This bill adds a new program to chapter 46.55 RCW and amends existing tow-and-impound law (including RCW 46.55.115 and 46.55.120). It directs an unspecified "department" to create and administer a program to compensate registered tow truck operators for private-property or law-enforcement-directed impounds when the vehicle owner is indigent, except for impounds that follow an arrest. The bill creates a required two-part self-certified form (part completed by the person seeking release and part by the registered tow truck operator), requires tow operators to provide notice and the form to persons seeking redemption, and provides that a registered tow operator who releases a vehicle under the program has no lien or deficiency claim on the released vehicle. The bill makes multiple procedural and rulemaking changes: the department must adopt rules after stakeholder consultation establishing maximum reimbursement rates, convene a stakeholder work group every two years (first meeting within 12 months of rule adoption), disburse excess funds from RCW 46.55.130(2)(h) to reimburse eligible registered tow operators subject to available funds (with a waitlist if applications exceed funds), and file an annual report to legislative committees by October 1 with specified program data. It also updates impound and redemption procedures generally (holds up to 60 days, 90 days for repeat offenders), sets security-deposit rules for suspended license impounds (deposit up to one-half the daily storage rate, payable within five days and credited against the bill), clarifies acceptable methods of tender, allows redemption by completing the section 1 form in lieu of payment before auction, and preserves auction timing and sale procedures (abandoned vehicles not redeemed within 15 days after mailing required notice may be sold). The bill clarifies hearing and court procedures for persons contesting impounds or charges (written hearing request timelines, court notification requirements, jurisdiction, evidentiary rules, and judgment enforcement), and addresses civil liability and remedies (including liability for a person who stops payment or defrauds a towing firm—damages equal to twice the fees plus costs and attorney fees—and awards of attorney fees if judgments are not paid within specified time). It also includes various protections for tow operators, dealers, and lenders who act in good faith on impound orders and modifies redemption rights for dealers, lenders, and rental companies. Important gaps in the extracted text: the bill does not identify which "department" will administer the program, does not define the term "indigent," does not include the exact statutory number for the new section, and the provided chunks omit some amendment text and the full contents of the required form and certain calculation or funding-detail provisions. The act’s effective date is specified as February 1, 2026.

If enacted, the bill creates a new state program that lets registered tow truck operators seek reimbursement from the state for private-property or law-enforcement impounds when the vehicle owner is indigent (but not when the impound follows the owner's arrest). Tow operators must use a two-part, self-certified form, include program information in owner notices, and give up any lien or deficiency claim if they release a vehicle under the program. The department named in the bill must set rules on maximum reimbursement rates, run the application and payment process using excess funds from a specified towing fund (subject to availability), keep a waitlist if requests exceed money, and file annual reports; in practice this creates a possible new revenue stream for tow operators but also new paperwork, reporting duties, and the risk that payments may be delayed or denied if funds are insufficient. The bill also changes impound and redemption rules: vehicles can be held longer (up to 60 days, or 90 days for repeat offenders), suspended-license impounds may require a partial security deposit, rental companies and secured lenders can redeem immediately by paying costs, and owners may redeem before auction either by paying fees or by completing the new form. Who is most affected are registered tow truck operators (new administrative tasks, a conditional reimbursement option, and limits on collection if they release vehicles), vehicle owners who may qualify as indigent (a new path to get vehicles back without paying full fees), and the unnamed department and courts (new rulemaking, stakeholder meetings, administration and hearing duties). Important details are missing from the provided text—most notably which agency is "the department," how "indigent" is defined, exact funding amounts and how "excess funds" are calculated, and the final form content—so practical outcomes will depend on those unresolved details; the act would take effect February 1, 2026.