Concerning state employee access to peer-reviewed journals.

SB 5152 directs the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to study how to provide state employees with electronic access to academic journals, addressing current inefficiencies where staff spend time and money purchasing articles or visiting university libraries. The $83,000 study, funded from the general fund and due by December 2026, will examine potential funding, organizational structures, and policy options for a statewide journal subscription model. This bill does not create immediate access but seeks to determine if such a system would save state resources and improve efficiency, based on models used in other states. It expires June 30, 2027, and applies only to future policy decisions, not current operations.