This bill amends existing law (RCW 82.45.180) to increase the real estate excise tax (REET) transaction fee and to change collection, allocation, and remittance procedures. Beginning on the act’s effective date, the county treasurer must collect an additional $20 fee on all transactions governed by chapter 82.45 RCW, regardless of whether tax is due, while continuing to collect a $5 fee on transactions that do not require payment of tax. The Department of Revenue will adjust the fee for growth in the consumer price index for shelter (as defined in RCW 82.45.060); if that growth is less than or equal to 0% the fee stays the same. Adjusted fees are rounded to the nearest ten cents, the department must publish an updated fee by September 1, 2029 and every fourth year thereafter, and the updated fee takes effect January 1, 2030 and every fourth year thereafter. The bill creates new dedicated accounts and changes how proceeds are split and handled. Upon receipt of the $20 fee, county treasurers must deposit 65% into a newly created county assessor administrative assistance fund and 35% into a newly created county treasurer administrative assistance fund; each fund may be used only for statutory obligations of the respective office and expenditures may be authorized only by that official, without requiring a county legislative appropriation or budget. The state treasurer will deposit state-collected REET proceeds into the general fund and local taxes into a local real estate excise tax account for distribution without appropriation; the act also creates a state real estate and property tax administration assistance account held by the state treasurer that is not subject to allotment and does not require an appropriation for expenditures. The county treasurer must also place 1.3% of the taxes collected under the chapter and the treasurer’s fee into the county current expense fund to defray collection costs. The bill imposes new procedural timing and reporting requirements. County treasurers must deliver the month’s transmittal so it is received by the state treasurer by 12:00 p.m. on the last working day of each month and must account to the Department of Revenue for the month’s transmittal by the 20th day of the following month. The state treasurer must distribute monies placed in the real estate and property tax administration assistance account to counties by the 20th day of the subsequent month. The act takes effect September 1, 2025. Some internal cross-references, historical provisions, and the exact statutory definition of the referenced consumer price index for shelter are not included in the provided text, so those details and interactions with other statutes cannot be fully determined from these excerpts.

Starting September 1, 2025, every real estate excise transaction subject to chapter 82.45 RCW will carry an additional $20 transaction fee, collected by county treasurers and allocated 65% to a new county assessor administrative assistance fund and 35% to a new county treasurer administrative assistance fund for each county; those funds can be spent only on the respective office’s statutory duties and do not require county legislative appropriation. The fee will be reviewed and adjusted for growth in the consumer price index for shelter on a four‑year cycle (publication by Sept. 1, 2029, with changes effective Jan. 1, 2030, and every fourth year thereafter), rounded to the nearest 10 cents; treasurers must continue collecting a $5 fee on non‑taxable transactions, place 1.3% of taxes and treasurer fees into the county current expense fund to defray collection costs, and meet new monthly remittance and accounting deadlines to the state treasurer and Department of Revenue. County assessors and county treasurers are the main beneficiaries and most affected: they will likely see increased and dedicated revenue for their statutory work and gain authority to authorize spending from those new funds without going through county budgets, but they also take on added custody, accounting, and strict monthly remittance responsibilities that create administrative work and compliance risk. The Department of Revenue and state treasurer must publish adjusted fees and handle deposits and distributions, and counties, cities, and towns receiving local REET distributions continue to receive monthly allocations; however, some cross‑references and definitions in the extracted text are unclear, so a few implementation details and how counties should change existing practices are not fully specified here.