Transcript Highlights:

• It adds these vehicles into state sideshow law, which are commonly used vehicles in sideshow events.
• any motorized vehicle.
• any motorized vehicle.
• These points are used to determine whether a driver's privilege to operate a motor vehicle should be
• To determine whether a driver's privilege to operate a motor vehicle should be suspended or revoked,

Committee: House Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• It provides for a definition of electric motorcycle that includes a vehicle.
• It increases the commercial vehicle safety enforcement fee assessed on commercial motor vehicles from
• It includes additional information on safety challenges of heavy vehicles.
• benefit district vehicle fee, from 6,000 pounds to 10,000 pounds.
• This bill has to do with transportation benefit district vehicle fees.

Summary: The committee took up a series of transportation-related bills and proposed substitutes, with most measures advancing after discussion and roll-call or voice votes. House Bill 2092, creating a Washington State Amtrak Cascades Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, was amended by a proposed substitute that broadened membership and duties, and it passed 20-6. House Bill 2114, allowing fee waivers for replacement defective license plates, passed unanimously. House Bill 2172, clarifying route jurisdiction transfers and abandonments for highways and local roads, also passed unanimously after a substitute requiring agreements or legislative action for longer highway abandonments or those involving bridges. House Bill 2251, which restructures Climate Commitment Act accounts and revenue distribution, drew the most amendment activity. Two amendments were adopted to adjust forest carbon language and clarify Ecology administration funding, while amendments to redirect revenue to transportation infrastructure and to split excess revenue differently failed. The bill then passed 18-8 as amended. House Bill 2374, which redefines e-bikes and electric motorcycles and creates a work group on enforcement and safety, passed unanimously after a substitute added stakeholder representation and asked the work group to explore civil infractions and penalties. House Bill 2410, creating a Commercial Truck Safety and Education Council and increasing a safety fee, passed 25-1 after a substitute changed appointment authority, membership, and other council provisions. House Bill 2552, authorizing WSDOT and a regional transit authority to use MATOC contracting, was amended to add apprenticeship, prevailing wage, and notification requirements and then passed 16-10. House Bill 2588, expanding ferry district authority beyond passenger-only ferries, passed 16-10 amid concerns about taxing authority and voter input. House Bill 2718, setting timelines and processes for permit streamlining and originally including contractor ratings, had the contractor-rating section removed by amendment and then passed unanimously. House Bill 2722, increasing the vehicle weight threshold for transportation benefit district fees from 6,000 to 10,000 pounds, passed 17-9. House Bill 2727, creating an educational transit access grant program for community and technical college students, passed 21-5 after supporters emphasized student access and equity, while some members raised rural access concerns.

Transcript Highlights:

• So it's helpful to support the Motor Vehicle Account on a near-term basis.
• So it's helpful to support the motor vehicle account on a near-term basis.
• But how would that impact the total mandate for zero-emission vehicles?
• ... ...on how the training vehicles for their apprenticeship programs, so this is big heavy-duty vehicles
• than a complete 100% all-electric vehicle.

Summary: The committee hearing focused heavily on CARB’s broad trailer bill request for regulatory fee authority. Finance and CARB argued the proposal would let CARB develop fees to recover reasonable costs for implementing and enforcing regulations, while the LAO recommended rejection because the authority was too broad, could apply to an entire division of code, and would delegate core legislative taxing/fee-setting power without enough guardrails. Members from both parties raised concerns about the breadth of the authority, accountability, affordability impacts, and whether the Legislature would be put in an up-or-down position after CARB had already developed regulations. CARB responded that fees would still go through a budget change proposal and legislative approval before collection, and cited existing examples such as transport refrigeration units and commercial harborcraft fees. The committee then reviewed CARB’s request for permanent resources to implement SB 905 on carbon capture, utilization, storage, and carbon dioxide removal. CARB said the Legislature had previously authorized limited-term positions and funding, but it had struggled to recruit and retain staff with specialized regulatory and technical expertise, and that the work had included pre-rulemaking contracts, technology review, and permit-related preparation. Members questioned the pace of work, the use of limited-term positions, and whether additional permitting authority would be needed. CARB said it hoped to begin rulemaking later in the year if permanent resources were approved. Members also discussed the cap-and-trade spending plan, noting lower-than-expected auction revenues but higher interest earnings, and the need to monitor the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and possible May Revision changes. The committee then heard overviews of the zero-emission vehicle package, the Community Air Protection Program, demand-side grid support, and e-bike incentives. CARB described ongoing investments in community-based transportation equity, drayage trucks, harbor craft, and other clean technology demonstrations, while members pressed on affordability, program duplication, and whether enough funding was being directed to incentive programs. No formal votes were taken during the portion provided, and the chair repeatedly indicated that the hearing was intended to surface concerns for later budget negotiations.

