This bill creates a new Mount St. Helens special license plate series and adds a definition to chapter 46.04 RCW defining a "Mount St. Helens license plate" as a special plate issued under RCW 46.18.200 that displays an image of Mount St. Helens. It reenacts and amends RCW 46.18.200, 46.17.220, and 46.68.420 to add the plate to the department’s approved list and to establish issuance rules: the Department of Licensing must approve artwork, may issue plates in lieu of standard or personalized plates (with some vehicle exclusions under chapter 46.87 RCW), may deduct up to $12 on initial issue and $2 on renewal for administration, and sets the Mount St. Helens initial fee at $40 and renewal fee at $30 with proceeds remitted to the State Treasurer and credited to the Mount St. Helens Institute. The bill also amends allocation and administrative procedures for many special plate accounts. It requires proceeds be disbursed under the conditions in subsection (2) and under contract with qualified nonprofit organizations (501(c)(3) entities meeting RCW 46.18.100(1)), makes the accounts subject to state allotment procedures in chapter 43.88 RCW, and authorizes the director or the director’s designee to approve expenditures. Specific allocation rules or limits are included for several plates (for example, Mariners and Seahawks accounts may fund state leadership board programs with minimum percentages directed to fellowships or direct services; Sounders FC proceeds include an up-to-30% cap to the leadership board not to exceed $40,000 annually; the Seattle Storm account directs $25,000 per year to the legislative youth advisory council). The department must withhold issuance of the Seattle NHL hockey plate until required signature sheets under RCW 46.18.110(2)(f) are received. The act takes effect November 1, 2025. The bill modifies eligibility, issuance, and surrender procedures for firefighter-related plates: professional firefighter and paramedic applicants must provide a certificate of current membership from the Washington State Council of Firefighters; volunteer firefighter plates require at least ten years’ service (or one or more years with district documentation), may be surrendered if the volunteer leaves before ten years, may be retained after ten years of service, are limited to one set per vehicle and two sets per applicant, and must be surrendered upon conviction of the offense in RCW 46.61.502 or a felony. Important contextual material is missing from the provided text: the new section text added to chapter 46.04 RCW is not included in full here, subsection (2) that describes account details is not provided, portions of the account distribution table are truncated (including the Patches pal row), and some program descriptions appear incomplete.

If enacted, the bill creates a Mount St. Helens specialty license plate available starting November 1, 2025; vehicle owners may choose it in place of standard or personalized plates by paying an initial $40 and a $30 renewal fee. The Department of Licensing will approve the plate artwork, issue the plates (except for apportioned vehicles), deduct up to $12 from the initial fee and $2 from renewals for administration, and remit the remainder through the state accounts to the named beneficiary, the Mount St. Helens Institute, under the state’s special plate distribution rules. The people most affected are drivers who want the Mount St. Helens plate (they will pay higher fees), the Mount St. Helens Institute (which will gain a new restricted revenue stream), and the Department of Licensing (which will take on approval, issuance, fee collection, and contracting duties but may recoup some costs). The exact share the institute receives and any detailed spending conditions are unclear from the extracted text because parts of the distribution table and some implementation details are missing.