Washington State has a number of incentives for electric vehicles thanks to forward-thinking legislators and the work of many SEVA members such as Jeff Finn who is pictured here charging his LEAF in front of the Capitol, Pictured with him is SEVA President Stephen Johnsen.
2022 EV Legislation Bills
EV POLICY UPDATE 3-7-22
HB1918 – Exempts zero-emission outdoor power equipment from the sales tax. Sponsor Rep. Macri. Passed out of Finance Committee Feb. 25. Amended bill passed full House on March 4 by a vote of 81-15. Public hearing at 5 p.m. March 7 in the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Read amended bill here.
SB5543 – Creates a program providing rebates for new all electric landscaping equipment in exchange for operating gas and diesel equipment that would be scrapped or recycled. Sponsor Sen. Carlysle. Executive session at 5 p.m. March 7 in Senate Ways and Means Committee. Read text here.
SB5967 – Imposing a state climate resiliency and mitigation surcharge on large financial institutions financing the global fossil fuel industry while recognizing the financial institution industry’s efforts to address climate change. Sponsor Sen. Carlysle. Executive session at 5 p.m. March 7 in Senate Ways and Means Committee. Read text here.
UPDATES
HB1644 – Funds planning and fueling infrastructure for clean student transportation vehicles. Sponsor Rep. Senn. Amended bill passed full Senate on March 2 by as vote of 46-1. Amendment adds conversion or repowering existing school buses to zero-emission vehicles. Sent back to House for concurrence. Read amended text here.
HB1793 – Creates rules for owners’ installations of charging stations in common interest communities such as condominiums, cooperative apartments, and developments with homeowners’ associations. Sponsor Rep. Hackney. Amended bill passed full Senate on March 1 by a vote of 32-17. Sent to Governor for signature. Read amended text here.
SB5085 – Reducing EV fee for electric motorcycles. Sponsor Sen. Rolfes. Reduces the annual $150 electric vehicle registration fee to $30 for electric motorcycles. Bill passed full Senate Feb. 25 on a vote of 47-2. Passed out of House Transportation Committee on Feb. 28, and referred to House Rules Committee. Read text here.
SB5689 – Supplemental Transportation Appropriations – pilot program for gasoline superusers. Sponsor Sen. Liias. The bill appropriates $500,000 for a pilot project to study how to convert gasoline superusers to driving electric. including how much money is saved, how many gallons of gas are displaced, what incentives will help, and what messaging is most effective. Amended bill passed full House on Feb. 26 by a vote of 91-3. Referred to conference committee to reach a compromise. Read text here.
SB5910 – Accelerating the availability and use of renewable and electrolytic hydrogen. Sponsor Sen. Carlysle. Passed out of House Appropriations Committee Feb. 28. Referred to House Rules Committee. Read text of substitute bill here.
SB5974 – 2022 Transportation Omnibus. Sponsor Sen. Liias. Includes Clean Cars 2030 target. Also creates interagency council for coordinating the state’s transportation electrification efforts to ensure it’s leveraging state and federal resources to the best extent possible and to ensure zero emissions incentives, infrastructure and opportunities are available and accessible to all. House amendments include expanding the responsibilities assigned to the Electric Vehicle Coordinating Council to include the development of a public and private outreach plan, creation of an industry electric vehicle advisory committee, and ensuring that activities related to transportation electrification benefit vulnerable and overburdened communities. Amended bill passed full House on March 1 by a vote of 54-43. Referred to conference committee to reach a compromise. Read amended text here.
SB5975 – 2022 Transportation Appropriations. Sponsor Sen. Liias. Includes appropriation of $1 million for grants for development of zero-emission aircraft, and $15 million for another hybrid electric ferry. Amended bill passed full House on March 1 by a vote of 55-40. Referred to conference committee to reach a compromise. Read amended text here.
PROBABLY DEAD THIS SESSION
HB1731 – Enhancing the requirements for autonomous vehicle testing. Sponsor: Kloba. Read text here.
HB1792 – Expanding various tax exemptions for the production, distribution, and use of hydrogen made by electrolysis. Sponsor Rep. Ramel. Read text here.
HB1831 – Electrician certification program, Creates an EV infrastructure training program and requires electricians certified through that to be present when public chargers are being installed or maintained. Sponsors Reps. Bronoske, Berry, Macri, and Ramel. Read text here.