Transcript Highlights:

• vehicles, including those that are inoperable and valueless.
• that were operable versus inoperable.
• that were operable versus inoperable.
• People should not be living in vehicles long term.
• Illegal operations move from one location to another.

Committee: Senate Public Safety

Transcript Highlights:

• We're moving now into operations.
• Net will serve as CDT's manager to make sure that as the network is operated, it's operational... ..
• Do you operate the broader network?
• But they also operate networks in Texas... ...but they also operate networks in Texas and Florida, I
• And so to be able to find somebody to operate that actually has experience operating a similar network

Transcript Highlights:

• That our operations were sustainable. Part of our operations is also our regional support.
• They operate more like a community college.
• You'll see then we have vehicle Registration fees and then the vehicle or motor vehicle excise tax, which
• Pay for maintenance operations every single year.
• Our emergency vehicles depend on us.

Transcript Highlights:

• , specific to electric vehicles, that depending on some different electric vehicle adoption forecasting
• of vehicle owners in the country.
• So electric vehicles mainly.
• So electric vehicles mainly.
• mileage, these residents can't afford either high-MPG vehicles or electric vehicles.

Summary: The Assembly Transportation Committee first took up three highway naming resolutions on its consent calendar: ACR 109, SCR 78, and SCR 90. The committee approved the consent calendar with 11 aye votes and no no votes, then adjourned the bill-hearing portion. Members also recognized committee science fellow AJ Mendeola for his service, noting his contributions to bill analysis and staff support. The committee then held an informational hearing on alternatives to the gas tax, focused on the projected decline in fuel-tax revenue and the need for a more sustainable transportation funding model. The chair and invited experts described how inflation, improved fuel efficiency, and growth in electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles are eroding gas-tax revenues. Presenters from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the University of California discussed state options such as higher or indexed gas taxes, EV registration fees, road usage charges, delivery fees, public EV charging fees, transportation network company fees, and managed lanes, emphasizing tradeoffs among revenue adequacy, fairness, administrative cost, and public acceptance. Committee members raised concerns that mileage-based fees or EV fees could function as new taxes on commuters and lower-income drivers, especially if the gas tax is not repealed. Presenters responded that road usage charges are generally intended as replacements for the gas tax, not additions, and argued that mileage-based systems better preserve the user-pays principle while being less tied to vehicle fuel efficiency. They also noted that flat EV registration fees are easy to administer but can be less equitable because they are not linked to actual road use. Officials from Hawaii, Utah, and Oregon described their state programs and policy choices. Hawaii said its new road usage charge began July 1, 2025, for EVs, offers a choice between a per-mile charge and a flat annual fee through 2028, and will transition to mandatory EV participation before expanding to all light-duty vehicles by 2033. Utah described its voluntary EV road usage charge program, quarterly reporting, privacy protections, and legislative scenarios for removing the cap or making participation mandatory. Oregon outlined its constitutional cost-responsibility framework and broader transportation funding challenges, including reliance on user fees and limited use of general-fund support.

