This bill amends RCW 46.17.365 to modify motor vehicle registration fees and how those fees are distributed. It requires applicants who pay certain vehicle license fees to also pay a motor vehicle weight fee in addition to other fees and taxes. For registrations due before July 1, 2016, the fee must be based on motor vehicle scale weight and calculated as the difference between Schedule B (RCW 46.17.355) and the vehicle license fee (RCW 46.17.350) plus $2, with distribution under RCW 46.68.415. For registrations due on or after July 1, 2016, the fee is set by a weight/type table (motorcycle $15; 4,000 lb $25; 6,000 lb $45; 8,000 lb $65; 16,000 lb and over $72), with any nonlisted weight increased to the next highest bracket; those fees are distributed under RCW 46.68.415 unless specified agency actions occur before July 1, 2023, in which case the revenue attributable to the fee increase is to be distributed to the Connecting Washington account (RCW 46.68.395). Motor homes pay a fixed $75 motor home vehicle weight fee instead of the subsection (1) fee. Beginning July 1, 2022, the bill also imposes an additional $10 weight fee to be deposited to the Multimodal Transportation Account (RCW 47.66.070) unless the same pre-2023 triggering agency actions occur, redirecting the increased revenue to the Connecting Washington account. The bill conditions certain fee revenue distributions on two specific triggers: (1) any state agency files a notice of rule making under chapter 34.05 RCW for a fuel standard based on carbon intensity (including low carbon or clean fuel standards) without explicit legislative authorization enacted after July 1, 2015, or (2) any state agency otherwise enacts, adopts, orders, or implements such a fuel standard without that authorization. The amendment also states that nothing in the subsection creates or acknowledges legal authority for the Department of Ecology or any state agency to enact such fuel standards. The department (implied Department of Licensing) must rely on manufacturer-provided empty scale weights or other department-defined sources to determine vehicle weight and adopt rules for vehicles without manufacturer weights. This is a modification of existing law (an amendment to RCW 46.17.365) that creates new fee amounts and a new conditional rule for distributing additional revenue, and that imposes procedural rulemaking duties on the licensing department. Important details are missing from the provided text: the bill references Schedule B and specific vehicle license fee provisions but does not include those underlying amounts or definitions; terms such as "motor vehicle scale weight," "motor home," and the exact method for calculating the "portion of the revenue that is the result of the fee increased in this subsection" are not defined here. The bill was read for the first time on 01/16/25 and referred to the Committee on Transportation.

If enacted, people registering vehicles in the specified license categories will pay an extra weight-based fee on top of existing registration charges: fixed amounts for motorcycles and for several weight brackets, a $75 flat weight fee for motor homes instead of the scale-based fee, and an additional $10 charge starting July 1, 2022. The Department of Licensing and county auditors will collect these fees, using manufacturer empty weights when available and adopting rules for vehicles without such weights. Revenue will generally flow to existing transportation accounts under current law, but the new fees (or the portion attributable to the fee increase) would instead be sent to the Connecting Washington account if a state agency moves to adopt a fuel standard based on carbon intensity without explicit legislative authorization before July 1, 2023; otherwise the extra $10 goes to the Multimodal Transportation Account. The most affected parties are vehicle owners in the listed fee categories, who will face higher registration costs based on vehicle weight or type, and state transportation funding recipients, which will receive new revenue streams that could shift between the Multimodal account and the Connecting Washington account depending on agency action before July 1, 2023. The Department of Licensing will have added rulemaking and weight-verification responsibilities. Key details are missing here — the exact license fee categories and base amounts from the referenced RCWs, precise definitions of “motor vehicle scale weight” and “motor home,” and how the “portion of the revenue” from the fee increase is calculated — so some implementation and distribution questions remain uncertain.