HB2026 – Pilot program for per mile road use charge on vehicles in place of the gas tax. Sponsor Rep. Wicks. Read text here.
HB2100 – Drops a requirement for reporting moving violations by autonomous vehicles in testing programs, and requires a plan for interactions with the vehicle in emergency and traffic enforcement situations. Sponsors Reps. Boehnke, Bronoske and Sutherland. Read text here.
SB5308 – Removes the additional $75 transportation electrification fee on hybrids and plug-in vehicles that travel less than 30 miles on battery power. Sponsor Sen. Short. Read text here.
SB5526 – Requires a report to the Legislature on the global availability of lithium and rare earth minerals used in battery manufacturing. Sponsor: Fortunato. Read text here.
SB5828 – Requires a plan for autonomous vehicles in emergency and traffic enforcement incidents. Sponsor Sen. Nguyen. Read text here.
SB5896 – Changes optional report on recharging vehicles at state offices to a requirement. Sponsor Sen. Sefzik. Read text here.
HOW TO TESTIFY:
Portals for remote testimony are available online for the state House and Senate.
Senate portal: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Senate
House portal: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/House
You also can register your position on a bill or issue, and you can call and e-mail your state senators and representatives – find your district, names and e-mail addresses at www.leg.wa.gov.
Please share with anyone you know who is interested!
EV POLICY UPDATE 1-30-22
NEW THIS WEEK:
HB2070 – Companion bill to SB5828, Requires a plan for autonomous vehicles in emergency and traffic enforcement incidents. Sponsors Reps. Boehnke, Bronoske and Sutherland. Referred to House Transportation Committee. Read text here.
HB2100 – Drops a requirement for reporting moving violations by autonomous vehicles in testing programs, and requires a plan for interactions with the vehicle in emergency and traffic enforcement situations. Sponsors Reps. Boehnke, Bronoske and Sutherland. Hearing at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in House Transportation Committee. Removes requirement to include moving violations by autonomous vehicles in testing programs in annual reports to the Department of Licensing. It also drops a clause implying the Department can require information about collisions in addition to what the law currently specifies. It requires submitting a law enforcement interaction plan to the Department. Read text here.
SB5308 – Removes the additional $75 transportation electrification fee on hybrids and plug-in vehicles that travel less than 30 miles on battery power. Sponsor Sen. Short. Reintroduced from 2021 session. Hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 in Senate Transportation Committee. Hybrids and plug-in vehicles that go less than 30 miles on a full charge pay the $75 annual transportation electrification fee, the same as BEVs, even if they can’t use public charging stations. This bill would eliminate that charge. Read text here.
SB5896 – Changes optional report on recharging vehicles at state offices to a requirement. Sponsor Sen. Sefzik. Referred to Senate Government and Elections Committee. Currently, the Department of Enterprise Services is authorized to report to the Governor and the appropriate committees of the Legislature on the the number of plug-in electric vehicles charging at State offices, and the amount of state-purchased electricity consumed by them. The bill would change this from a report made when the Director deemed it necessary, if the cost were significant, to an annual requirement. Read text here.
SB5908 – Creating a Clean Car Authority to distribute, coordinate and oversee electric vehicle grants. Sponsor Sen. Liias. Hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 in Senate Transportation Committee. The bill would create a new State agency, the Clean Car Authority, to distribute electric vehicle grant funding awarded to Washington from the Federal Infrastructure bill, provide a vision for the state about the most beneficial and efficient distribution of electric vehicle grants, as well as coordinating and overseeing their administration by state agencies and local governments. Read text here.
SJR8211 – Senate Joint Resolution submitting constitutional amendment on Road Usage Charge to voters Sponsor Sen. Fortunato. Referred to Senate Transportation Committee. The bill would submit a Constitutional amendment to the voters that would require any state revenue collected from a road usage charge, vehicle miles traveled fee, or other similar charge be used exclusively for highway purposes. Read text here.
ALSO THIS WEEK:
HB1731 – Enhancing the requirements for autonomous vehicle testing. Sponsor: Kloba. Hearing at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in House Transportation Committee. Read text here.
HB 2026 – Pilot program for per mile road use charge on vehicles in place of the gas tax. Sponsor Rep. Wicks. Hearing at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 3 in House Transportation Committee. Read text here.
