Smokey Bear license plates

AN ACT Relating to creating the state department of natural 1
resources' Smokey Bear special license plates; reenacting and 2
amending RCW 46.17.220, 46.18.200, and 46.68.425; adding a new 3
section to chapter 46.04 RCW; and providing an effective date.4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:5
Sec. 1. RCW 46.17.220 and 2022 c 239 s 1 and 2022 c 117 s 1 are 6
each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 7
In addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon 8
application for a vehicle registration in chapter 46.16A RCW, the 9
holder of a special license plate shall pay the appropriate special 10
license plate fee as listed in this section. 11
12
13
PLATE TYPE INITIAL
FEE
RENEWAL
FEE
DISTRIBUTED
UNDER
14 (1) 4-H $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
15 (2) Amateur radio license $ 5.00 N/A RCW 46.68.070
16 (3) Armed forces $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
17 (4) Breast cancer awareness $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
18 (5) Collector vehicle $ 35.00 N/A RCW 46.68.030
19 (6) Collegiate $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.430
Z-0314.1
SENATE BILL 5320
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Nobles, Harris, Cortes, Krishnadasan, Lovick, Orwall,
Slatter, and J. Wilson; by request of Department of Natural Resources
Read first time 01/17/25. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
p. 1 SB 5320
1 (7) Endangered wildlife $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
2 (8) Fred Hutch $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
3
4
(9) Gonzaga University
alumni association
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
5 (10) Helping kids speak $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
6 (11) Horseless carriage $ 35.00 N/A RCW 46.68.030
7 (12) Keep kids safe $ 45.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
8
9
(13) Law enforcement
memorial
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
10
11
(14) Military affiliate radio
system
$ 5.00 N/A RCW 46.68.070
12 (15) Music matters $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
13
14
15
16
17
(16) Patches pal, or
alternative name as
designated by the
department under
RCW 46.04.383
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
18
19
20
(17) Professional
firefighters and
paramedics
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
21 (18) Purple Heart $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
22 (19) Ride share $ 25.00 N/A RCW 46.68.030
23 (20) San Juan Islands $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
24 (21) Seattle Mariners $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
25 (22) Seattle NHL hockey $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
26 (23) Seattle Seahawks $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
27 (24) Seattle Sounders FC $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
28 (25) Seattle Storm $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
29 (26) Seattle University $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
30 (27) Share the road $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
31 (28) Ski & ride Washington $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
32 (29) Smokey Bear $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
33 (30) Square dancer $ 40.00 N/A RCW 46.68.070
34 (((30))) (31) State flower $ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
p. 2 SB 5320
1
2
(((31))) (32) V olunteer
firefighters
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
3
4
(((32))) (33) Washington
apples
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
5
6
(((33))) (34) Washington
farmers and ranchers
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
7
8
(((34))) (35) Washington
lighthouses
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
9
10
(((35))) (36) Washington
state aviation
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
11
12
(((36))) (37) Washington
state parks
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
13
14
(((37))) (38) Washington
state wrestling
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
15
16
(((38))) (39) Washington
tennis
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
17
18
(((39))) (40) Washington
wine
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
19
20
(((40))) (41) Washington's
fish collection
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
21
22
(((41))) (42) Washington's
national parks
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
23
24
(((42))) (43) Washington's
wildlife collection
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
25
26
(((43))) (44) We love our
pets
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.420
27
28
(((44))) (45) Wild on
Washington
$ 40.00 $ 30.00 RCW 46.68.425
Sec. 2. RCW 46.18.200 and 2022 c 239 s 2 and 2022 c 117 s 2 are 29
each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 30
(1) Special license plate series reviewed and approved by the 31
department: 32
(a) May be issued in lieu of standard issue or personalized 33
license plates for vehicles required to display one and two license 34
plates unless otherwise specified; 35
p. 3 SB 5320
(b) Must be issued under terms and conditions established by the 1
department; 2
(c) Must not be issued for vehicles registered under chapter 3
46.87 RCW; and 4
(d) Must display a symbol or artwork approved by the department.5
(2) The department approves and shall issue the following special 6
license plates, subject to subsection (5) of this section:7
8
9
LICENSE PLATE DESCRIPTION, SYMBOL, OR
ARTWORK
10 4-H Displays the "4-H" logo.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
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.
