Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · House Mar 11, 2026

HB 2543: Concerning county clerk fees.

HB 2543 amends Washington State's county clerk fee structure, primarily affecting individuals filing family law cases and court documents. The key provision requires a $54 fee for initial divorce, legal separation, or marriage validity petitions, with $48 directed to the state domestic violence prevention account and $6 retained by counties (minus 5% for court admin). It also adjusts fees for jury demands ($125/$250), certified document copies ($5/page), and electronic exhibits ($25), while adding reporting requirements for county domestic violence service funding. These changes directly impact court users, counties, and state programs focused on domestic violence prevention.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill directs $48 of $54 fee to domestic violence prevention fund, increasing state funding for essential services without tax increases for individuals.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

passed · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1600: Modifying the fee to support family services.

House Bill 1600 proposes to modify the additional fee that counties may impose on marriage licenses. Currently, counties can charge an additional fee of up to fifteen dollars to support family services. This bill would increase the maximum allowable additional fee to thirty dollars. The funds collected from this fee would continue to be used for family services, such as family support centers. This change directly affects individuals applying for marriage licenses in counties that choose to implement the increased fee.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesIncreases county fee cap from $15 to $30 for family services funding, directly boosting revenue for public programs under Budget & Taxes.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

Track

signed · Washington · Senate May 23, 2025

SB 5801: Concerning transportation resources.

SB 5801 amends Washington's fuel tax structure to generate revenue for transportation infrastructure. Starting July 1, 2025, it adds a 6-cent-per-gallon tax on regular fuel and a 3-cent tax on special fuel (with an additional 3-cent tax on special fuel beginning July 1, 2027). The bill also mandates annual 2% increases to regular fuel tax rates starting July 1, 2026, and to special fuel rates starting July 1, 2028. These changes directly affect fuel licensees (businesses selling fuel) and will increase costs for consumers purchasing gasoline or special fuels. The legislation repeals outdated tax provisions and establishes new funding mechanisms to support state transportation system development.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAdds fuel taxes to generate revenue for transportation infrastructure, directly funding public services through increased taxation.95% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill explicitly imposes fuel taxes to generate revenue for transportation infrastructure, directly funding road and transit projects per its summary.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5794: Adopting recommendations from the tax preference performance review process, eliminating obsolete tax preferences, clarifying legislative intent, and addressing changes in constitutional law.

Senate Bill 5794 aims to improve how tax preferences are managed in Washington state. It implements recommendations from the state's tax preference performance review process, which evaluates the effectiveness of existing tax exemptions. The bill eliminates several tax preferences identified as obsolete or unused and clarifies the legislative intent behind others. This includes updating specific tax code sections and modifying effective or expiration dates for certain industries, such as manufacturing of seafood and dairy products.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesEliminates obsolete tax preferences, closing loopholes and improving tax code management per performance review process.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5813: Increasing funding to the education legacy trust account by creating a more progressive rate structure for the capital gains tax and estate tax.

SB 5813 aims to increase funding for public education, child care, early learning, and higher education by modifying the state's capital gains and estate taxes. Beginning January 1, 2025, an additional excise tax of 2.90 percent will be imposed on an individual's Washington capital gains that exceed $1,000,000. For the estate tax, the bill increases the applicable exclusion amount to $3,000,000 for estates of decedents dying on or after July 1, 2025. It also creates a more progressive rate structure for the estate tax by increasing the top tier rates up to 35 percent, with all revenues dedicated to the education legacy trust account.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill imposes progressive capital gains/estate taxes on high earners to fund public education, childcare, and higher education programs, directly increasing state funding for essential services.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly increases education funding via progressive tax changes, targeting capital gains over $1M and estate tax adjustments to fund public education, child care, and higher education.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · House May 20, 2025

HB 2077: Establishing a tax on certain business activities related to surpluses generated under the zero-emission vehicle program.

