Legislative committee advances a package of transportation and related bills; votes recorded on nine measures

A legislative committee in executive session on Feb. 9 moved a slate of bills out of committee with due-pass recommendations, recording roll-call votes on several transportation and related measures.

The meeting opened with the chair announcing an executive session to review each bill; members recessed briefly for partisan caucuses before returning to take recorded action.

The committee reported substitute House Bill 2,092 — establishing a Washington State Amtrak Cascades passenger advisory committee with specified membership (including WSDOT, UTC, the governor’s office, tribal representation, carriers and rider and disability advocates), quarterly meetings and an annual report — out of committee with a due-pass recommendation. “This is just a good little bill that is about creating a greater voice for consumers, for users of passenger rail,” Representative Reed said in urging adoption. The clerk recorded 20 aye, 6 nay, 3 excused.

Representative Engel moved substitute House Bill 2,114, a measure to allow the Department of Licensing to waive replacement plate fees when plates are defective within defined timeframes. Engel called it “a simple customer service bill” and the committee passed the substitute by voice vote (clerk reported 26–0, 3 excused).

The committee advanced substitute House Bill 2,172, which clarifies route jurisdiction transfers and abandonments for state highways and requires certain abandonments (longer than 2 miles or including a bridge) to occur by agreement or legislative determination; the voice vote was 26–0, 3 excused.

On House Bill 2,251, which restructures Climate Commitment Act (CCA) accounts and changes revenue distribution, the committee debated multiple amendments addressing allowable uses and administrative intent language. Staff described intent language that $25,000,000 annually is intended for Department of Ecology administrative costs and discussed distribution mechanics (the bill text references 68% allocations and a cap cited around $359,000,000). Multiple amendments were considered and some adopted; the substitute as amended was reported out by roll call, 18 aye, 8 nay, 3 excused.

Representative Zahn’s substitute for House Bill 2,374 — which creates a clearer definition separating electric-assisted bicycles from higher-powered e-motorcycles and establishes a work group to recommend further steps, including potential civil infractions for juveniles — was moved and approved by voice vote (26–0, 3 excused). “The work group is needed to address this issue,” Representative Schmidt said in support.

Vice Chair Reid moved proposed substitute House Bill 2,410 to establish the Washington State Commercial Truck Safety and Education Council and increase the commercial vehicle safety and enforcement fee from $16 to $32, directing additional revenue to safety, training, administrative support and grants. Committee members acknowledged safety concerns tied to bridge strikes and heavy-vehicle operations while noting reservations about fee increases. The roll call was 25 aye, 1 nay, 3 excused.

Representative Zahn moved amendment THOC 171 and the substitute for House Bill 2,552 (authorizing multiple award task order contracting — METOC — for WSDOT and RTAs) as amended; the amendment clarifies apprenticeship, prevailing-wage and notification requirements for rosters and task-order solicitations. The substitute as amended passed by roll call, 16 aye, 10 nay, 3 excused.

House Bill 2,588 (broadening ferry-district authority) was reported out by roll call, 16 aye, 10 nay, 3 excused, after discussion about local ferry costs and taxing mechanisms. Representative Timmons cited Lummi Island ferry concerns as a rationale for broader parity.

House Bill 2,718 (permitting streamlining for WSDOT multi-agency permits) was amended to remove a requirement that WSDOT create a contractor-rating website; the substitute as amended was reported out by voice vote (26–0, 3 excused).

Representative Reed moved House Bill 2,722 (raising the vehicle-weight threshold for transportation-benefit-district vehicle fees from £6,000 to £10,000); he said he intends to introduce a floor amendment to lower that limit later. The bill moved out by roll call, 17 aye, 9 nay, 3 excused.

Finally, Representative Taylor moved House Bill 2,727, creating the Educational Transit Access Grant Program to pilot free or reduced transit fares for community and technical college students; the sponsor noted certain inclusive postsecondary programs were inadvertently omitted and said a trailer bill will follow. The committee reported House Bill 2,727 out by roll call, 21 aye, 5 nay, 3 excused.

Votes at a glance

- HB 2,092 (Amtrak Cascades advisory committee): substitute reported out, 20–6, 3 excused. - HB 2,114 (license-plate replacement fee waivers): substitute reported out by voice vote, 26–0, 3 excused. - HB 2,172 (route jurisdiction transfers/abandonments): substitute reported out by voice vote, 26–0, 3 excused. - HB 2,251 (CCA account restructuring and distribution changes): substitute as amended reported out, 18–8, 3 excused. - HB 2,374 (e-bike / electric motorcycle definitions and work group): substitute reported out by voice vote, 26–0, 3 excused. - HB 2,410 (Commercial Truck Safety and Education Council; fee increase $16→$32): substitute reported out, 25–1, 3 excused. - HB 2,552 (METOC contracting rules; apprenticeship/prevailing-wage provisions): substitute as amended reported out, 16–10, 3 excused. - HB 2,588 (ferry-district authority): reported out, 16–10, 3 excused. - HB 2,718 (WSDOT permit streamlining; removal of contractor-rating website): substitute reported out by voice vote, 26–0, 3 excused. - HB 2,722 (TBD vehicle fee weight threshold change): reported out, 17–9, 3 excused. - HB 2,727 (Educational Transit Access Grant Program): reported out, 21–5, 3 excused.

What’s next

Each substitute bill was reported out of committee with a due-pass recommendation; several sponsors signaled intent to pursue technical or clarifying amendments on the floor (for example, HB 2,722 and HB 2,727). For HB 2,251, staff noted administrative funding intent for Ecology and described the account-splitting mechanics that will be relevant in budget negotiations.

(Article based on the committee’s Feb. 9 executive session transcript; quotes and vote tallies are reported as stated by the clerk and speakers in the record.)