(1) This chapter is intended to provide the exclusive source of local government entity authority to individually or jointly self-insure risks, jointly purchase insurance or reinsurance, and to contract for risk management, claims, and administrative services. This chapter shall be liberally construed to grant local government entities maximum flexibility in self-insuring to the extent the self-insurance programs are operated in a safe and sound manner. This chapter is intended to require prior approval for the establishment of every individual local government self-insured employee health and welfare benefit program and every joint local government self-insurance program. In addition, this chapter is intended to require every local government entity that establishes a self-insurance program not subject to prior approval to notify the state of the existence of the program and to comply with the regulatory and statutory standards governing the management and operation of the programs as provided in this chapter. This chapter is not intended to authorize or regulate self-insurance of unemployment compensation under chapter 50.44 RCW, or industrial insurance under chapter 51.14 RCW.

(2) This chapter is further intended to enable the board of pilotage commissioners to participate in a local government joint self-insurance program covering liability risks.