Hello members of Drive Electric Washington! Here is a summary of what is new with EV policy issues this week in the Washington State Legislature. It will be busy in Olympia this week with several hearings that you might want to participate in, particularly:
- SB5308 – NEW! Removes $75 annual transportation electrification fee for hybrid and plug-in vehicles that travel less than 30 miles on battery power. Hearing on Thursday, Feb. 3.
- SB5908 – NEW! Creates a Clean Car Authority to distribute, coordinate and oversee electric vehicle grants. Hearing on Thursday, Feb. 3.
- HB2026 – Road usage charge public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 3.
Please see below for more new bills, public hearing details, updates and information about how to participate.
NEW THIS WEEK:
HB2070 – Companion bill to SB5828, Requires a plan for autonomous vehicles in emergency and traffic enforcement incidents. Sponsors Reps. Boehnke, Bronoske and Sutherland. Referred to House Transportation Committee. Read text here. HB2100 – Drops a requirement for reporting moving violations by autonomous vehicles in testing programs, and requires a plan for interactions with the vehicle in emergency and traffic enforcement situations. Sponsors Reps. Boehnke, Bronoske and Sutherland. Hearing at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in House Transportation Committee. Removes requirement to include moving violations by autonomous vehicles in testing programs in annual reports to the Department of Licensing. It also drops a clause implying the Department can require information about collisions in addition to what the law currently specifies. It requires submitting a law enforcement interaction plan to the Department. Read text here. SB5308 – Removes the additional $75 transportation electrification fee on hybrids and plug-in vehicles that travel less than 30 miles on battery power. Sponsor Sen. Short. Reintroduced from 2021 session. Hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 in Senate Transportation Committee. Hybrids and plug-in vehicles that go less than 30 miles on a full charge pay the $75 annual transportation electrification fee, the same as BEVs, even if they can’t use public charging stations. This bill would eliminate that charge. Read text here. SB5896 – Changes optional report on recharging vehicles at state offices to a requirement. Sponsor Sen. Sefzik. Referred to Senate Government and Elections Committee. Currently, the Department of Enterprise Services is authorized to report to the Governor and the appropriate committees of the Legislature on the the number of plug-in electric vehicles charging at State offices, and the amount of state-purchased electricity consumed by them. The bill would change this from a report made when the Director deemed it necessary, if the cost were significant, to an annual requirement. Read text here. SB5908 – Creating a Clean Car Authority to distribute, coordinate and oversee electric vehicle grants. Sponsor Sen. Liias. Hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 in Senate Transportation Committee. The bill would create a new State agency, the Clean Car Authority, to distribute electric vehicle grant funding awarded to Washington from the Federal Infrastructure bill, provide a vision for the state about the most beneficial and efficient distribution of electric vehicle grants, as well as coordinating and overseeing their administration by state agencies and local governments. Read text here.
SJR8211 – Senate Joint Resolution submitting constitutional amendment on Road Usage Charge to voters Sponsor Sen. Fortunato. Referred to Senate Transportation Committee. The bill would submit a Constitutional amendment to the voters that would require any state revenue collected from a road usage charge, vehicle miles traveled fee, or other similar charge be used exclusively for highway purposes. Read text here.
ALSO THIS WEEK: HB1731 – Enhancing the requirements for autonomous vehicle testing. Sponsor: Kloba. Hearing at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in House Transportation Committee. Read text here.
HB 2026 – Pilot program for per mile road use charge on vehicles in place of the gas tax. Sponsor Rep. Wicks. Hearing at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 3 in House Transportation Committee. Read text here. SB5828 – Requires a plan for autonomous vehicles in emergency and traffic enforcement incidents. Sponsor Sen. Nguyen. Hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 in Senate Transportation Committee. Read text here.
UPDATES
HB1644 – Funds planning and fueling infrastructure for clean student transportation vehicles. Sponsors Reps.Senn, Ybarra, Leavitt, Bateman, Ryu, Shewmake, Ramel, Fitzgibbon, Valdez. Amended bill passed out of committee Jan. 27. Read text here.
HB1792 – Expanding various tax exemptions for the production, distribution, and use of hydrogen made by electrolysis. Sponsors: Ramel, Orcutt, Abbarno, Fitzgibbon. Passed out of committee Jan. 21. Referred to House Finance Committee. Read text here. HB1793 – Creates rules for owners’ installations of charging stations in common interest communities such as condominiums, cooperative apartments, and developments with homeowners’ associations. Sponsors: Hackney, Fitzgibbon, Berry. Substitute bill passed out of committee Jan. 28. Read text here.
HB1831 – Electrician certification program for EV charging station installation, Sponsors Reps. Bronoske, Berry, Macri, and Ramel. Executive session at 10 a.m. Feb. 1 in House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee. Read text here.
HB1918 – Exempts zero-emission outdoor power equipment from the sales tax and imposes an additional 6.5% air quality tax on equipment with emissions. Sponsor Rep. Macri. Substitute bill passed out of committee. Referred to House Finance Committee. Read text here.
SB5526 – Requires a report to the Legislature on the global availability of lithium and rare earth minerals used in battery manufacturing. Sponsor: Fortunato. Executive session at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 1 in Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee. Read text here.
SB5910 – Accelerating the availability and use of renewable and electrolytic hydrogen. Sponsor Sen. Carlysle. Co-Sponsors Hawkins, Billig, Conway, Hunt, Mullet, Saldaña, and Stanford. Executive Session at 8 a.m. Feb. 2 in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee. Read text here.
HOW TO TESTIFY:
Portals for remote testimony are available online for the state House and Senate.
- Senate portal: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate
- House portal: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House
You also can register your position on a bill or issue, and you can call and e-mail your state senators and representatives – find your district, names and e-mail addresses at www.leg.wa.gov.
Please share with anyone you know who is interested!