| State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2014 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/31/14. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
AN ACT Relating to Washington state tree special license plates; amending RCW 46.18.200, 46.17.220, and 46.68.420; reenacting and amending RCW 46.18.060; adding a new section to chapter 46.04 RCW; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 46.18.200 and 2013 c 286 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Special license plate series reviewed and approved by the
department:
(a) May be issued in lieu of standard issue or personalized license
plates for vehicles required to display one and two license plates
unless otherwise specified;
(b) Must be issued under terms and conditions established by the
department;
(c) Must not be issued for vehicles registered under chapter 46.87
RCW; and
(d) Must display a symbol or artwork approved by the department.
(2) The department approves and shall issue the following special
license plates:
| LICENSE PLATE | DESCRIPTION, SYMBOL, OR ARTWORK |
| 4-H | Displays the "4-H" logo. |
| Armed forces collection | Recognizes the contribution of veterans, active duty military personnel, reservists, and members of the national guard, and includes six separate designs, each containing a symbol representing a different branch of the armed forces to include army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, and national guard. |
| Endangered wildlife | Displays a symbol or artwork symbolizing endangered wildlife in Washington state. |
| Gonzaga University alumni association | Recognizes the Gonzaga University alumni association. |
| Helping kids speak | Recognizes an organization that supports programs that provide no-cost speech pathology programs to children. |
| Keep kids safe | Recognizes efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect. |
| Law enforcement memorial | Honors law enforcement officers in Washington killed in the line of duty. |
| Music matters | Displays the "Music Matters" logo. |
| Professional firefighters and paramedics | Recognizes professional firefighters and paramedics who are members of the Washington state council of firefighters. |
| Seattle Seahawks | Displays the "Seattle Seahawks" logo. |
| Seattle Sounders FC | Displays the "Seattle Sounders FC" logo. |
| Share the road | Recognizes an organization that promotes bicycle safety and awareness education. |
| Ski & ride Washington | Recognizes the Washington snowsports industry. |
| State flower | Recognizes the Washington state flower. |
| State tree | Recognizes the Washington state tree. |
| Volunteer firefighters | Recognizes volunteer firefighters. |
| Washington lighthouses | Recognizes an organization that supports selected Washington state lighthouses and provides environmental education programs. |
| Washington state parks | Recognizes Washington state parks as premier destinations of uncommon quality that preserve significant natural, cultural, historical, and recreational resources. |
| Washington's national park fund | Builds awareness of Washington's national parks and supports priority park programs and projects in Washington's national parks, such as enhancing visitor experience, promoting volunteerism, engaging communities, and providing educational opportunities related to Washington's national parks. |
| Washington's wildlife collection | Recognizes Washington's wildlife. |
| We love our pets | Recognizes an organization that assists local member agencies of the federation of animal welfare and control agencies to promote and perform spay/neuter surgery on Washington state pets to reduce pet overpopulation. |
| Wild on Washington | Symbolizes wildlife viewing in Washington state. |
Sec. 2 RCW 46.17.220 and 2013 c 286 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) In addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon
application for a vehicle registration in chapter 46.16A RCW, the
holder of a special license plate shall pay the appropriate special
license plate fee as listed in this section.
| PLATE TYPE | INITIAL FEE | RENEWAL FEE | DISTRIBUTED UNDER |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 5.00 | N/A | RCW 46.68.070 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.425 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | Subsection (2) of this section | |
| $ 35.00 | N/A | RCW 46.68.030 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.430 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.425 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 35.00 | N/A | RCW 46.68.030 | |
| $ 45.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.425 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 5.00 | N/A | RCW 46.68.070 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 25.00 | N/A | RCW 46.68.030 | |
| (q) Seattle Seahawks | $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 |
| (r) Seattle Sounders FC | $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | N/A | RCW 46.68.070 | |
| (v) State flower | $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 |
| (w) State tree | $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.425 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.425 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.420 | |
| $ 40.00 | $ 30.00 | RCW 46.68.425 |
Sec. 3 RCW 46.68.420 and 2013 c 286 s 3 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The department shall:
(a) Collect special license plate fees established under RCW
46.17.220;
(b) Deduct an amount not to exceed twelve dollars for initial issue
and two dollars for renewal issue for administration and collection
expenses incurred by it; and
(c) Remit the remaining proceeds to the custody of the state
treasurer with a proper identifying detailed report.
(2) The state treasurer shall credit the proceeds to the motor
vehicle account until the department determines that the state has been
reimbursed for the cost of implementing the special license plate.
