The Road Usage Charge (RUC)

House Bill 1921 proposes a costly and complicated road usage charge program that essentially creates a double tax on drivers. The bill implements a 2.6-cent-per-mile road usage charge for highway maintenance and preservation while imposing an additional assessment—10% of the road usage charge—allocated to rail, bicycle, pedestrian, and public transit projects. This program will result in significant new fees for Washington residents.

Key provisions include:

• New fees on all vehicles: Starts with electric and hybrid cars in 2029, expands to gas-powered cars in 2031, and phases in internal combustion vehicles that get 20 miles per gallon or more through 2035.
• Mileage-based charge at registration: You’ll pay based on miles driven, but registration won’t be denied if no odometer reading is available.
• Limited fuel tax credit: You can get credit for gas taxes paid, but it won’t roll over to future years.
• DOL and private companies in charge: The state and third-party tax collectors will track and enforce payments, with options beyond just odometer checks potentially in the future.
• Weak privacy protections: Broad government authority to decide what personal data gets collected.
• High administrative costs: Bureaucratic overhead will be deducted from the revenue, with funds distributed like current fuel taxes.

HB 1921 authorizes a complex system with uncertain privacy protections and heavy administrative costs. This bill raises serious concerns about fairness, privacy, and the growing financial burden on Washington’s drivers.