Latest news with #HouseBill1921
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Road usage charge debate returns to Olympia
Traffic on Interstate 5 near Olympia. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard) This article was first published by TVW. Lawmakers are again debating a plan to establish a road usage charge for funding Washington state highways. Supporters say the change would be more equitable for drivers and is necessary to replace declining fuel tax revenue. Opponents raise concerns about privacy, cost, and government control. House Bill 1921 and its Senate companion bill would set a 2.6-cent-per-mile charge for drivers. The charge would be collected at registration renewal, offset by the amount of fuel tax paid in the previous cycle. The program would be phased in over several years based on vehicle type and fuel efficiency rating. The charge would become mandatory for hybrid and electric vehicles first, in July 2029. By July 2035 the road usage charge would apply to all vehicles with a fuel efficiency rating of 20 or more miles per gallon. Fuel tax revenue is devoted exclusively to roads, but transit advocates and transportation planning organizations have pushed for distributing some of the road usage charge revenue to public transportation. Under the framework of HB 1921, all road usage charge revenue would go towards road maintenance, but vehicle owners would also owe a new transit assessment equal to 10% of the road usage charge due. The lead sponsor is the chair of the House Transportation Committee, Democratic Rep. Jake Fey of Tacoma. 'I think it's this coming biennium, we're looking at about 5% less gas tax revenue than we had in the previous biennium and since 2018, that was our high point in gas tax revenue. So it's almost in some respects late in the game to be talking about a new revenue source or a revenue source that would help bridge the loss of the gas tax,' said Fey on TVW The Impact. 'If you pay the gas tax and you have a pretty inefficient vehicle, you could be paying as much as $33 per thousand miles. And if you have an efficient vehicle, you might be— you know, internal combustion— you might be paying $12 per thousand miles. So there's an inequity in that as well.' The road usage charge program outlined in the bill would not require a GPS-enabled device to participate. 'We went to a system that is entirely voluntary. People have been concerned about privacy and having a GPS in their cars. Eventually, they'll have that as a choice, but this just allows people to be able to do something like photograph their miles each year and send it in and then the mileage would be calculated without intruding into where people have been,' said Fey. Fey views the bleak transportation budget outlook as all the more reason to move forward with a road usage charge transition. 'This is the year to get started on because full implementation is a good eight, ten years from now and in the meantime we're losing all that gas tax revenue. That is going to affect our ability to provide, in particular preservation and maintenance for our system,' said Fey. The lead Republican on transportation policy issues in the state Senate disagrees. Sen. Curtis King of Yakima does not believe a road usage charge is a viable solution to declining fuel tax revenue and he takes issue with the anticipated administration costs of running such a program. 'When they started out, they told us it was going to be somewhere between 10% to 14% to collect the tax,' said King. 'Now they say, well, we probably think it's going to be about 5%, to collect it. Well, it costs us a half a percent to collect the gas tax. So right off the bat, you have to raise 5% more revenue, just to break even.' King is also concerned about potentially creating a framework that could be repurposed in the future to exert control over driver behavior to meet environmental or traffic management goals and he disapproves of the transit assessment. 'One of the things that I really don't like about this bill is that 10% surcharge. The people that use transit ought to start paying for it. You, as a car owner, get to pay 2.6 cents a mile. And then on top of that, once we figured out how many miles you've gone or what your bill is for the year, we're going to tack on 10% so somebody can ride the transit, so somebody can ride their bike, so somebody can go for a walk if they want to. There's no correlation there,' said King.
USA Today
13-02-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Pay by the mile for driving? Lawmakers propose charge for Washington state residents
Pay by the mile for driving? Lawmakers propose charge for Washington state residents Washington State lawmakers want to make motorists pay by the mile for driving according to a new bill proposed in the house. House Bill 1921, introduced by Democrat state Transportation Committee Chair Jake Fey, is set to be addressed during a hearing Thursday in the state's House Transportation Committee. The proposed bill would implement a system charging drivers based on how much they drive in order to fund road maintenance and preservation. The bill is sponsored by Republican Alex Ramel, Democrat Sharon Wylie, Democrat Timm Ormsby, Democrat Lisa Parshley, Democrat Janice Zahn, and Democrat Nicole Macri. Here's what to know about the proposed Washington State legislation: More news: Amid Education Department turmoil, Trump's nominee to oversee schools faces lawmakers Bill suggests paying 0.026 per mile driven The bill, which proposes a road usage charge (RUC) for passenger vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds, shows profit from it would go towards road maintenance and preservation. The charge − ($0.026 per mile driven) − would be based on self-reported odometer readings and, according to the proposed legislation, would be included as part of a driver's annual vehicle registration fee. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
WA eyes pay-by-mile system as gas tax revenue declines