Transcript Highlights:

• vehicle or if they transferred their vehicle.
• </c> and allowed to operate within the state. and allowed to operate within the state.
• </c><00:03:23.280><c> vehicle</c> had a no longer had an operating vehicle had a no longer had an operating
• </c> or if they transferred their vehicle. or if they transferred their vehicle.
• </c> It's from the driver and vehicle It's from the driver and vehicle services<00:04:06.640><c> operating

Transcript Highlights:

• operation, and water transportation.
• There are about 5,000 motorcycle permits given each year for junior operator driver age.
• Motor Vehicles.
• junior operator license committee, and four pages of signatures from police chiefs.
• The Registry of Motor Vehicles junior operator license committee, four pages of signatures from police

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Transportation

Summary: The Joint Committee on Transportation held a hybrid hearing on 41 bills covering accessibility, motorcycles, vehicle operation, and water transportation. The chair and vice chair outlined the hearing process and noted the committee members present. Testimony was taken in person and remotely, with written testimony accepted throughout the hearing. Several bills drew testimony in support. Representative Lee Davis supported H. 4130, which would renew and expand the accelerated bridge program, arguing it would speed repairs to structurally deficient bridges, especially in rural areas, and reduce long-term costs. Testimony also supported H. 4402 and S. 2639, which would authorize automated curb enforcement and improve parking violation procedures; witnesses said automated curb management could reduce double parking, improve safety and traffic flow, and should include privacy protections and local opt-in authority. The committee also heard strong testimony for S. 2611, which would require motor coach passengers to wear seatbelts, with witnesses from Sarah’s Wish Foundation citing a fatal crash involving their daughter and low seatbelt usage on buses. Senator O’Connor and Vincent DeAndrea testified for S. 2430, which would tighten motorcycle permit rules for drivers under 18 by requiring rider training, a junior operator’s license, and a clean driving record; they cited teen crash risks and Mr. DeAndrea’s son’s death in a motorcycle crash. The hearing ended after a brief recess and a final request to report out another bill concerning breakdown lanes and fines, followed by a motion to adjourn.

Transcript Highlights:

• a vehicle.
• a vehicle a prevailing plaintiff may also road users while operating a vehicle, a prevailing plaintiff
• driver whose vehicle kills a kid?
• People that are harmed by negligent operators on a road, whether it be in a vehicle, a motorcycle, whether
• And I think the statute is very clear that we're talking about a person who's operating a motor vehicle

Bills: HB2095

Committee: House Civil Rights & Judiciary

Keywords: public safety, vulnerable users, pedestrians, protected classes, transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• Operating procedures.
• In the General Code of Operating Rules, which are the railroad's operating rules, it states that the
• Senate Bill 2439 by Senator Zaffirini relates to the operation of highway vehicles.
• The all-terrain vehicle and off-highway vehicle safety certificate program has additional requirements
• Current law prohibits persons from operating an ATV or off-highway vehicle on a beach unless they hold

Bills: SB39 , SB2129 , SB2141 , SB2246 , SB2323 , SB2439 , SB2722 , SB 39

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee reconvened on SB 2722, as substituted by Senator Bettencourt, which would redirect a portion of Harris County Toll Road Authority surplus revenues to the City of Houston and impose audit and tax-rate penalty provisions. Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz and Fire Chief Thomas Munoz testified in support, arguing that Houston bears a large share of toll-road public safety burdens, citing thousands of police and fire responses on toll-road property and the need for compensation for emergency services. Bill King, testifying neutrally, said the toll authority generates large excess revenues and urged stronger oversight and clearer controls on how the money is spent. Opponents, including Harris County officials, business and neighborhood representatives, and toll-road critics, argued the bill would divert transportation dollars, create a precedent for taking toll revenues for general municipal use, and could worsen project delivery and incentives; several also questioned the accuracy and interpretation of the revenue figures and the lack of comparable audit requirements for the city. The committee took extensive testimony but left SB 2722 pending without a vote. The committee then heard SB 2129, which would increase fines for motorists who disregard railroad crossing gates or flaggers, and SB 2323, which would redact railroad crew members’ personal information from public accident reports. Both bills were presented as safety measures, with railroad labor testimony in support, and both were left pending after brief public testimony. The committee also heard SB 2141, a Zaffirini bill concerning specialty license plates for judges, with the substitute aimed at reducing security risks by changing how judges are identified on plates; it too was left pending. Finally, the committee heard SB 2439, another Zaffirini bill, described as a TDLR cleanup measure related to ATV and off-highway vehicle safety certification. The bill would abolish the current training and certification program, which supporters said was burdensome and underused given the small number of approved instructors statewide. With no significant opposition on the record, the committee closed testimony and left SB 2439 pending as well.

