Budget & Taxes (Fees & Licensing)

in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1914: Updating the cost of the discover pass and day-use permits.

HB 1914 updates fees for Washington State Parks' Discover Pass and day-use permits, raising the annual Discover Pass from $30 to $45 and day-use permits from $10 to $15. It requires the Office of Financial Management to review and adjust these fees every four years to account for inflation, ensuring they keep pace with rising costs of maintaining parks. The bill directly affects all visitors and residents using Washington's state parks by vehicle or for day visits. These changes implement the original 2011 law's provision for periodic fee adjustments due to inflation.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases park user fees to generate revenue for state parks, requiring inflation adjustments to maintain fiscal stability and park maintenance funding.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing

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in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5521: Improving traffic safety.

SB 5521 establishes a grant program to fund nonpunitive solutions for low-income drivers facing nonmoving traffic violations (like expired registration or paperwork issues). It directs the state department to award grants to cities, tribes, nonprofits, and others for programs such as helmet vouchers, registration fee offsets, or community workshops. The bill also creates new rules for traffic stops, requiring officers to report detailed data (including race and ethnicity) and limiting stops for nonmoving violations to secondary offenses unless safety risks exist. It directly affects low-income road users (defined as those on public assistance, WIC, Medicaid, or earning under 125% of the federal poverty level) and law enforcement agencies. The policy aims to reduce racial disparities in traffic stops while helping vulnerable drivers avoid fines that disrupt work and economic stability.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill allocates state funds via grants for low-income driver programs (e.g., registration fee offsets), directly funding essential services through state budget appropriations.85% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires race/ethnicity data reporting in traffic stops and funds nonpunitive solutions for low-income drivers, advancing police accountability and reducing punitive measures in minor violations.92% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill funds nonpunitive traffic safety programs (e.g., helmet vouchers, registration offsets) for low-income drivers, directly enhancing road safety under transportation policies.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing Law Enforcement Driver Licensing Traffic Safety Vehicle Registration

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in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5111: Concerning the excise tax treatment of amounts received by title and escrow businesses from clients for remittance to a county filing office for the purpose of recording documents.

SB 5111 clarifies that recording surcharges paid by clients to counties for document recording (e.g., property deeds) are not subject to Washington's sales, use, or business taxes. It directly affects title and escrow businesses, which were previously assessed back taxes for failing to collect these taxes on surcharges - creating financial hardship, especially for small businesses. The bill amends tax law to explicitly exclude such surcharges from taxable transactions, aligning with a 2024 court ruling that classified the surcharge as an excise tax (not a fee). This change prevents future tax assessments on these specific charges, providing clear guidance for businesses.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExcludes recording surcharges from taxable transactions, providing tax relief to title/escrow businesses and correcting erroneous back-tax assessments per bill summary.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Fees & Licensing Sales Tax

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in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5815: Modifying business and occupation tax surcharges, rates, and the advanced computing surcharge cap, clarifying the business and occupation tax deduction for certain investments, and creating a temporary business and occupation tax surcharge on large companies.

SB 5815 proposes modifications to Washington's Business and Occupation (B&O) tax system. The bill would increase certain B&O tax rates for businesses engaged in activities such as extracting, manufacturing, and retail sales to 0.5 percent. It also introduces a temporary B&O tax surcharge specifically for large companies with annual revenues exceeding $250 million. Additionally, the bill clarifies B&O tax deductions for certain investments and adjusts the advanced computing surcharge cap. The stated intent is to generate revenue to support public schools, higher education, health care, and social services across the state.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill increases B&O tax rates for large businesses and adds a temporary surcharge on companies over $250M revenue, strengthening tax collection for state budget purposes.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Fees & Licensing

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1785: Imposing a surcharge on publicly traded companies providing excessive executive compensation.