21
22
23
Breast cancer awareness Displays a pink ribbon
symbolizing breast cancer
awareness.
24
25
26
Endangered wildlife Displays a symbol or artwork
symbolizing endangered wildlife
in Washington state.
27 Fred Hutch Displays the Fred Hutch logo.
28
29
Gonzaga University alumni
association
Recognizes the Gonzaga
University alumni association.
30
31
32
33
Helping kids speak Recognizes an organization that
supports programs that provide
no-cost speech pathology
programs to children.
34
35
Keep kids safe Recognizes efforts to prevent
child abuse and neglect.
p. 4 SB 5320
1
2
3
Law enforcement memorial Honors law enforcement officers
in Washington killed in the line of
duty.
4
5
Music matters Displays the "Music Matters"
logo.
6
7
8
9
10
Patches pal, or alternative name
as designated by the department
under RCW 46.04.383
Displays the likenesses of the J.P.
Patches and Gertrude characters
from the J.P. Patches show, or
characters otherwise identified in
accordance with RCW 46.04.383.
11
12
13
14
Professional firefighters and
paramedics
Recognizes professional
firefighters and paramedics who
are members of the Washington
state council of firefighters.
15
16
San Juan Islands Displays a symbol or artwork
recognizing the San Juan Islands.
17
18
Seattle Mariners Displays the "Seattle Mariners"
logo.
19
20
Seattle NHL hockey Displays the logo of the Seattle
NHL hockey team.
21
22
Seattle Seahawks Displays the "Seattle Seahawks"
logo.
23
24
Seattle Sounders FC Displays the "Seattle Sounders
FC" logo.
25 Seattle Storm Displays the "Seattle Storm" logo.
26 Seattle University Recognizes Seattle University.
27
28
29
Share the road Recognizes an organization that
promotes bicycle safety and
awareness education.
30
31
Ski & ride Washington Recognizes the Washington
snowsports industry.
32
33
34
Smokey Bear Displays the name, image, and
likeness of Smokey Bear and
messages for wildfire prevention.
35
36
State flower Recognizes the Washington state
flower.
p. 5 SB 5320
1 V olunteer firefighters Recognizes volunteer firefighters.
2
3
4
5
6
7
Washington apples Displays the Washington apple
logo that recognizes the state's
apple industry, the growers and
shippers who produce and pack
the world famous apples, and the
tree fruit community.
8
9
Washington farmers and ranchers Recognizes farmers and ranchers
in Washington state.
10
11
12
13
14
Washington lighthouses Recognizes an organization that
supports selected Washington
state lighthouses and provides
environmental education
programs.
15
16
17
Washington state aviation Displays a Stearman biplane in
the foreground with an image of
Mount Rainier in the background.
18
19
20
21
22
23
Washington state parks Recognizes Washington state
parks as premier destinations of
uncommon quality that preserve
significant natural, cultural,
historical, and recreational
resources.
24
25
26
Washington state wrestling Promotes and supports college
wrestling in the state of
Washington.
27
28
29
30
31
Washington tennis Builds awareness and year-round
opportunities for tennis in
Washington state. Displays a
symbol or artwork recognizing
tennis in Washington state.
32
33
Washington wine Displays a landscape of
Washington's wine regions.
34 Washington's fish collection Recognizes Washington's fish.
p. 6 SB 5320
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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.
11
12
Washington's wildlife collection Recognizes Washington's
wildlife.
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
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.
20
21
Wild on Washington Symbolizes wildlife viewing in
Washington state.