Transcript Highlights:

• car repair, low-interest vehicle loans, or donate vehicle to individual who need to get to their work
• car repair, low-interest vehicle loans, or donate vehicle to individual who need to get to their work
• car repair, low-interest vehicle loans, or donate vehicle to individual who need to get to their work
• </c> repairs, car loans, or donated vehicles repairs, car loans, or donated vehicles to<00:05:28.640>
• ><c> help</c> State operating funds will help State operating funds will help Enterprise<00:42:23.120

Committee: Senate Jobs and Economic Development

Transcript Highlights:

• 18:58.320><c> limit</c><00:18:59.040><c> as</c> from operating beyond a preset limit as from operating
• </c> vehicle to accelerate further. vehicle to accelerate further.
• . vehicle. vehicle.
• </c> and vehicle services um to be operated and vehicle services um to be operated similarly<00:53:20.800
• </c> uh with Driver and Vehicle Services. uh with Driver and Vehicle Services.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Transcript Highlights:

• There's nothing worse than us to have to suffer... ...you're in place that's operable.
• It would require any such fees charged by the state to be deposited into the motor vehicle fund.
• This is just for private vehicles. But ultimately, I've said it, and I'll just be very clear, Mr.
• fund to be used in fairness just like every other vehicle.
• By sales and motor vehicle taxes, I'm not really sure how that factors in.

Bills: SB5750 , SB6148

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: electric vehicles, charging fees, state facilities, sustainability, infrastructure, regional transit authority, RTA, transit bonds, general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, bond maturity, debt limit, 25-year cap, regional mobility grant program, public transit financing, transportation funding, Washington RCW, bond issuance, municipal finance, infrastructure finance

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> trips in electric vehicles. trips in electric vehicles.
• total vehicles, both plug-in hybrids and total electric<00:07:44.319><c> vehicles,</c><00:07:45.039>
• </c> electric vehicles, is less than 30,000. electric vehicles, is less than 30,000.
• </c> of the vehicles out on the roads here. of the vehicles out on the roads here.
• </c><00:14:13.760><c> Um,</c> electric vehicles. Um, electric vehicles.

Summary: The Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation met with a quorum, approved the June 3, 2026 minutes, and then heard a presentation from Mike Proctor of Evolve Kentucky on electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Proctor described Evolve Kentucky as a nonprofit formed in 2016 to promote EV adoption and charger deployment, said the group has helped place more than 135 chargers at 65 locations, and reported that Kentucky EV registrations have grown rapidly but still represent about 1% of the state’s roughly 3 million vehicles. He also outlined the group’s view that EV drivers and charger operators already contribute to state revenue through annual vehicle fees, charger taxes, utility taxes, and related business taxes, and cited figures showing rising revenue collections as EV adoption increases. A major theme of the presentation was that EV owners are paying their “fair share” rather than being overcharged. Proctor said the current $126 annual EV fee is roughly comparable to the fuel tax a typical gasoline vehicle would pay, and noted that public charging can add additional tax burdens for drivers who cannot charge at home, such as those living in apartments or condos. He also argued that EVs provide broader benefits, including lower noise and air pollution, grid-stabilizing nighttime charging, tourism spending at destination chargers, and reduced road wear for passenger EVs compared with much heavier vehicles. Members questioned Proctor about whether EV owners are paying more than their fair share, how the fee compares with gasoline taxes, and whether apartment and condo residents are disproportionately affected because they rely on public chargers. Proctor responded that the fee was intended to bring EV owners into parity with gas vehicles, not to overcharge them, and said some public chargers are free while others are used by drivers who cannot charge at home. No additional votes or formal actions were taken beyond the minutes approval.

Transcript Highlights:

• I can't even count the number of first responders who have been injured or worse by a vehicle operator
• Who have been injured or worse by a vehicle operator who is paying attention to something other than
• In the time it takes them to read one text message, a motorist operating a vehicle at 55 miles an hour
• , with the goal of making DPW vehicles stand out from other vehicles utilizing amber emergency lights
• vehicles to emergency scenes.

