Thanks to all of you who responded to our Action Alert calling for passage of ESSB 6582. The bill did not pass before Sine Die, but we anticipate it will be on the list of bills to be considered during special session. ESSB 6582 passed the House last Saturday in a newly-amended form that included a 1% Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET) for all counties and enabled transit systems to impose a 0.5% MVET beginning January 1, 2014. (Provisions remained to enable a $20 to $40 vehicle fee for cities under 500,000).

The Senate refused to accept the amended bill and requested a conference committee. The conference committee striking amendment was released late Wednesday night and was available early Thursday morning. Unfortunately, there were drafting errors in the legislation that caused strong concerns for cities and counties. Although the drafting errors could be corrected, the time to pass the bill ran out. We are hopeful to pass the bill during special session.

For a more detailed summary of the bill, click here.