This bill creates a new Washington law called the "electric vehicle battery management act" by adding a new chapter to Title 70A RCW and by amending and reenacting specified RCWs (including RCW 70A.205.505, 70A.555.010, and portions of RCW 43.21B.110 and 43.21B.300). It establishes producer responsibility for end-of-life management of propulsion batteries used to power electric or hybrid vehicles: a "battery provider" (with a hierarchical definition that can include manufacturers, brand owners, importers, or first sellers) is generally the responsible entity unless a secondary handler or secondary user remanufactures or repurposes the battery, in which case that modifier becomes responsible. The chapter sets registration and reporting duties (battery providers, specialized battery recyclers, secondary handlers and users must register and file annual reports by specified dates), requires battery state-of-health and related data access for reuse/repurposing, and requires coordination with specialized battery recyclers for end-of-life management. The bill imposes procedural and operational rules rather than creating a new criminal offense. It prohibits solid waste collection companies and solid waste handling facilities from knowingly accepting propulsion batteries (including modules, cells, or loads/containers containing them) beginning June 1, 2029, and directs parties taking possession of used batteries to follow a management hierarchy prioritizing reuse, remanufacture, or repurpose before recycling. The department of ecology (referred to as "the department") must adopt implementation rules by December 31, 2028 (with chapter requirements to begin January 1, 2029 unless otherwise specified), approve plans for orphaned batteries, collect fees, and oversee registrations. Specialized battery recyclers must meet phased material recovery efficiency targets (e.g., specified minimum recovery percentages for cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel by Dec. 31, 2029 and higher targets by Dec. 31, 2031). Consumers may not be charged a specific point-of-sale fee for battery management and no fee may be charged when a battery is delivered for management. The bill creates an electric vehicle battery recycling account in the state treasury for fee receipts, authorizes the department to expend those funds for implementation, and establishes administrative enforcement including written warnings, compliance orders, and civil penalties (administratively up to $1,000 per violation per day and up to $10,000 per violation per day for repeated violations or failures to comply with orders). Penalties may be appealed to the pollution control hearings board and penalty payments are to be deposited into the model toxics control operating account or other specified state accounts as applicable. Important text is missing or incomplete in the provided extracts (including portions of reporting requirements, section 6(8) plans for batteries without a responsible entity, fee amounts and some fee timing provisions, and truncated subsections referenced in Sec. 11), so some procedural and numeric details cannot be confirmed from the available material.

If enacted, the bill will shift the practical costs and duties for end‑of‑life electric vehicle propulsion batteries onto the battery providers (manufacturers, brand owners, importers, or sellers) and create clear obligations for anyone who handles used batteries. Battery providers must register early (by Jan 1, 2026), pay a one‑time start‑up charge and ongoing registration fees, make battery condition and diagnostic data available to reuse/remanufacture businesses, accept and pay for collection and transport when notified, file annual plans and reports, and coordinate with qualified recyclers; specialized recyclers must register and meet rising material recovery efficiency targets by 2029 and 2031. At the same time, solid waste facilities and collection companies must refuse batteries starting June 1, 2029, and secondary handlers and users (including auto recyclers) must label, notify responsible parties, follow a reuse-first hierarchy, coordinate with specialized recyclers, and report annually starting in 2029. The groups most affected are battery providers (who will absorb new administrative, collection, transport, reporting, and recycling costs and face department fees), specialized recyclers (who may need process upgrades to meet recovery targets), secondary handlers/users and auto recyclers (who take on labeling, notification, and interim handling duties), and solid waste operators (who lose the option to accept these batteries). The Department of Ecology will set rules, collect fees into a dedicated account, and can impose civil penalties (up to $1,000 per violation per day, and up to $10,000 per day for repeated failures); some specifics—exact fee amounts, full annual report fields, and the department‑approved plan for orphaned batteries—are not visible in the provided text and remain uncertain.