The bill amends RCW 82.86.020 to establish or modify a statewide 988 behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention line tax on three types of telecommunications units: radio access lines, interconnected voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service lines, and switched access lines. The tax is uniform per line or per retail transaction, is levied only up to the number of lines on an account that are capable of simultaneous unrestricted outward calling to the public switched telephone network, and retail transactions are sourced at the location set by RCW 82.32.520(3)(c). This is a fiscal and procedural change to state tax law specifying a new or revised surcharge and how it is applied and collected. The bill sets a per-line tax rate schedule of $0.24 per line from October 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022, $0.40 per line from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2025, and $0.70 per line beginning January 1, 2026. It requires radio communications service providers (including resellers) and sellers of prepaid wireless service to remit the radio access line tax, interconnected VoIP service providers to remit the VoIP tax, and local exchange companies to remit the switched access line tax, each on a tax return provided by the unnamed “department.” Collected proceeds must be deposited by the state treasurer into the statewide 988 behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention line account created in RCW 82.86.050. The bill is House Bill 1581 (69th Legislature, 2025 Regular Session), was read first on 01/24/25 and referred to the Committee on Finance, and includes new sections with legislative findings and amendment text. The specific department to receive tax returns is not identified in the provided text, the prior version of RCW 82.86.020 is not shown for comparison, and the bill text here does not define terms such as “radio access line,” “place of primary use,” “interconnected VoIP service line,” or “switched access line.”

If enacted, the bill imposes a uniform per-line fee on radio access lines, interconnected VoIP lines, and switched access lines that service providers and sellers must collect and remit to the state, with receipts deposited into the statewide 988 behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention account. The fee schedule rises over time ($.24 per line for Oct 1, 2021–Dec 31, 2022; $.40 per line for Jan 1, 2023–Dec 31, 2025; and $.70 per line beginning Jan 1, 2026), applies only up to the number of lines capable of simultaneous unrestricted outward calls, and for radio lines is charged monthly to subscribers whose primary use is in Washington or per retail transaction for prepaid sales sourced to the state. Radio communications companies (including resellers), sellers of prepaid wireless, interconnected VoIP providers, and local exchange carriers will be most affected because they must add collection and remittance responsibilities and will likely incur administrative and compliance costs that they may pass on to customers. The treasurer will route the money into the 988 account, so funding for statewide crisis and suicide-prevention services would likely increase, but the bill text here does not name which state department will administer remittance or explain how the 988 account funds may be used, leaving some key implementation details uncertain.