HB 1785 imposes a surcharge on Washington-based publicly traded companies with CEO pay at least 50 times the median employee wage. The surcharge is 10% for ratios of 50-149:1 and 25% for ratios of 150:1 or higher, applied to state corporate taxes starting January 1, 2026. Companies must disclose their executive pay ratio to the SEC (per Dodd-Frank Act); failure to report triggers the 25% rate. All revenue from the surcharge funds the state general fund.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesImposes new corporate tax surcharge on excessive pay ratios, directing revenue to state general fund, aligning with fiscal responsibility and public funding.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentTargets extreme CEO-worker pay gaps (50:1+), mandates disclosure, funds state general fund - directly advances wage equity and transparency in labor compensation.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Fees & Licensing State Budget

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1658: Ensuring dedicated funding for history and heritage museums and county historic preservation programs.

HB 1658 redirects $1 of a $5 surcharge on recorded documents in Washington counties to fund history and heritage museums and historic preservation programs. It requires counties to establish a historic preservation fund using this revenue, which supports nonprofit museums (501(c)(3) organizations) and county preservation activities under state law. Fifty percent of the remaining surcharge revenue goes to a state-level "centennial document preservation" account for county historical document preservation, while the other half stays with counties for similar purposes. The bill directly affects county governments, local museums, and historic preservation programs by creating dedicated funding streams from existing document recording fees.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesRedirects existing surcharge revenue to fund museums/preservation programs, advancing fiscal allocation for cultural services under budget management.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1369: Creating special license plates that support working forests.

HB 1369 creates a new "Working forests" special license plate for Washington vehicle owners. The plate requires a $40 initial registration fee and a $30 annual renewal fee. Revenue from these fees will directly support working forests in the state, as specified by the bill's title and description. The plate will display an image representing working forests and is available for purchase by any vehicle owner who chooses to contribute.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates $40 initial/$30 annual fees generating revenue to fund working forests program, directly advancing fiscal management through dedicated funding.92% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentBill generates revenue ($40 initial, $30 annual) directly funding working forests conservation, aligning with environmental protection and resource management indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing

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signed · Washington · House Apr 21, 2025

HB 1858: Eliminating the exemption for assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust from the document recording fee and the covenant homeownership program assessment.

House Bill 1858 eliminates a specific exemption from two existing document recording fees for certain real estate transactions. Previously, assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust were exempt from these charges. With this bill, individuals and entities recording these types of documents will now be subject to a $100 covenant homeownership program assessment and an additional $183 document recording surcharge. The collected funds from these fees contribute to various state and local housing initiatives, including affordable housing and homeless housing programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill eliminates exemption for recording fees, imposing $283 in new charges ($100 + $183), generating additional revenue for state funds.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing

signed · Washington · House May 19, 2025

HB 1207: Concerning superior court clerk fees.

House Bill 1207 modifies the fees collected by superior court clerks, impacting individuals and entities filing various documents in civil actions, appeals, probate proceedings, and certain criminal cases. It introduces new surcharges on many of these filing fees, with the collected funds distributed to state accounts for judicial stabilization, public defense support, court interpreter services, and library-archives, while a portion is retained by counties. The bill establishes a county clerk administrative assistance fund, which the clerk can manage for office operations without county legislative appropriation, and creates dedicated state accounts for public defense and court interpreter support. Notably, it sets a lower initial filing fee for unlawful detainer actions and exempts indigent criminal defendants from certain fees upon conviction.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIntroduces surcharges on court filings to fund judicial stabilization, public defense, and court services, directly increasing revenue for essential public programs.85% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAllocates surcharges from criminal case filings to public defense support, directly funding a key criminal justice reform component per indicators.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing Courts

in committee · Washington · House Jan 30, 2026

HB 2018: Concerning solid waste and establishing the local government solid waste assistance account.

HB 2018 gradually increases a tax on solid waste services from 3.6% to 6.1% over five years (starting in 2026), with the additional revenue (above 3.6%) directed into a new Local Government Solid Waste Assistance Account. This account funds eligible counties and cities to implement their solid waste management plans, as required by state law. Funds are distributed equally to all counties (50%) and proportionally based on population to cities (50%). The bill directly affects residents paying solid waste fees and local governments receiving funding for waste management programs.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases solid waste tax to fund local government waste management programs, directly allocating tax revenue to essential public services.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentFunds solid waste management plans via new tax revenue, directly supporting pollution control and resource conservation under environmental protection framework.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Fees & Licensing Sales Tax Recycling Waste Management

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