Towing industry urges support for bill to use excess auction funds to help owners and operators

Towing business owners and industry representatives told the Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday they back Senate Bill 5484, a measure to let the state use excess funds generated at abandoned-vehicle auctions to help vehicle owners retrieve impounded cars and to offset towing operators’ costs.

In a public hearing, Emily Wade, owner and operator of Jim’s Northgate Towing, Day and Night Towing and Big D Towing in King County, said the current system often forces owners who are victims of car theft or who face sudden expenses to let their vehicles be declared abandoned and sold. “This bill could help change that result and do so in a positive way,” Wade said.

The bill would create an avenue of assistance, Wade said, paid from funds identified in the bill that are generated at abandoned-vehicle auctions by registered tow operators. “It’s a win for consumers and tow operators,” she said, adding that tow firms work “24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year” and face high overhead.

Holly Crowley, office manager at Jean Mayer Towing and Bankers Towing in Arenton, Washington, told the committee that typical tow-and-storage fees range from $500 to $1,200 and can force customers to choose between retrieving a vehicle and buying groceries or paying rent. “That should not happen,” Crowley said, arguing the proposed program would free storage space at tow yards and speed vehicle releases.

Peter Lukovich, a lobbyist for the Towing and Recovery Association, said the bill would use “excess funds” from auction accounts rather than require new taxes. “There isn’t any surplus, but in this case, there are, from time to time, excess funds that make up that account,” Lukovich said. He also noted the measure would help people who use vehicles for shelter to retrieve them sooner.

Committee staff and the chair did not take a recorded vote during the public hearing; the committee moved into executive session after the testimony. Drew Zachary was invited to testify but did not appear during the hearing.

Supporters asked the committee to pass the bill; no formal action was recorded in the transcript. The proponents emphasized three points: (1) impound fees often exceed what struggling residents can pay, (2) faster vehicle release frees limited tow-yard storage, and (3) the program would be funded from auction-generated funds paid by registered tow operators rather than new statewide taxes.

If advanced, the bill would amend how the state uses funds produced at abandoned-vehicle auctions; the transcript records supporters thanking the bill’s prime sponsor, Senator Chapman, and cosponsor, Senator King, for bringing the measure forward.

The hearing also included a brief roll call of registered positions (the clerk noted 14 pro and 18 con on the sign-in list) before the committee moved to executive session for staff briefings on other bills.