House Bill 2077 establishes a new tax on certain vehicle manufacturers. This tax applies to profits generated from surplus zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) credits, which are earned when a manufacturer exceeds the state's ZEV sales requirements. The bill requires the Department of Ecology to share manufacturers' ZEV credit activity with the Department of Revenue, and manufacturers must report the prices of ZEV credit transactions. The collected tax revenue is intended to be reinvested into programs that further promote cleaner vehicles.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates new tax on ZEV credit profits, with revenue reinvested into programs, aligning with funding public initiatives per topic indicators.90% confidence ✓ EnergySupports EnergyTax on ZEV credit surpluses funds clean energy programs, advancing renewable energy infrastructure per bill's reinvestment intent.90% confidence ✗ EnvironmentOpposes EnvironmentTax on ZEV credit profits reduces manufacturer incentive to exceed ZEV requirements, weakening program effectiveness despite revenue reinvestment into environmental programs.85% confidence ✓ TransportationSupports TransportationBill taxes ZEV credit profits and reinvests revenue to promote zero-emission vehicles, a sustainable transportation initiative.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5314: Modifying the capital gains tax.

SB 5314 modifies Washington's capital gains tax by updating several provisions. It replaces an expiring business and occupation tax credit with a new, nonrefundable capital gains tax credit, designed to prevent double taxation on the same sale or exchange. The bill also clarifies definitions related to capital gains and losses, ensures consistent treatment for spouses and domestic partners, and establishes a late payment penalty waiver. Additionally, it introduces new reporting requirements for brokers and barter exchanges. These modifications are not estimated to change overall state or local tax collections.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesPrevents double taxation on capital gains by replacing an expiring credit with a new nonrefundable credit, promoting fiscal fairness and closing a potential tax loophole.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · House May 20, 2025

HB 2049: Investing in the state's paramount duty to fund K-12 education and build strong and safe communities.

HB 2049 aims to enhance funding for K-12 education and communities by modifying state and local property tax authority and adjusting the school funding formula. The bill revises the maximum dollar amount school districts can levy for enrichment, setting it as the lesser of $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed value or a per-pupil limit. This per-pupil limit is updated with specific "inflation enhancements" through 2030 and establishes a new base amount starting in 2031, impacting funding based on student enrollment. Additionally, it adjusts how the state provides local effort assistance funding to supplement these school district enrichment levies.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill revises property tax authority and school funding formula to increase K-12 education funding via inflation-linked per-pupil limits, directly enhancing public service budget allocations.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly aims to 'enhance funding for K-12 education' through revised property tax authority, per-pupil limits with inflation adjustments, and updated school funding formula.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · Senate May 20, 2025

SB 5814: Modernizing the excise taxes on select services and nicotine products and requiring certain large businesses to make a one-time prepayment of state sales tax collection.

Senate Bill 5814 modernizes Washington's tax code by extending the state retail sales tax to select services, such as certain computer-related and digital automated services. It also expands the application of excise taxes on tobacco products to include new and emerging nicotine products. Additionally, the bill requires certain large businesses to make a one-time prepayment of state sales tax collections. These changes affect businesses providing the newly taxed services and nicotine products, as well as the consumers of these items. The revenue generated is intended to support public schools, health care, and social services across the state.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesExtends sales tax to new services and expands nicotine excise taxes, increasing state revenue and modernizing tax collection for fiscal management.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes

signed · Washington · House May 19, 2025

HB 2047: Eliminating the Washington employee ownership program.

HB 2047 phases out the Washington employee ownership program. It shortens the period during which businesses can earn tax credits for converting to worker-owned cooperatives, employee ownership trusts, or employee stock ownership plans, moving the deadline for earning credits from June 30, 2029, to June 30, 2025. The bill also makes the program's activities, such as providing technical support and referrals, contingent upon specific funding appropriations. The tax credit provisions are set to expire earlier, effectively eliminating these incentives for businesses.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesPhases out tax credits for worker-owned businesses, reducing tax incentives and making program funding contingent on annual appropriations.95% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentPhases out tax credits for worker-owned cooperatives, restricting employee ownership program access and funding continuity.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Budget & Taxes