Committee: Joint Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security

Summary: The hearing focused on a range of public safety bills, with especially emotional testimony on the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act, which would require short-term rentals to be inspected for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and require platforms or agents to verify compliance before listing. Rep. Hadley Luddy, Sen. Julian Cyr, and the Hubbard and Waldron families described the fatal Airbnb fire that killed Shannon Hubbard and her daughter Maggie in New York, saying the deaths were preventable and that the bill would save lives. Committee members expressed sympathy and support for the families’ efforts to turn their loss into legislation. The committee also heard testimony on a proposed peace officer oath (S. 1680), described by Sen. Lydia Edwards as a binding ethical standard tied to certification and recertification, with discipline and annual reporting to promote accountability and de-escalation. Rep. Tom Walsh testified for a bill requiring hotel and motel workers to be trained to recognize human trafficking and to post hotline signage, and later testimony supported a school safety data grant program to provide first responders with standardized, up-to-date school maps for emergencies. Another major topic was a bill to allow temporary door-locking devices in public buildings; supporters said the devices are removable, do not alter fire code, and could improve lockdown response during active shooter events. Additional bills discussed included measures to transfer the Office of Emergency Medical Services to EOPSS, increase penalties for unlicensed hood-system cleaning, expand membership on the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, and strengthen confidentiality for peer support and critical incident stress debriefings. Firefighters and fire chiefs also supported a bill to tighten penalties for violations of hot-work regulations, citing the 2014 Beacon Street fire that killed Lt. Walsh and Firefighter Kennedy. Law enforcement groups backed a package including a Blue Star plate and Blue Alert system for fallen officers’ families, stronger move-over penalties, and a memorial fund, while the State Police Association supported the move-over provisions but asked for further work on the special state police officer bill before final action. No votes were taken during the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 39 by Birdwell relating to civil liability of a commercial motor vehicle owner or operator
• vehicle franchise dealers by manufacturers to Business and Commerce.
• Senate Bill 1935 by Hinojosa of Hidalgo relating to the composition and operation of a property owners
• Senate Bill 2001 by King relating to the registration of vehicles to Transportation.
• Senate Bill 2017 by Bettencourt relating to the creation of criminal offenses for operating a vehicle

Bills: SJR4 , SCR36 , SCR37 , SCR38 , SCR39 , SCR40 , SCR41 , SCR42 , SB7 , SB30 , SB31 , SB32 , SB33 , SB34 , SB36 , SB37 , SB38 , SB39 , SB1851 , SB1852 , SB1853 , SB1854 , SB1855 , SB1856 , SB1857 , SB1858 , SB1860 , SB1861 , SB1862 , SB1863 , SB1864 , SB1865 , SB1866 , SB1867 , SB1868 , SB1869 , SB1870 , SB1871 , SB1872 , SB1873 , SB1874 , SB1875 , SB1876 , SB1877 , SB1878 , SB1879 , SB1880 , SB1881 , SB1882 , SB1883 , SB1884 , SB1885 , SB1886 , SB1887 , SB1888 , SB1889 , SB1890 , SB1891 , SB1892 , SB1893 , SB1894 , SB1895 , SB1896 , SB1897 , SB1898 , SB1899 , SB1900 , SB1901 , SB1903 , SB1904 , SB1905 , SB1906 , SB1907 , SB1908 , SB1909 , SB1910 , SB1911 , SB1912 , SB1913 , SB1914 , SB1915 , SB1916 , SB1917 , SB1918 , SB1919 , SB1920 , SB1921 , SB1922 , SB1923 , SB1924 , SB1925 , SB1926 , SB1927 , SB1928 , SB1929 , SB1930 , SB1931 , SB1932 , SB1933 , SB1934 , SB1935 , SB1936 , SB1937 , SB1938 , SB1939 , SB1940 , SB1941 , SB1942 , SB1943 , SB1944 , SB1945 , SB1946 , SB1947 , SB1948 , SB1949 , SB1950 , SB1951 , SB1952 , SB1953 , SB1954 , SB1955 , SB1956 , SB1957 , SB1958 , SB1959 , SB1960 , SB1961 , SB1962 , SB1963 , SB1964 , SB1965 , SB1966 , SB1967 , SB1968 , SB1969 , SB1970 , SB1971 , SB1972 , SB1973 , SB1974 , SB1975 , SB1976 , SB1977 , SB1978 , SB1979 , SB1980 , SB1981 , SB1982 , SB1983 , SB1984 , SB1985 , SB1986 , SB1987 , SB1988 , SB1989 , SB1990 , SB1991 , SB1992 , SB1993 , SB1994 , SB1995 , SB1996 , SB1997 , SB1998 , SB1999 , SB2000 , SB2001 , SB2002 , SB2003 , SB2004 , SB2005 , SB2006 , SB2007 , SB2008 , SB2009 , SB2010 , SB2011 , SB2012 , SB2013 , SB2014 , SB2015 , SB2016 , SB2017 , SB2018 , SB2019 , SB2020 , SB2021 , SB2022 , SB2023 , SB2024 , SB2025 , SB2026 , SB2027 , SB2028 , SB2029 , SB2030 , SB2031 , SB2032 , SB2033 , SB2034 , SB2035 , SB2036 , SB2037 , SB2038 , SB2039 , SB2040 , SB2041 , SB2042 , SB2043 , SB2044 , SB2045 , SB2046 , SB2047 , SB2048 , SB2049 , SB2050 , SB2051 , SB2052 , SB2053 , SB2054 , SB2055 , SB2056 , SB2057 , SB2058 , SB2059 , SB2060

