Senate Transportation Committee advances resource, bond and appropriation bills to Rules

The Senate Transportation Committee on March 27, 2025 voted to advance four transportation bills to the Rules Committee, approving a combination of substantive amendments and technical fixes and sending substitute versions of the bills with due-pass recommendations.

The measures advanced include Senate Bill 5,801 (transportation resources), which the committee advanced after adopting one comprehensive amendment (Amendment 5-12) and rejecting a second proposed change (Amendment 5-13); Senate Bill 5,800, a bond authorization measure; Senate Bill 5,161, the transportation appropriations bill with multiple technical and policy amendments; and Senate Bill 5,160, an additive appropriations bill. Committee staff described revenue, tax and program changes in SB 5,801, and staff also briefed members on bond authorizations and multiple appropriations and proviso corrections in the appropriation bills.

Why it matters: The bills collectively adjust state transportation revenue and spending policy, authorize billions in bonds, and reallocate and reappropriate project funds and programs that guide highway, ferry, multimodal and local projects across Washington.

Key provisions and discussion Brian Moore, committee staff, summarized revenue and policy changes proposed in the substitute to SB 5,801, saying the draft adds an intent section and renames certain fees as part of a “Fix Our Roads” characterization. Moore said the amendment raises the threshold for motor home deductions under the luxury vehicle tax from $100,000 to $500,000 and estimated that change would reduce projected luxury-vehicle tax revenue by about $77 million over six years. To offset that reduction, the amendment imposes a 10% luxury tax on recreational watercraft and on noncommercial aircraft above the same $500,000 deduction, which Moore said would generate roughly $90 million over six years for a net increase within the luxury tax changes of about $13 million.

Moore also described narrower application of an electric-bicycle surcharge: the substitute would limit the existing 10% surcharge so it applies to class 1 and class 2 electric-assisted bicycles that lack UL or EN battery certifications and to class 3 (higher-speed) bicycles. Moore said staff lacked a precise fiscal estimate but roughly expected the change would reduce the previously estimated $9 million six-year increase by about half.

Other policy changes in SB 5,801 described by staff include requiring buses to pay tolls only on toll bridges (not express toll lanes); permit-streamlining clarifications; correction of a transfer to a named program account; a phased reduction of two transportation commission seats over two years; expanded tax-increment financing authority targeted to the City of Bellevue for a bike/pedestrian overpass around State Route 405; insertion of public–private partnership language previously passed in a separate bill; and a severability clause. Kelly Simpson, committee staff, also briefed the committee on the bill’s mix of revenue and policy provisions.

On SB 5,800, Haley Gamble, committee staff, told the committee the bill would authorize up to $7,000,000,000 in bonds for highway design, right-of-way and construction backed by the gas tax and vehicle-related fees, and would increase bond authorization for the State Route 520 project by $500,000,000, with those bonds primarily backed by toll revenue.

Brandon Popovac, committee staff, reviewed SB 5,161 and its many amendment sets. Those items included: clarifying recipients of sustainable aviation fuel grants and the status of a research center at Paine Field; expanding an evaluation of alternative project delivery methods with a supplemental report due 12/01/2025; a $50,000 one-time appropriation to the Department of Licensing to translate the driver licensing examination manual and knowledge test into Dari, Farsi and Somali; carving out $200,000 of a $25,000,000 hydrogen fueling appropriation for demonstration projects that provide backup power for traffic signals during certain emergencies; rulemaking direction for WSDOT to update the statewide multimodal plan by 12/01/2025 with robust local engagement; a federal fund exchange authorizing a $10,000,000 increase to the multimodal transportation account paired with a corresponding federal reclassification of ferry operating funds; and reappropriations of Tacoma rail zero-emission locomotive funds and Port of Tacoma interchange funds into the 2025–27 biennium with net-zero six-year impact. Popovac described a number of technical proviso corrections across WSDOT line items and bond-sourcing language.

Votes and committee actions - SB 5,801 (transportation resources): Amendment 5-12 was adopted by voice vote; Amendment 5-13 failed after debate and voice votes. The committee then voted to advance substitute SB 5,801 with a due-pass recommendation to the Rules Committee, subject to signature. (Motion to advance moved by Vice Chair Lubbock; amendment adoption moved by Vice Chair Levick.)

- SB 5,800 (authorizing bonds): The committee advanced SB 5,800 with a due-pass recommendation to the Rules Committee. (Motion moved by Vice Chair Lovich.)

- SB 5,161 (transportation appropriations): Multiple amendment sets (labeled A–E in committee materials) were adopted, including technical corrections and policy provisos; the committee rolled the amendments into substitute SB 5,161 and advanced the substitute with a due-pass recommendation to the Rules Committee. (Motions led by Vice Chair Lubbock; Senator Alvarado spoke in support of certain swaps to benefit King County Metro.)

- SB 5,160 (additive appropriations): The committee adopted a comprehensive amendment (2-56) and advanced substitute SB 5,160 with a due-pass recommendation to the Rules Committee. (Motion moved by Vice Chair Lubbock.)

Direct quotes Senator Wilson, urging support for a patch to require payment at state electric-vehicle charging stations, said, “I’m an electric vehicle driver ... I’m willing to pay, mister chairman.”

Brian Moore, committee staff, summarized revenue effects of the luxury tax and other changes: “...that generates approximately $90,000,000 over the 6 year time period. Thus a net within the luxury tax realm of about $13,000,000.”

Closing and next steps Committee leadership thanked staff and the ranking member for work on the package; committee chairs said the substitute bills will proceed to the Rules Committee, where they will await floor scheduling. Any fiscal or statutory changes contained in the substitutes will require further consideration if the full Senate takes the bills up.

Notes on scope and limits of committee action: the committee advanced substitute bills with due-pass recommendations; final enactment and any bond issuance or statewide changes will depend on later floor votes, constitutional thresholds for some bond measures, and (where applicable) agency implementation rules.