Hello friends of Drive Electric Washington! Sorry to be late with this week’s policy update. Things are heating up in Olympia during the latter part of the 2022 session, and several hearings are scheduled for this week. Introduced last week were the Omnibus Transportation Package and the Transportation Appropriations bill. Neither included the governor’s proposed EV incentives and rebates, but discussion is continuing about how and if to add these options. Please see below for public hearing details, updates and information about how to participate.
NEW LAST WEEK:
SB5974 – 2022 Transportation Omnibus. Sponsor Sen. Liias. Includes Clean Cars 2030 target. Also creates interagency council for coordinating the state’s transportation electrification efforts to ensure it’s leveraging state and federal resources to the best extent possible and to ensure zero emissions incentives, infrastructure and opportunities are available and accessible to all. Passed out of Senate Transportation Committee Feb. 14. Referred to Senate Rules Committee. Read text here.
HB2119 – Companion bill to SB5974. 2022 Transportation Omnibus. Sponsor Rep. Fey. Referred to House Transportation Committee. Hearing at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in House Transportation Committee. Read text here. SB5975 – 2002 Transportation Appropriations. Sponsor Sen. Liias. Includes appropriation of $1 million for grants for development of zero-emission aircraft, and $15 million for another hybrid electric ferry. Referred to Senate Transportation Committee. Read text here.
HEARINGS THIS WEEK: HB1644 – Funds planning and fueling infrastructure for clean student transportation vehicles. Sponsors Reps. Senn, Ybarra, Leavitt, Bateman, Ryu, Shewmake, Ramel, Fitzgibbon, Valdez. Passed full House Feb. 9 on a vote of 94-2. Hearing at 8 a.m. Feb. 18 in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education. 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. Passed full House on Feb. 9 by vote of 67-29. Hearing at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 17 in Senate Law & Justice 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. Hearing at 8 a.m. Feb. 17 in House Finance Committee. Read text here. SB5543 – Creates a program providing rebates for new all electric landscaping equipment in exchange for operating gas and diesel equipment that would be scrapped or recycled. Sponsor Sen. Carlysle. Hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 17 in Senate Ways and Means Committee. Read text here.
UPDATES HB1792 – Expanding various tax exemptions for the production, distribution, and use of hydrogen made by electrolysis. Sponsors: Ramel, Orcutt, Abbarno, Fitzgibbon. Executive session at 8 a.m. Feb. 17 in House Finance Committee. Read text here.
SB5085 – Reducing EV fee for electric motorcycles. Sponsor Sen. Rolfes. Reduces the annual $150 electric vehicle registration fee to $30 for electric motorcycles. Passed out of Senate Transportation Committee Feb. 14. Referred to Senate Ways and Means Committee. Read text here. SB5828 – Requires a plan for autonomous vehicles in emergency and traffic enforcement incidents. Sponsor Sen. Nguyen. Passed out of Senate Transportation Committee Feb. 7. 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. Passed full Senate on Feb. 12 by a vote of 49-0. Read text of substitute bill 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!