SB5828 – Requires a plan for autonomous vehicles in emergency and traffic enforcement incidents. Sponsor Sen. Nguyen. Hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 in Senate Transportation Committee. Read text here.
UPDATES
HB1644 – Funds planning and fueling infrastructure for clean student transportation vehicles. Sponsors Reps.Senn, Ybarra, Leavitt, Bateman, Ryu, Shewmake, Ramel, Fitzgibbon, Valdez. Amended bill passed out of committee Jan. 27. Read text here.
HB1792 – Expanding various tax exemptions for the production, distribution, and use of hydrogen made by electrolysis. Sponsors: Ramel, Orcutt, Abbarno, Fitzgibbon. Passed out of committee Jan. 21. Referred to House Finance Committee. Read text here.
HB1793 – Creates rules for owners’ installations of charging stations in common interest communities such as condominiums, cooperative apartments, and developments with homeowners’ associations. Sponsors: Hackney, Fitzgibbon, Berry. Substitute bill passed out of committee Jan. 28. Read text here.
HB1831 – Electrician certification program for EV charging station installation, Sponsors Reps. Bronoske, Berry, Macri, and Ramel. Executive session at 10 a.m. Feb. 1 in House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee. Read text here.
HB1918 – Exempts zero-emission outdoor power equipment from the sales tax and imposes an additional 6.5% air quality tax on equipment with emissions. Sponsor Rep. Macri. Substitute bill passed out of committee. Referred to House Finance Committee. Read text here.
SB5526 – Requires a report to the Legislature on the global availability of lithium and rare earth minerals used in battery manufacturing. Sponsor: Fortunato. Executive session at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 1 in Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee. Read text here.
SB5910 – Accelerating the availability and use of renewable and electrolytic hydrogen. Sponsor Sen. Carlysle. Co-Sponsors Hawkins, Billig, Conway, Hunt, Mullet, Saldaña, and Stanford. Executive Session at 8 a.m. Feb. 2 in the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee. Read text here.
2021 EV Legislation Bills
HB1204 – Clean Cars 2030 Bill – Bans sales of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030. was introduced by Rep. Macri, and is co-sponsored by Reps. Chopp, Ramos, Kloba, Simmons, Senn, Berry, Fitzgibbon, Ramel, Duerr, Ortiz-Self, Goodman, Slatter, Bateman, Pollet, and Harris-Talley. Referred to House Transportation Committee. No hearing scheduled yet. A companion Senate bill is in the works Backed by Coltura coalition. Read more.
SB5192– Interoperability among publicly available EV charging stations – Introduced by Sen. Das requires publicly available EV chargers to display a specified set of information, and to accept multiple payment methods. It requires the hardware, software, and communications network to be able to interact with, exchange, and make use of information, including payment information, from different providers’ systems. California has this already. Referred to Senate Transportation Committee. No hearing scheduled yet. Read more.
- Senate portal: https://app.leg.wa.gov/CSIRemote/Senate
- House portal: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csiremote/house
The public can sign up to testify live after a bill appears on an agenda for a hearing and until one hour before the hearing begins, .
Submitting written testimony is an option until 24 hours after a hearing starts. That will be sent to legislators and committee staff, and included in a bill’s legislative record but not on public-facing bill reports.
Visitors to the portals can find their bill of interest by choosing the committee and meeting time when it’s scheduled for a hearing. After selecting a bill, three options are available: submitting written testimony, testifying live, or simply noting your position for the legislative record.
Pages with bill information have already featured buttons allowing people to “comment on this bill,” but comments submitted that way are treated differently than written testimony. Those are routed to a constituent’s legislators, while the new system saves written testimony in a database where committee members and staff can read them. Staff will later place those comments in the committee file and archive them.
People who want to testify live will be sent a unique Zoom link they can use to participate via video or audio. Committee chairs will decide the order and length of public testimony.
The portals have a message in bold-face: Registering isn’t a guarantee that a person will be able to testify or speak at specific times.
SEVA Legislative Action Alert List
Would you like to add your voice to support transportation electrification in Washington State? Would you like to receive alerts on Electric Vehicle related legislation in this upcoming session?
If so, then please send an email to SEVA’s Legislative Agenda Coordinator JEFF FINN.
