This bill amends RCW 47.66.140 to establish a "transit support grant program" administered by "the department" (the bill text provided does not identify which department). The program provides financial support to transit agencies for operating and capital expenses only, requires grant distributions to be prorated based on operating expenditures reported in the most recent "Summary of Public Transportation" report, caps any single agency at 35 percent of distributions, and bars using fuel type as a selection factor. To be eligible, a transit agency (as defined by reference to several transit-related RCWs) must adopt at minimum a zero-fare policy that allows passengers 18 and younger and students enrolled in degreeor certificate-seeking programs at community or technical colleges (per RCW 28B.50.030) to ride free on all modes. Grantees must report the number of trips taken under the policy for inclusion in the Summary of Public Transportation report. The bill directs agencies, to the extent practicable, to align implementation with equity and environmental justice principles consistent with recommendations from an environmental justice council and to ensure low-barrier accessibility. The bill also conditions eligibility on maintaining or increasing local sales tax authority on or after January 1, 2022, prohibits delaying or suspending collection of voter-approved sales taxes approved on or before January 1, 2022, and sets a deadline of October 1, 2022, for agencies to submit zero-fare policy documentation to be eligible for the 2023–2025 biennium (late submissions become eligible for the next biennial distribution). The text provided does not specify which department administers the program, the makeup or authority of the environmental justice council, details or methodology of the Summary of Public Transportation report, total funding amounts, detailed allocation mechanics beyond prorating and the 35% cap, or application and administrative procedures; it appears to amend only RCW 47.66.140 as shown.

If enacted, the bill creates a state grant program that will pay for transit operating and capital costs only for agencies that adopt a zero-fare policy for riders 18 and under and for students enrolled in community or technical college programs. Transit agencies must keep or increase their local sales tax authority from January 1, 2022 onward and may not pause voter-approved taxes from that date to qualify; grant dollars will be split among agencies based on how much they spent on operations in the state’s most recent public transit report, with no single agency getting more than 35 percent. Agencies will need to document the zero-fare policy by October 1, 2022 to be eligible for the 2023–25 distribution (later submissions wait until the next biennium), report trip counts under the program, and are encouraged to implement the policy in ways consistent with environmental justice recommendations and low-barrier access; fuel type cannot be used in selecting grantees. Public transit agencies as defined in the bill are most affected: they may gain new state funding but must change fare rules for youth and certain students, maintain local tax authority, and take on reporting and implementation duties that could reduce some fare revenue for those rider groups. Passengers 18 and younger and qualifying community or technical college students would likely gain free rides across all modes. Key details are missing that affect how this will work in practice: the bill text here does not name the administering department, does not state total funding available or application procedures, and does not describe the public transportation report’s methodology, so the exact distribution and administrative costs or risks remain unclear.