Transcript Highlights:

• a vehicle.
• a vehicle.
• Generally speaking, punitive damages road users while operating a vehicle, a prevailing plaintiff may
• People that are harmed by negligent operators on a road, whether it be in a vehicle, a motorcycle, whether
• a motor vehicle.

Summary: The House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee held a public hearing on HB 2095, which would create training requirements for law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges on negligent driving involving vulnerable users of public ways, and would establish a rebuttable presumption of negligence in certain civil claims when a vulnerable user is injured or killed in a protected area such as a sidewalk, crosswalk, bike lane, or similar designated space. Staff explained that the bill also allows recovery of actual damages, statutory damages, attorney’s fees and costs, and, in limited circumstances, punitive damages if the defendant has previously injured or killed three or more vulnerable road users. Members questioned the unusual nature of punitive damages, the burden-shifting presumption, the three-incident threshold, and whether the education component was tied to the bill’s purpose. The prime sponsor said the training is meant to improve reporting and understanding of existing vulnerable-road-user laws, and said the bill was intended to narrow liability to protected areas and could be amended further, including on the punitive-damages threshold. Supporters, including a widow whose husband was killed while bicycling, Washington Bikes, trial attorneys, a bicycle commuter advocate, and a physician, argued the bill would better protect pedestrians and cyclists, improve police reporting, and reduce the burden on injured people and families who currently must prove negligence after serious crashes. They said the presumption would encourage safer driving and align Washington with similar frameworks used elsewhere. Opponents, including defense lawyers, the Association of Washington Cities, the Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, the Washington Trucking Associations, and the Washington Liability Reform Coalition, said the bill would expand litigation, create uninsurable risks through fee shifting and punitive damages, and could draw cities, businesses, and taxpayers into lawsuits. Some opponents also urged narrowing the bill to individuals and clarifying the protected areas and training requirements. No vote was taken; the chair closed the hearing and encouraged follow-up and amendment requests before executive session.

Transcript Highlights:

• Types of transactions include titling new vehicles, used vehicles, registration, renewal, and issuance
• for the operation of autonomous motor vehicles on public highways. requiring that a human operator be
• physically present behind the wheel of an operating autonomous motor vehicle prior to 2036, providing
• requirements for a human operator of an autonomous motor vehicle, requiring testing and safety plans
• , providing autonomous motor vehicle requirements, limiting the operation of autonomous commercial motor

Transcript Highlights:

• vehicle specifically.
• The answer here person may not operate a motor vehicle while using a wireless communication device in
• in the vehicle to do this.
• There's a very inexpensive solution for people that have older vehicles.
• Technologically advanced vehicles are going to get disproportionately hurt.