Washington House Bill HB1973

Washington 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/13/25
• Refer: 2/13/25

Caption

AN ACT Relating to professional license accounts and fees;

Summary

HB1973 concerns the administration of professional licensing accounts and the fees used to fund them. The bill adds new sections to chapter 18 RCW directing the Department to manage professional license accounts so that, if an error by the Department causes an account to need balancing, the Department may take up to three biennia to restore balance rather than requiring an immediate large fee increase. It also requires the Department to review its records within 30 days of the effective date to identify individuals who were charged an excessive fee because of a Department error that led to a more than 10 percent fee increase to balance the real estate appraiser commission account. The bill further requires the Department to issue one-time refunds of the excess fees to those identified individuals within 90 days. It contains an emergency clause, meaning it takes effect immediately upon enactment, and states that immediate effect is necessary for the preservation of public peace, health, safety, or support of state government and its institutions. In practical terms, the bill affects state licensing fee administration, professional license holders, and specifically those who paid inflated fees tied to the real estate appraiser commission account. The general sentiment reflected by the bill text is corrective and consumer-protective: it is aimed at fixing a state administrative error and returning overcharged money to affected licensees. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or support from legislative discussion in the supplied materials. The emergency language suggests the bill was treated as time-sensitive and intended to resolve the issue quickly. The main point of contention implied by the bill is the handling of fee increases caused by agency error, especially whether affected licensees should bear the cost of restoring account balances. The bill resolves that concern by limiting how quickly the Department may rebalance accounts after an error and by mandating refunds for overcharges. Any debate would likely center on administrative responsibility, fairness to license holders, and the fiscal management of professional licensing accounts, particularly the real estate appraiser commission account.

Impact

HB1973 amends Washington law by adding new sections to chapter 18 RCW governing professional license accounts and fee-setting practices. It gives the Department flexibility to spread out corrective fee adjustments over up to three biennia when an account imbalance results from a Department error, and it creates a mandatory refund process for individuals who were overcharged due to an excessive fee increase tied to that error. The bill directly affects state agency accounting practices, professional license fee administration, and licensees in affected professions, especially real estate appraisers.

Sentiment

The bill appears broadly remedial and favorable toward affected licensees, with a clear purpose of correcting an agency mistake and refunding excess fees. No committee testimony or votes were provided, so there is no documented partisan or stakeholder split in the supplied materials. The emergency clause indicates a sense of urgency and a desire for immediate implementation rather than prolonged debate.

Contention

The central issue is whether licensees should have been charged higher fees to fix a Department accounting error, and if so, how quickly the state should correct that mistake. The bill addresses this by limiting future fee increases to a longer adjustment period and requiring refunds for those who paid the excess. Potential concerns would likely come from fiscal administrators focused on maintaining account solvency, while affected professional license holders would favor reimbursement and protection from abrupt fee hikes.