This bill amends existing Washington law (RCW 46.12.600 and RCW 11.125.050) to add new procedural reporting duties and to change document and signature rules for transfers of destroyed or total-loss vehicles. Registered or legal owners must report a titled or registered vehicle that is destroyed to the department (not identified in the excerpt) within 15 days and submit the certificate of title or an affidavit in lieu of title marked "DESTROYED" showing owner, address, and date of destruction. Insurers or self-insurers must report destruction or total-loss settlements of titled or registered vehicles to the department within 15 days after settlement and may report by: electronic filing through the department's online system (with immediate destruction of ownership documents after filing), submitting the title or affidavit marked "DESTROYED" with insurer information, or using a department total loss claim settlement form. The bill creates a new criminal penalty tied to the reporting duty: it makes it a gross misdemeanor for a person who fails to notify the department and remains in possession of the destroyed vehicle's certificate of title beginning on the 16th day after destruction and for each day thereafter. It also changes procedures for documentary transfers by stating that supporting documents used to transfer ownership to an insurer after payment of damages do not require notarization, may be signed electronically, and may be printed; this expressly includes a limited power of attorney under RCW 11.125.050(4), and the amended RCW 11.125.050 adds signing, acknowledgement, and witness procedures and a presumption of genuineness when acknowledged before a notary or authorized person. The bill establishes a market value threshold for reporting statements about older destroyed or total-loss vehicles: $6,790 in the statute, applicable to vehicles six years old or older (vehicle age = current calendar year minus model year), and requires the reporter to state whether the vehicle's fair market value immediately before destruction met or exceeded that threshold. The department is directed to increase the threshold based on the west-region consumer price index for "used cars and trucks" when that index shows an annual average increase, applying the same percentage increase effective July 1 following the year with the CPI increase, rounding to the nearest $10, not applying increases under $50, and carrying forward unmade increases until cumulative increases reach at least $50. The excerpt does not identify which state department is meant, does not show the full existing statute texts or any implementing department rules, and other sections of the bill (if any) are not included.

If enacted, owners who wreck or permanently destroy a titled vehicle will almost certainly be forced to act quickly: they will need to report the destruction and turn in the title or an affidavit marked “DESTROYED” within 15 days or face criminal exposure for keeping the title, which will push more destroyed vehicles out of private possession and into insurer or state control. Insurers will have to report total-losses within 15 days of settling a claim no matter where the loss happened, but can use electronic filing and avoid notarization for transfer documents; that should speed claim closings and reduce notary and paper-handling costs for insurers while creating an upfront need to change their workflows and destroy ownership documents after e-filing. The state agency designated to receive the reports will need to create new forms, accept electronic signatures, and run a rule process to keep a $6,790 market-value cutoff updated by a used-car CPI index, which means ongoing administrative work and possible resource needs. The practical gaps are significant: the excerpts don’t identify which state department will carry out these duties or show the exact forms and electronic procedures, so the timing and specific steps for owners and insurers to comply remain unclear.