Upon determination by the department that the state has been
reimbursed, the state treasurer shall credit the remaining special
license plate fee amounts for each special license plate to the
following appropriate account as created in this section in the custody
of the state treasurer:
| ACCOUNT | CONDITIONS FOR USE OF FUNDS |
| 4-H programs | Support Washington 4-H programs |
| Gonzaga University alumni association | Scholarship funds to needy and qualified students attending or planning to attend Gonzaga University |
| Helping kids speak | Provide free diagnostic and therapeutic services to families of children who suffer from a delay in language or speech development |
| Law enforcement memorial | Provide support and assistance to survivors and families of law enforcement officers in Washington killed in the line of duty and to organize, finance, fund, construct, utilize, and maintain a memorial on the state capitol grounds to honor those fallen officers |
| Lighthouse environmental programs | Support selected Washington state lighthouses that are accessible to the public and staffed by volunteers; provide environmental education programs; provide grants for other Washington lighthouses to assist in funding infrastructure preservation and restoration; encourage and support interpretive programs by lighthouse docents |
| Music matters awareness | Promote music education in schools throughout Washington |
| Seattle Seahawks | Provide funds to InvestED to encourage secondary students who have economic needs to stay in school, return to school, or get involved within their learning community |
| Seattle Sounders FC | Provide funds to Washington state mentors and the association of Washington generals created in RCW 43.15.030 in the following manner: (a) Seventy percent and the remaining proceeds, if any, to Washington state mentors, to increase the number of mentors in the state by offering mentoring grants throughout Washington state that foster positive youth development and academic success, with up to twenty percent of these proceeds authorized for program administration costs; and (b) up to thirty percent, not to exceed forty-thousand dollars annually as adjusted for inflation by the office of financial management, to the association of Washington generals, to develop Washington state educational, veterans, international relations, and civics projects and to recognize the outstanding public service of individuals or groups in the state of Washington |
| Share the road | Promote bicycle safety and awareness education in communities throughout Washington |
| Ski & ride Washington | Promote winter snowsports, such as skiing and snowboarding, and related programs, such as ski and ride safety programs, underprivileged youth ski and ride programs, and active, healthy lifestyle programs |
| State flower | Support meerkerk rhododendron gardens and provide for grants to other qualified nonprofit organizations' efforts to preserve rhododendrons |
| State tree | Provide funds to support the Washington park arboretum and John A. Finch arboretum in the following manner: (a) Eighty-five percent of the proceeds to the arboretum foundation to support the University of Washington botanic gardens' environmental education programs for children at the Washington park arboretum and to the University of Washington botanic gardens and the city of Seattle for maintenance of the Washington park arboretum; and (b) fifteen percent of the proceeds to the city of Spokane for maintenance of the John A. Finch arboretum |
| Volunteer firefighters | Receive and disseminate funds for purposes on behalf of volunteer firefighters, their families, and others deemed in need |
| Washington state council of firefighters benevolent fund | Receive and disseminate funds for charitable purposes on behalf of members of the Washington state council of firefighters, their families, and others deemed in need |
| Washington's national park fund | Build awareness of Washington's national parks and support priority park programs and projects in Washington's national parks, such as enhancing visitor experience, promoting volunteerism, engaging communities, and providing educational opportunities related to Washington's national parks |
| We love our pets | Support and enable the Washington federation of animal welfare and control agencies to promote and perform spay/neuter surgery of Washington state pets in order to reduce pet population |
Sec. 4 RCW 46.18.060 and 2013 c 306 s 703 and 2013 c 286 s 5 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) The department must review and either approve or reject special
license plate applications submitted by sponsoring organizations.
(2) Duties of the department include, but are not limited to, the
following:
(a) Review and approve the annual financial reports submitted by
sponsoring organizations with active special license plate series and
present those annual financial reports to the joint transportation
committee;
(b) Report annually to the joint transportation committee on the
special license plate applications that were considered by the
department;
(c) Issue approval and rejection notification letters to sponsoring
organizations, the executive committee of the joint transportation
committee, and the legislative sponsors identified in each application.
The letters must be issued within seven days of making a determination
on the status of an application; and
(d) Review annually the number of plates sold for each special
license plate series created after January 1, 2003. The department may
submit a recommendation to discontinue a special plate series to the
executive committee of the joint transportation committee.
(3) In order to assess the effects and impact of the proliferation
of special license plates, the legislature declares a temporary
moratorium on the issuance of any additional plates until July 1, 2015.
During this period of time, the department is prohibited from
accepting, reviewing, processing, or approving any applications.
Additionally, a special license plate may not be enacted by the
legislature during the moratorium, unless the proposed license plate
has been approved by the former special license plate review board
before February 15, 2005.
(4) The limitations under subsection (3) of this section do not
apply to the following special license plates:
(a) 4-H license plates created under RCW 46.18.200;
(b) Gold star license plates created under RCW 46.18.245;
(c) Music Matters license plates created under RCW 46.18.200;
(d) Seattle Seahawks license plates created under RCW 46.18.200;
(e) Seattle Sounders FC license plates created under RCW 46.18.200;
(f) State flower license plates created under RCW 46.18.200;
(g) State tree license plates created under RCW 46.18.200;
(h) Volunteer firefighter license plates created under RCW
46.18.200.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 A new section is added to chapter 46.04 RCW
to read as follows:
"State tree license plates" means special license plates issued
under RCW 46.18.200 that display the Washington state tree.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 This act takes effect January 1, 2015.