New joint budget‑transparency committee meets, staff outline statutory charge

The newly established Joint Legislative–Executive Committee on Budget Transparency and Fiscal Sustainability convened for its first meeting, co‑chair Representative Joe Fitzgibbon said. Staff briefed members on the statute that created the group and on the committee’s timeline for receiving outside technical assistance.

Corbin Nemitz, staff to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, read the statutory language that directed the committee’s creation and the role of outside technical assistance. “Section 907 of the budget established the joint legislative executive committee on budget transparency and fiscal sustainability,” Nemitz said, and he noted the statutory deadlines for the contractor’s work: a written phase‑one report due 11/15/2026 and a presentation to the committee by 12/1/2026, followed by a phase‑two report and presentation one year later.

Nemitz told members the proviso language also specifies membership, staff support, and that the co‑chairs may request technical assistance from a nonpartisan organization “working to strengthen state government with specific technical expertise and state fiscal policy.” Committee co‑chairs and members said their immediate goals are fact‑finding and developing a shared understanding of Washington’s fiscal position and drivers of long‑term pressures.

The committee will meet up to three times per year (at least two virtually) to review the contractor’s scope and findings and to prepare any recommendations to the legislature and governor, Nemitz said.