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Senate Transportation Committee advances four bills in executive session
Summary
In executive session following hearings on Feb. 25, the Senate Transportation Committee advanced four bills: prevailing‑wage contract adjustments (SSB 5061) to Ways & Means and three bills — impaired driving (.05 BAC), traffic penalties and indigent vehicle release/tow reimbursement — to the Rules Committee.
After public testimony the Senate Transportation Committee moved to executive session and took committee-level action on four bills on Feb. 25.
Key committee actions and outcomes
- Second Substitute Senate Bill 5061 (prevailing wage adjustments): Committee action — advanced with a due‑pass recommendation to the Ways & Means Committee. The committee adopted amendment S1864.1 (which exempts small works roster projects from the contract‑adjustment requirement) and adopted S1844.1 (which moves the effective date forward by one year). An amendment offered by Senator King (S1883.1), which would have allowed contract price adjustments for prevailing‑wage increases larger than 3 percent, failed to pass in committee. Sponsor: Vice Chair Lubbock moved the bill; committee provided a due‑pass recommendation to Ways & Means.
- Substitute Senate Bill 5067 (impaired driving; BAC reduction to 0.05): Committee action — advanced as substituted by the Law & Justice Committee with a due‑pass recommendation to the Rules Committee. The substitute reduces the per se blood alcohol concentration limit from 0.08 to 0.05 and directs a public information campaign and a later study by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy. Sponsor: Vice Chair Lubbock moved the bill.
- Senate Bill 5705 (traffic safety; penalty modifications): Committee action — advanced with a due‑pass recommendation to the Rules Committee. The bill doubles base penalty amounts for second or subsequent violations of specified traffic infractions within two years, authorizes courts to reduce doubled penalties (but not below the first‑violation amount) and doubles penalties for unlawful device use in school/playground speed zones. Sponsor: Vice Chair Levick moved the bill.
- Proposed substitute Senate Bill 5484 (payments to tow operators for release of vehicles to indigent persons): Committee action — advanced with a due‑pass recommendation to the Rules Committee. The proposed substitute limits reimbursements to filed fees plus up to five days of storage, shifts an effective date and makes technical edits; staff noted start‑up costs of roughly $567,000 for the Department of Licensing. Sponsor: Vice Chair Levick moved the bill.
Vote context and procedure
Committee votes in the executive session were voice votes; where roll call tallies were not recorded in the transcript staff and sponsors characterized outcomes as adopted or not adopted. Several amendments were debated and either adopted or rejected as noted above; final bills were forwarded with committee recommendations for further floor and fiscal review as appropriate.
Next steps
The advanced bills will proceed to their next committees: SSB 5061 to Ways & Means; SSB 5067, SB 5705 and SB 5484 to the Rules Committee, subject to further fiscal and policy review and signature requirements for committee reports.
