Car Tabs Payment Options Workgroup    
The Washington State Legislature has directed the JTC to convene a vehicle registration payment work group to study and recommend new options for payment of vehicle fees or taxes due at the time of application for vehicle registration. These are the fees and taxes that are paid when vehicle owners purchase or renew their vehicle license tabs.

• a representative of the Department of Licensing,
• a representative of county auditors,
  
• a representative of vehicle licensing subagents,
• a representative of local taxing authorities imposing a fee or tax due at the time of application for vehicle registration,
• a representative of a city offering or considering a rebate program for vehicle fees or taxes due at the time of application for vehicle registration,
• a representative of vehicle owners subject to a motor vehicle excise tax, a representative of vehicle owners subject to an electric car or transportation electrification fee, and
• an advocate for multimodal transportation options.
  

The work group must engage with members of the public who are interested in new options for payment of car tab fees and taxes, including persons from communities of color, low-income households, vulnerable populations, and displaced communities.

The work group's recommendations must include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Options to provide or encourage rebates to vehicle owners who pay taxes and fees due at the time of application for vehicle registration;
• An agreed upon service fee structure for vehicle registration payment plans;
  
• An agreed upon service fee revenue allocation method;
• A process to allow agents and subagents to determine if a vehicle owner has paid all taxes and fees due prior to renewal of a vehicle registration;​
  
• Options for reducing revenue loss due to missed payments, transfer of the certificate of title, or registration of a vehicle out of state; and
• Options to reduce impacts to communities of color, low-income households, vulnerable populations, and displaced communities.  
  

Budget:     $250,000
JTC Staff:     Alyson Cummings, Paul Neal
STC and HTC Staff:     Daniel Masterson; Beth Redfield
Report Due Date:     September 30, 2022      
View study materials and information​     

Transportation Equity in Cities
The Washington State Legislature has commissioned a study on the impacts of current and historical city transportation investments on designated populations, including communities of color, low-income households, vulnerable populations, and displaced communities.

The study will identify and measure the true costs of underinvestment in accessible transportation for designated populations, including the secondary impacts to public health, economic opportunity, educational access, and environmental risk factors. The assessment must include specific approaches to addressing existing inequities within cities, as well as recommendations to develop best practices to improve, diversify, and expand city transportation investments. 

Budget:     $215,000
JTC Staff:     Dave Catterson, Alyson Cummings
STC and HTC Staff:     Daniel Masterson; Beth Redfield
Report Due Date:     December 20, 2022   ​
View study materials and information​      ​

Evaluation of Washington State Patrol Cessna Aircraft Fleet
The Washington State Legislature directed the Joint Transportation Committee (JTC) to evaluate Washington State Patrol's Cessna aircraft fleet.

WSP's aviation section provides aerial traffic enforcement, traffic congestion management, natural disaster response, homeland security, and other aerial law enforcement and public safety services. It operates five Cessna aircraft to accomplish this mission.  The Cessnas were purchased between 1999 and 2001.

The Washington State Patrol asked the 2022 Legislature to fund replacement of all five Cessnas over the next four years. This prompted the Legislative request for evaluation of the duties of the aviation section to determine whether there were other options for modernization of the fleet.

The analysis will:

• ​Assess current use and performance of the aircraft;
  
• Recommend timing of replacement;
• Evaluate the feasibility and costs of alternative fuel aircraft; and
• Review other potential technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles.

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