This bill creates a new Washington state commercial truck safety and education council housed within the Washington traffic safety commission, establishes a new commercial truck safety and education account in the state treasury, and amends RCW 46.17.315 to increase the commercial vehicle safety enforcement fee from $16 to $32. The council is given specific membership appointments, must meet at least quarterly, adopt a charter, initially convene no later than the third Monday in January 2027, and report annually to the legislature’s transportation committees beginning December 31, 2027. The council may recommend programs and projects, seek payment authorization from the new account, coordinate with industry, recommend procurements, grants, and allow the commission to apply for and accept grants or contributions. Non-public-employee members may receive compensation and travel reimbursement as provided in existing RCWs. On the fee and account side, the department of licensing (and county auditors or their agents/subagents) must collect a $32 commercial vehicle safety enforcement fee before accepting certain Washington base plate applications; the fee is apportioned for IRP vehicles, does not apply to trailers, and is not refundable when a vehicle is no longer subject to the cited inspection statute. The department may deduct administrative costs, and remaining fee receipts are deposited equally to the state patrol highway account of the motor vehicle fund and the new commercial truck safety and education account. Expenditures from the new account are limited to council-recommended activities and related administrative costs and may be authorized only by the director of the Washington traffic safety commission or the director’s designee; the account is subject to allotment procedures but does not require an appropriation for expenditures. The bill therefore creates new governance and funding mechanisms (new law and a new account), modifies an existing statute by raising and reallocating an existing fee, and establishes procedural requirements for meetings, reporting, and expenditure authorization. The text provided does not include an effective date for the act, the full existing language of RCW 46.17.315 beyond the amendments shown, or the full texts of the other cited statutes, so those details are not available here.

If enacted, the bill would double a commercial vehicle safety enforcement fee to $32 for certain Washington-plated commercial vehicles, creating an immediate extra cost for owners and operators who apply for those base plates; the fee is nonrefundable if a vehicle later stops being subject to required inspections. After administrative deductions, the money would be split evenly between the state patrol highway account and a new commercial truck safety and education account overseen by the Washington traffic safety commission, which would be able to spend those funds on council-recommended safety and education programs with expenditure authority held by the commission director or a designee. The Washington traffic safety commission would host and staff a new advisory council made up of state agencies, trucking industry and labor representatives, and education/workforce entities that must meet quarterly beginning by January 2027 and report annually to the Legislature starting December 31, 2027; the Department of Licensing and county auditors would collect the higher fee and absorb related administrative tasks, the state patrol would receive additional dedicated funding, and industry groups and colleges could see new grant or contracting opportunities. Important implementation details are not provided here, including the bill’s effective date and the exact vehicle scope and IRP apportionment rules referenced in other statutes, so timing and which vehicles are covered remain unclear.