Management shall serve on the board. The Governor shall serve as one co-chairperson and shall designate a co-chairperson of the board from among the citizen members of the board.

C. The board shall meet regularly and shall create subcommittees as needed to deal with specific issues and concerns.

D. The board shall review, analyze, and report, as it desires, on the various economic development policy recommendations made by other agencies or other organizations.

E. The majority and minority leaders of the Senate and of the House of Representatives of the state of Washington shall be invited to nominate legislators to sit on the board as ex-officio, non-voting members.

F. The board shall review the proposed biennial budget of the Department of Commerce and Economic Development and advise the Governor and the legislature with regard to the same.

G. The board shall recommend to the Department, the Governor, and the legislature those strategies, policies, and programs it deems to be in the best interest of the state to pursue.

H. The board shall make specific recommendations for the establishment of public-private cooperative efforts in economic development partnerships between the state and the private sector, including but not limited to the need for establishing formal working relationships, whether by contract or otherwise, for purposes of engaging in joint, cooperative economic development activities.

I. The board shall analyze the need for and the best means of obtaining strategic economic research, planning, and analysis for the state of Washington for the purposes of developing long-term plans for economic development in the state.

J. The board shall review and report to the Department and to the Governor with regard to the organizational structure, professional staffing, and overall program effectiveness of the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, and shall make recommend actions with regard to such changes as it perceives necessary and appropriate.

K. The board shall review the administrative efforts of the Department of Commerce and Economic Development as well as other departments of state government which are designed to provide adequate developmental infrastructure and shall make recommendations with regard to such additions and changes as it deems necessary and appropriate.

L. Staff assistance for the board shall be provided as appropriate by the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, the Office of the Governor, the Office of Fiscal Management, and contributed private sector staff.

M. The board shall report periodically its recommendations for action to the Governor, who shall disseminate them to the public and to the legislature.

This order shall expire on June 30, 1985, or at such time as the role of the board shall be effectively superseded by any board engaged in similar activities established by order or statute.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set
my hand and caused the seal of the State of
Washington to be affixed at Olympia this
16th day of July A.D., Nineteen hundred and eighty-four.

John Spellman
Governor of Washington

BY THE GOVERNOR:



Secretary of State

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