(3) Applicants for initial and renewal professional firefighters 22
and paramedics special license plates must show proof of eligibility 23
by providing a certificate of current membership from the Washington 24
state council of firefighters. 25
(4) Applicants for initial volunteer firefighters special license 26
plates must (a) have been a volunteer firefighter for at least 27
((ten)) 10 years or be a volunteer firefighter for one or more years 28
and (b) have documentation of service from the district of the 29
appropriate fire service. If the volunteer firefighter leaves 30
firefighting service before ((ten)) 10 years of service have been 31
completed, the volunteer firefighter shall surrender the license 32
plates to the department on the registration renewal date. If the 33
volunteer firefighter stays in service for at least ((ten)) 10 years 34
and then leaves, the license plate may be retained by the former 35
volunteer firefighter and as long as the license plate is retained 36
for use the person will continue to pay the future registration 37
renewals. A qualifying volunteer firefighter may have no more than 38
p. 7 SB 5320
one set of license plates per vehicle, and a maximum of two sets per 1
applicant, for their personal vehicles. If the volunteer firefighter 2
is convicted of a violation of RCW 46.61.502 or a felony, the license 3
plates must be surrendered upon conviction. 4
(5) The department shall not issue the Seattle NHL hockey special 5
license plate until the department receives signature sheets 6
satisfying the requirements identified in RCW 46.18.110(2)(f).7
Sec. 3. RCW 46.68.425 and 2016 c 31 s 3 and 2016 c 30 s 4 are 8
each reenacted and amended to read as follows: 9
(1) The department shall: 10
(a) Collect special license plate fees established under RCW 11
46.17.220; 12
(b) Deduct an amount not to exceed ((twelve dollars )) $12 for 13
initial issue and ((two dollars )) $2 for renewal issue for 14
administration and collection expenses incurred by it; and15
(c) Remit the remaining proceeds to the custody of the state 16
treasurer with a proper identifying detailed report.17
(2) The state treasurer shall credit the proceeds to the motor 18
vehicle fund until the department determines that the state has been 19
reimbursed for the cost of implementing the special license plate. 20
Upon determination by the department that the state has been 21
reimbursed, the state treasurer shall credit the remaining special 22
license plate fees to the following accounts by special license plate 23
type: 24
25
26
SPECIAL LICENSE
PLATE TYPE
ACCOUNT CONDITIONS FOR
USE OF FUNDS
27
28
Armed forces RCW 43.60A.140 As specified in RCW
43.60A.140(4)
29
30
31
32
33
34
Breast cancer
awareness
RCW 43.70.327 Must be used only by
the department of
health for efforts
consistent with the
breast, cervical, and
colon health program
p. 8 SB 5320
1
2
3
4
5
Endangered wildlife RCW 77.12.170 Must be used only
for the department of
fish and wildlife's
endangered wildlife
program activities
6
7
Keep kids safe RCW 43.121.100 As specified in RCW
43.121.100
8
9
Purple Heart RCW 43.60A.140 As specified in RCW
43.60A.140(4)
10
11
12
13
14
Smokey Bear
wildfire prevention
RCW 76.04.511 Only for the
department of natural
resources to use for
wildfire prevention
programs
15
16
17
18
19
20
Washington state
parks
RCW 79A.05.059 Provide public
educational
opportunities and
enhancement of
Washington state
parks
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
Washington's fish
collection
RCW 77.12.170 Only for the
department of fish
and wildlife's use to
support steelhead
species management
activities including,
but not limited to,
activities supporting
conservation,
recovery, and
research to promote
healthy, fishable
steelhead
34
35
36
37
38
Washington's
wildlife collection
RCW 77.12.170 Only for the
department of fish
and wildlife's game
species management
activities
p. 9 SB 5320
1
2
3
4
5
6
Wild on Washington RCW 77.12.170 Dedicated to the
department of fish
and wildlife's
watchable wildlife
activities, as defined
in RCW 77.32.560
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 46.04 7
RCW to read as follows: 8
"Smokey Bear license plates" means special license plates issued 9
under RCW 46.18.200 that display the name, image, and likeness of 10
Smokey Bear promoting wildfire prevention and the state department of 11
natural resources' wildland wildfire program. 12
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act takes effect October 1, 2025.13
--- END ---
p. 10 SB 5320