Please put “Legislative Action List” in the subject line and include the following information in the body:
- Your Name:
- Your Full Address:
- Legislative District:
(districts can be looked up here: http://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/) - Your Email:
- Your Phone Number:
Thank you for helping advance the adoption of Electric Vehicles in Washington!
PAST BILLS (Some being introduced in 2021)
2020 Legislative Season: EV Bills:
Reducing emissions from on-demand transportation – HB2310 – Rep. Fitzgibbon – Requires companies scheduling rides or consumer food or goods deliveries through digital technology such as web pages or smartphone apps to provide data to create a baseline of their emissions, and to reduce them over time. (The bill exempts a variety of traditional transportation services like taxis and limousines, however.) NOT VOTED ON
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Carbon fee to fund transportation projects – SB5971 – Sen. Hobbs – Increases EV registration fee from $150 to $300, among many other fees. The bill would fill the funding shortfall left by the passage of Initiative 976, if is survives court challenges. NOT VOTED ON
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Electric bike tax exemption – HB 1986 – Rep. Shewmake – The bill creates a sales and use tax exemption for buyers of electric bicycles and related cycling equipment.
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Tesla Sales – SB6082 – Sen. Carlyle – amends a current law that limits how manufacturers can discriminate among or compete with dealers to specify that its provisions don’t apply to any manufacturer of all-electric vehicles. NOT VOTED ON
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Phase out of gasoline cars – HB2515 – Rep. Macri – Directs the state transportation commission to develop a plan and rules to ensure that all 2030 model year and later passenger and light duty vehicles sold or registered in the state be electric, in a manner that minimizes costs and maximizes benefits for Washington’s economy, improves and modernizes Washington’s energy infrastructure, and maintains electric system reliability. NNOT VOTED ON
- ZEV mandate – SB5811 – Sen. Nguyen – reintroduced Jan. 13 in same form as passed last year. Already approved in the Senate on Feb. 16. Companion bill HB1999 reintroduced in House. The bill removes the prohibition on adopting the California Zero Emission Vehicle standards from the current law authorizing Ecology to adopt the rest of California’s emissions standards. 03/10/20: PASSED both House and Senate
- Advancing Electric Transportation (Gov. Inslee’s bill) – SB5336 and HB1664 – Sen. Palumbo and Rep Slatter- reintroduced in same form as last year. In addition to the ZEV mandate, the bill requires all utilities to engage in electrifying transportation, and specifically authorizes them to build and promote charging infrastructure (as well as to invest in making energy infrastructure in general more efficient). It removes the requirement that their chargers must be in places where cars will plug in for at least four hours if they want to earn a rate of return on the investment. It authorizes cities with municipal utilities serving more than 400,000 customers to do as much as the Washington Constitution allows to provide financing to help customers electrify transportation, and to offer programs, services, and make investments to provide that, if that will benefit ratepayers and the city has adopted a plan for electrifying transportation. NOT VOTED ON
- Low Carbon Fuel Standard – SB5412 and HB1110- reintroduced Jan. 13 – Sen. Saldana and Rep. Fitzgibbon – Requires the Department of Ecology to create rules to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels used in Washington to 10% below 2017 levels by 2028 and to 20 percent below 2017 levels by 2035. (Fuels for aviation, shipping, and locomotives are exempted.) NOT PASSED
- Electrifying public vehicle fleets – HB1832 – Rep. Macri – reintroduced in same form as last year. Requires any 2023 model light duty vehicles or later ones that state agencies own or operate to be battery electrics or fuel cell vehicles. By 2026, a similar rule would apply to medium and heavy duty vehicles. Requires any 2025 model light duty vehicles or later ones that local governments own or operate to be battery electrics or fuel cell vehicles. By 2027, a similar rule would apply to medium and heavy duty vehicles. NOT VOTED ON
- Electric and Hybrid Airplanes – HB1397 – Rep. Slatter- Reintroduced in same form as last year. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to convene a work group on hybrid and electric regional aircraft, including representatives from the electric aircraft industry, the aircraft manufacturing industry, electric utility districts, the battery industry, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Transportation Aviation Division, the Airline Pilots’ Association, a primary airport representing an airport association, and the airline industry. NOT VOTED ON
- Registration Fee for Electric Motorcycles – SB5128 – Sen. Rolfes – Reintroduced in same form as last year. Currently, owners of electric motorcycles pay the same annual registration fee as the owners of electric cars that can travel over 30 miles on the battery. The bill reduces the fee for motorcycles to $30/yr.