This story was initially published by After more than a decade of tabletop exercises, pilot programs and studies, the legislature is finally going to take up the Road Usage Charge (RUC). The plan to have us pay-by-mile will have its first hearing on Thursday. The gas tax just doesn't cut it anymore. I have been reporting on this idea for more than a decade. Fuel-efficient cars get better gas mileage and pay less gas tax. Electric vehicles don't use gas, and their owners don't pay gas taxes for the upkeep of roads. We know the legislature fails to fund the maintenance and preservation of roads by a billion dollars a year. State Representative Jake Fey, a Democrat from Tacoma, has finally introduced a bill to start the RUC program. More Chokepoints: Bellevue considering getting rid of free street parking I spoke with the House Transportation Committee Chair last year about whether now was the time to get started. 'We need to set things in motion,' he said. 'It's going to take some time to get this all in place and to do it in a way that's that is going to be very workable, but the longer we put it off, the more we find ourselves to be in a hole.' As Representative Fey announced Thursday's hearing, his office made the case for starting the RUC by saying gas tax revenue will decline by over 70% by 2050. To keep pace, his office said the gas tax would have to go up from its current $0.494 a gallon to nearly $2 a gallon over the same time. If the situation is so dire, I asked Representative Fey why there hasn't been any urgency to transition to this. 'I try to listen to people, and I think they're frustrated that we haven't made a lot of progress, other than doing some interesting studies,' he said. 'It was time to actually set this in motion because our gasoline revenues are not going to grow.' The plan is for the RUC to eventually replace the gas tax, though that is not mentioned specifically in House Bill 1921. It would charge drivers $0.026 a mile for every mile they drive. That's up from the $0.024 a mile that had always been on the table. The money raised would be protected by the 18th Amendment, just like the gas tax and earmarked specifically for the preservation and maintenance of highway purposes. But this bill goes beyond the original road usage plans by also charging drivers an extra assessment — equal to 10% of your yearly RUC charge — that would go to other modes, like rail, bikes, pedestrians and public transportation. You would pay the RUC when you renew your tabs. At a press conference Tuesday, Representative Fey described the RUC as more equitable way to pay for roads. 'I believe the RUC is fair,' he said. 'Everyone pays based on how much they drive. The RUC is sustainable. It ensures long term funding stability as vehicles become more fuel efficient, and it is a tested and proven way in which to create a system that has the user pay based on their use of the highway system.' More Chokepoints: Speed cameras coming to WA freeway work zones soon But here's where it gets really messy. Drivers would pay the gas tax at the pump and be charged the RUC at the same time. Your gas tax would then be credited toward your RUC at renewal. The gas tax wouldn't go away right away. That's because our transportation projects are bonded against the gas tax and those bonds need to be paid back with the gas tax. If passed by the legislature, EVs and hybrids would be able to start a voluntary program in 2027. Gas vehicles, with better than 20 miles a gallon, can start a voluntary program in 2029. This would become mandatory for EVs and hybrids in 2029 and mandatory for the most fuel efficient gas vehicles in 2031. It would start with a straight odometer read when renewing your tabs. Plans for wireless or GPS-based tracking would follow as an option. The bill does mention that the privacy of the owner is a 'first principle,' as it pertains to location data. There are no plans to track travel patterns or locations. Check out more of Chris' Chokepoints here. You can also follow Chris on X. Head here to follow KIRO Newsradio Traffic's profile on X
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Pay-by-mile is getting closer to reality in Washington
This story was originally published on After more than a decade of tabletop exercises, pilot programs and studies, the legislature is finally going to take up the Road Usage Charge (RUC). The plan to have us pay-by-mile will have its first hearing on Thursday. The gas tax just doesn't cut it anymore. I have been reporting on this idea for more than a decade. Fuel-efficient cars get better gas mileage and pay less gas tax. Electric vehicles don't use gas, and their owners don't pay gas taxes for the upkeep of roads. We know the legislature fails to fund the maintenance and preservation of roads by a billion dollars a year. Is pay-by-mile the answer for a fairer, more stable road funding source? State Representative Jake Fey, a Democrat from Tacoma, has finally introduced a bill to start the RUC program. I spoke with the House Transportation Committee Chair last year about whether now was the time to get started. 'We need to set things in motion,' he said. 'It's going to take some time to get this all in place and to do it in a way that's that is going to be very workable, but the longer we put it off, the more we find ourselves to be in a hole.' As Representative Fey announced Thursday's hearing, his office made the case for starting the RUC by saying gas tax revenue will decline by over 70% by 2050. To keep pace, his office said the gas tax would have to go up from its current $0.494 a gallon to nearly $2 a gallon over the same time. If the situation is so dire, I asked Representative Fey why there hasn't been any urgency to transition to this. 'I try to listen to people, and I think they're frustrated that we haven't made a lot of progress, other than doing some interesting studies,' he said. 'It was time to actually set this in motion because our gasoline revenues are not going to grow.' Here's how the Road Usage Charge would work The plan is for the RUC to eventually replace the gas tax, though that is not mentioned specifically in House Bill 1921. It would charge drivers $0.026 a mile for every mile they drive. That's up from the $0.024 a mile that had always been on the table. The money raised would be protected by the 18th Amendment, just like the gas tax and earmarked specifically for the preservation and maintenance of highway purposes. But this bill goes beyond the original road usage plans by also charging drivers an extra assessment — equal to 10% of your yearly RUC charge — that would go to other modes, like rail, bikes, pedestrians and public transportation. You would pay the RUC when you renew your tabs. And here is where it gets really messy. Drivers would pay the gas tax at the pump and be charged the RUC at the same time. Your gas tax would then be credited toward your RUC at renewal. 'For a gas vehicle, it's going to be a reconciliation,' Fey said. 'You're not going to stop collecting gas tax at the pump.' That's because our transportation projects are bonded against the gas tax and those bonds need to be paid back with the gas tax. Also compounding things, the state doesn't know how to do that reconciliation. This bill only refers to the state having to figure that out later. If passed by the legislature, EVs and hybrids would be able to start a voluntary program in 2027. Gas vehicles, with better than 20 miles a gallon, can start a voluntary program in 2029. This would become mandatory for EVs and hybrids in 2029 and mandatory for the most fuel efficient gas vehicles in 2031. It would start with a straight odometer read when renewing your tabs. Plans for wireless or GPS-based tracking would follow as an option. The bill does mention that the privacy of the owner is a 'first principle,' as it pertains to location data. There are no plans to track travel patterns or locations. Check out more of Chris' Chokepoints here. You can also follow Chris on X. Head here to follow KIRO Newsradio Traffic's profile on X
