Washington lawmakers may tap brakes on specialty license plates
Some Washington state lawmakers want to slow down on specialty license plates once they steer several more across the finish line this session.
An omnibus bill approving seven new plates, including ones showcasing pickleball, Mount St. Helens and Smokey Bear, will receive a hearing Thursday in the state House Transportation Committee.
In the same meeting, the panel will discuss legislation to stop new plates while a task force reviews the program — from how applications are handled and plates are chosen to the state's ability to recoup costs from less popular plates. The ban would run through June 2029.
'For those who have done the work, we should approve them,' said Rep. Brandy Donaghy, D-Mill Creek, a sponsor of both bills. 'Then we put a pause on special plates for four years to get better metrics.'
All the plates proposed in House Bill 1368 and its companion bill sitting in the Senate Transportation Committee have been debated before.
In each of the last two sessions, the state Senate voted overwhelmingly to put Mount St. Helens on a specialty license plate but the bills lapsed in the House. Proceeds from sales would go to Mount St. Helens Institute, a private nonprofit organization, to support youth education, land stewardship and science at the state's most active volcano, which is located in the southwest corner of the state.
In 2023, the Senate authorized a plate recognizing pickleball, the official state sport, but it too got parked by the House. The money would go to the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association to build a pickleball facility capable of hosting regional and national tournaments and to construct dedicated pickleball courts throughout Washington.
Donaghy helped pass a bill last session to put Smokey Bear on plates to boost public education focused on wildfire prevention. The programs would be administered by the state Department of Natural Resources and the plate was first championed by Hilary Franz, the former commissioner of public lands.
The LeMay classic car museum in Tacoma is seeking a black and white 'throwback plate' to generate funds for education and job training related to automobiles. And sales of a proposed working forests plate would support the Washington Tree Farm Program. That program helps certify small landowners who practice sustainable forestry.
Also proposed in the omnibus bill is a nautical northwest plate to celebrate Whidbey Island's maritime communities. Monies raised would go to Whidbey Island Maritime Heritage Foundation and Historic Whidbey.
A 'Keep Washington Evergreen' plate would help fund installation of electric charging stations in the state. The Department of Licensing would be directed to design this plate to have green lettering on a white background in a style similar to license plates Washington issued in the 1970s.
Washington now offers nearly 70 different special license plates recognizing the military, sports teams, colleges, parks, firefighters, farmers, elk, orcas, lighthouses, the state flower, square dancers and wine. Fees for specialty plates vary, with the money generally going to support causes that are tied to each plate's theme.
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