- Utility Electrification of Transportation Infrastructure – HB1127 – Rep. Morris – Reintroduced in same form as last year. Allows utilities to adopt transportation electrification plans if they determine that outreach and investment in electrification infrastructure is cost-effective in the context of acquiring new resources, considering system benefits and costs to ratepayers. NOT VOTED ON
2019 Legislative EV Bills:
Senate Bill 5811:
Reducing emissions by making changes to the clean car standards and clean car program.
Sponsors: Nguyen, Rolfes, Wilson, C., Liias, Das, Hunt, Kuderer, Saldaña
No Action Taken This Session. Needs more feedback from constituents.
Senate Bill 5336:
Advancing electric transportation, Electric Vehicle Sales Tax Incentives: Palumbo, Carlyle, Nguyen, Saldaña, Hasegawa, Dhingra, Frockt, Kuderer
As of April 14, 2019, bill is stuck in the Ways and Means Committee.
Senate Bill 5970
Authorizing bonds for transportation funding.Sponsors: Hobbs, King, Saldaña, Sheldon, Cleveland, Fortunato, Randall, Zeiger, Palumbo, Takko, Nguyen, Wilson, C., Mullet, Liias, Lovelett, Das, Wagoner
As of April 14, 2019, bill is stuck in the Ways and Means Committee.
Senate Bill 5971
Concerning transportation funding.Sponsors: Hobbs, Saldaña, Sheldon, Cleveland, Randall, Palumbo, Takko, Nguyen, Mullet, Liias, Lovelett, ConwayThis bill would double the registration tax on EV’s to $300 per anum.
As of April 14, 2019, bill is stuck in the Ways and Means Committee.
Senate Bill 5972
Concerning additive transportation funding and appropriations.
This bill would double the registration tax on EV’s to $300 per anum.
Sponsors: Hobbs, King, Saldaña, Sheldon, Cleveland, Fortunato, Randall, Zeiger, Palumbo, Takko, Nguyen, Wilson, C., Mullet, Liias, Padden, Lovelett, Das, Conway, Wagoner
As of April 14, 2019, bill is in Senate Rules Committee.
- For a synopsis of bills 5970, 5971 and 5972, go to Android Tech News Article here
- To research any of these bills in detail, please visit the Washington State Legislature.
2016 Legislative EV Bills:
SEVA responseto “Phony Math and Ironic Economics Used to Justify Electric Car Tax Breaks” article about the carbon emission savings page prepared by SEVA for the proposed extension to the Washington State electric vehicle sales tax exemption.
2015 Legislative EV Bills:
- GOV. JAY INSLEE TO SIGN HB 2778 – ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES TAX EXEMPTION
- Legislature Modifies Electric Vehicle Sales Tax Exemption
- 2015 Legislative Update (week ending 2-6-2015)
- 2015 Legislative Update (week ending 1-23-2015)
SEVA’s 2015 Legislative Agenda:
These are the legislative items SEVA focused on in 2015.
- STATEWIDE ELECTRIC VEHCLE COLLABORATION
- UTILITIES & TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION RULE CHANGES
- ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE PROGRAM
- CLEAN FUEL SALES TAX EXEMPTION
- BUILDING CODES
All Past SEVA Legislative Agenda Items:
Here’s a complete list of all legislative items SEVA has supported over the years.
- URBAN AND CURB/PARKING STRIP CHARGING
- STATEWIDE ELECTRIC VEHCLE COLLABORATION
- FUND AND ENFORCE ENERGY FREEDOM ACT
- UTILITIES & TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION RULE CHANGES
- LICENSE PLATES
- CLEAN VEHICLE REBATES
- HOV LANES
- DIRECT VEHICLE SALES BY MANUFACTURES
- ZERO EMISSION VEHICLE PROGRAM
- ELECTRIC MOTORCYCLE LICENSE FEE
- CHARGING STATION OPEN ACCESS
- CLEAN FUEL SALES TAX EXEMPTION
- BUILDING CODES
- EMPLOYER EV INCENTIVES
Washington State Electric Vehicle Action Plan 2015-2020 (.PDF)
