The bill amends RCW 19.118.110 to raise the arbitration fee for the new motor vehicle arbitration account from three dollars to six dollars and defines the "arbitration fee" as six dollars. The six-dollar fee is to be collected by the new motor vehicle dealer or vehicle lessor from the consumer when a retail sale or lease agreement is executed for a vehicle that will be registered in Washington. The fee must be forwarded to the Department of Licensing at the time of title application and deposited in the new motor vehicle arbitration account in the state treasury. Moneys in the account are to be used for the purposes of the chapter, subject to appropriation. The Attorney General is required to prepare an annual report at the end of each fiscal year listing revenue generated and expenses incurred in implementing and operating the arbitration program. The amendment removes prior provisions that authorized transfers from the account during the 1995–97 and 2017–19 fiscal biennia. Affected parties include the Department of Licensing, the Attorney General, new motor vehicle dealers and vehicle lessors, consumers buying or leasing new vehicles to be registered in Washington, and the state treasury account. Bill metadata: Senate Bill 5832, 69th Legislature, 2026 Regular Session; prefiled 12/04/25; read first time 01/12/26; referred to Committee on Ways & Means; sponsors Senators Riccelli, Stanford, and Nobles, by request of the Attorney General. The extracted text does not include the full chapter context, does not make clear whether the account is newly created or preexisting, and does not state an effective date or other sections that may be part of the bill.

If enacted, the bill doubles the arbitration fee collected on new vehicle retail sales or leases that will be registered in Washington from $3 to $6. That means consumers will pay an extra $3 charge at the time they sign the sale or lease, new motor vehicle dealers and lessors must collect that $6 fee and forward it to the Department of Licensing when the buyer applies for title, and the money will be deposited into the new motor vehicle arbitration account to fund the arbitration program subject to legislative appropriation. The Attorney General must also publish an annual report showing the account’s revenue and expenses. The groups most affected are consumers (who bear the higher fee), dealers and lessors (who are responsible for collection and remittance), the Department of Licensing (which receives and deposits the fees), and the Attorney General (which must report annually). The bill increases potential revenue for the arbitration program but does not itself specify how funds will be spent beyond “subject to appropriation,” and the text provided does not give an effective date, the broader chapter details, or current account balances, so the timing and full budget impact are unclear.