House committee holds public hearing on firefighter memorial license plate bill

The House Transportation Committee on Feb. 25, 2025 held a public hearing on House Bill 1886, which would create a firefighter memorial special license plate and direct sales revenue to support firefighters and their families and the maintenance of a planned memorial on the Capitol Campus.

Sandy Meyer, staff to the committee, told lawmakers that the Department of Licensing (DOL) must approve special plates and that the overall implementation cost is about $30,000, with a $6,300 startup fee due at application and credited against implementation costs. Meyer said DOL charges $40 for an original issuance and $30 for renewals and that the agency retains $12 of the issuance fee and $2 of the renewal fee for administrative expenses. Meyer also summarized the bill’s fiscal note, saying DOL estimates about 2,000 original plates and 1,000 renewals in the initial biennium and ongoing biennial administrative costs of about $34,000; the Department of Corrections estimates roughly $8,000 in operating expenses and $9,000 in revenue to Correctional Industries related to plate production.

Representative Skyler Rude (16th District), the bill’s sponsor in committee, said he introduced the measure after constituents and members of the firefighting community asked him to do so following the line-of-duty death of a Walla Walla firefighter. "This bill is designed to direct the funds to the council of firefighters, and that can be used for completion of the firefighter memorial," Rude said.

AJ Johnson, testifying for the Washington State Council of Firefighters, described previous steps to site a memorial on the Capitol Campus and urged the committee to approve the plate as a long-term funding source for maintenance and to cover the cost of adding names. Johnson requested two technical changes: that proceeds be deposited in the Washington Firefighter Memorial account rather than directly to the council, and that the act’s title be the Ryan Pleasants Memorial Act, honoring a firefighter from Walla Walla who recently died in the line of duty. "The proceeds should go to the Washington Firefighter Memorial account, not the Washington State Council of Firefighters, and that the title of the act shall be the Ryan Pleasants Memorial Act," Johnson said.

The committee did not take a recorded vote at the hearing; members indicated they would caucus and return for further consideration. The chair closed public testimony on the bill.

For now, the bill remains at the public hearing stage; committee staff noted a fiscal note is available that uses historical special-plate purchase data to inform estimated revenues and costs.