Senate approves bill letting Washington State Patrol set background-check fees after contentious amendment votes

The State Senate on the floor debated and then passed House Bill 2,521, the measure that authorizes the Washington State Patrol to set fees to cover the cost of processing firearm background checks.

Sen. Wagner argued several amendments that would have constrained the Patrol's unilateral fee-setting authority and would have required the agency to return to the Legislature for large increases. "This amendment says Washington State Patrol, 94% increase is allowed under this amendment, plus an inflation factor, but you do have to come back to the legislature," Wagner said, framing the proposal as legislative oversight on large fee hikes.

Sen. Robinson opposed the fee-limiting amendments, saying the underlying bill is meant to match fees to actual costs so that people seeking background checks can obtain them in a timely manner. "The underlying bill is about setting fees to match the cost," Robinson said on the floor, urging colleagues to reject the amendment and preserve the agency's ability to cover costs.

Sen. Holy and Sen. Fortunato also spoke in opposition to some amendments, warning that ill-defined "indirect" costs or supplanting of other revenue streams could lead to burdensome charges for lower-income residents. Several Wagner amendments (0949 and related proposals) were rejected or withdrawn during floor votes. The clerk recorded final passage of HB 2521 with 28 ayes and 21 nays.

What the bill does: sponsors said the bill enables the Washington State Patrol to set fees to cover processing and administrative costs for background checks. Several senators requested additional reporting and justification language, and some amendments sought to require the agency to return to the Legislature before raising fees beyond set thresholds; those amendments failed on the floor.

Next steps: HB 2521 was declared passed on the floor and will be enrolled and transmitted per statutory procedure.