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Bill would allow small public airports to be an allowable REIT capital project
Summary
House Finance considered House Bill 16-50 on Feb. 13; the bill would add two categories of public airports to the list of capital projects that local REIT 1 and REIT 2 revenues may fund.
House Finance considered House Bill 16-50 on Feb. 13, which would add two categories of public-use airports to the statute’s definition of capital projects that local REIT 1 and REIT 2 revenues may fund.
Staff (Christina King) told the committee the bill adds (1) airports included in the most recent Washington Aviation System Plan and (2) airports in the federal National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) with fewer than 10,000 annual enplanements, to the set of capital projects eligible for REIT-funded capital work. Staff said the bill addresses allowable uses of local revenues and therefore should not change state tax collections; a fiscal note had been requested but was not yet available.
Representative Tom Dent (13th Legislative District), sponsor, said the bill would give small communities the option to use local REIT funds for airport capital projects but would not require them to do so. “It just expands the opportunity to spend the money,” Dent said, adding that many small airports struggle to fund maintenance or match federal grants.
Pierce County and city representatives stressed operational and public-safety uses. Council member Morrell and Pierce County witnesses said small airports are critical for wildfire response, medevac and emergency operations and that local matching funds can be necessary to capture favorable FAA grants. Alex Denny, a medevac pilot, described the lack of 24-hour facilities and the operational strain on crews: “Having basic 24 hour facilities will help reduce fatigue and allow crews to provide better quality of care for our patients.”
Support also came from Moses Lake and Tacoma Narrows Airport advocates, who cited economic activity, flight training and workforce pipelines. Kelsey Park of Peninsula School District described an aviation academy that depends on nearby airport infrastructure to deliver hands‑on training.
Opponents were not recorded in the hearing; committee members asked clarifying questions about definitions (the staff confirmed there is not a specific statutory definition for “enplanements” in the bill). The sponsor said the bill covers 134 airports in the state, 64 of them in the NPIAS, and emphasized the limited, optional nature of the expansion.
The bill remains in committee; staff and sponsor said there is no tax increase proposed and that the bill is designed to give local governments an additional eligible use for REIT capital funds.
