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Beekeepers tell committee special license plate would fund pollinator research and education
Summary
House Bill 1911 would create a Washington State Honeybees and Pollinators special license plate with proceeds to the Washington State Beekeepers Association for research and education; beekeepers testified they have petition support and a plate design and asked the committee to move the bill forward. No vote was recorded.
The House Transportation Committee on Feb. 25, 2025 held a public hearing on House Bill 1911, which would create a Washington State Honeybees and Pollinators special license plate and direct proceeds to the Washington State Beekeepers Association for research and educational activities about pollinators in Washington.
Sandy Meyer, staff to the committee, said the bill follows the same Department of Licensing special-plate process and repeated the fiscal estimate used for other special-plate bills: an initial estimate of roughly 2,000 original plates and 1,000 renewals in the first biennium, an estimated 0.1 FTE and about $47,000 in startup costs for the 2025–27 biennium, and ongoing biennial costs of about $34,000. Meyer said the Department of Corrections estimated low-thousands in production expenses and revenue for Correctional Industries.
Representative Dent, the bill’s sponsor, said the Washington State Beekeepers Association had submitted design materials, paid the application fee and provided petitions supporting the plate. "They have 3,700 signatures on the petition, and they've paid their fee to do this, and they're ready," Dent said.
Tim Hyatt, a WOSBA member, described the association’s size and role: "The Washington State Beekeepers Association, or WOSBA, was founded in 1950. It currently has 4,000 members," he said, and asked the committee to approve the plate as a funding source for pollinator research and education. Alan Woods, president of WOSBA, said the association typically awards about $15,000 a year in research grants but has less available funding this year; he said revenue from a plate would expand grant and education work. "Our grants committee is an all volunteer group that usually issues a grant of $15,000 a year for pollinator research," Woods said. Max Gibbs Ruby, another WOSBA member, said proceeds would be used to defray the cost of beekeeping curricula and training programs that WOSBA provides in cooperation with Washington State University.
Committee members closed public testimony on the bill; no formal vote was recorded at the hearing.
