Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Transportation Committee
HB 1368
Brief Description: Creating several new special license plates.
Sponsors: Representatives Orcutt, Donaghy and Klicker.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Creates the Keep Washington evergreen, the LeMay-America's Car Museum, the Mount St. Helens, the Nautical Northwest, the Smokey Bear, the State sport, and the Working Forests special license plates.
  • Establishes both original and renewal fees for the special license plates.
  • Directs proceeds from the special license plates for various purposes.
Hearing Date: 2/20/25
Staff: Sandy Myer (786-7140).
Background:

The Department of Licensing (DOL) is authorized to issue specialized vehicle license plates to be used in lieu of standard license plates.  A sponsoring organization may pursue the creation of a specialized license plate either by providing an application packet to the DOL for approval prior to pursing legislation or by having legislation passed without submitting an application.


The overall cost of implementing a new special license plate is approximately $30,000 and must be paid back in two years by the sponsoring organization.  The sponsoring organization is required to pay a start-up cost of $6,300 at the time of application that is credited against the overall cost of implementation.  Once the total cost is recouped, the proceeds of the plate sales will be distributed to the sponsoring organization.


The DOL charges a fee of $40 for the original issuance of a set of special license plates, and a $30 fee is charged for the renewal of the set of plates.  The DOL is allowed to retain $12 of the amount paid for special license plate issuance and $2 from the amount paid to renew the plates for administrative expenses.
Summary of Bill:

The bill creates multiple special license plates and identifies the receipt and condition of the funds as follows:

  • Keep Washington evergreen special license plate with funds being used to support electric charging stations throughout Washington;
  • LeMay-America's Car Museum special license plate with funds being distributed to the LeMay-America's Car Museum to be used to promote, encourage, and inspire students and the community to understand the role of automobiles in the culture and economy;
  • Mount St. Helens special license plate with funds being distributed to the Mount St. Helens Institute to be used to promote education, stewardship, and science at Mount St. Helens;
  • Nautical Northwest special license plate with funds being distributed to support historic resources of Whidbey Island's maritime communities;
  • Smokey Bear special license plate with funds being distributed to the Department of Natural Resources to use for wildfire prevention programs;
  • State sport special license plate with funds being distributed to a trust account managed by Seattle Metro Pickleball Association to be used for the construction and maintenance of dedicated pickleball courts; and
  • Working Forests special license plate with funds being distributed to the Washington Tree Farm Program to be used to support small forest landowners.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect on November 1, 2025.