As Washington’s legislature moves into the final month of the 2023 session, the Center of Excellence continues to track bills related to aerospace, manufacturing, aviation, workforce, and higher education. Among the bills still moving forward related to aviation:
Yesterday the Senate completed its first reading of HB 1318, concerning retail sales tax exemptions for some aircraft maintenance and
repair. Now referred to as Ways & Means, the bill expands the definition of an eligible maintenance repair operator for the sales and use tax
exemption for the construction of new buildings at an aircraft repair station certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. Read the bill report here.
Senate Bill 5447, promoting the alternative jet fuel industry, is scheduled for an executive session in the House Committee on Environment & Energy at 4 p.m. today. The bill:
- Requires the Department of Ecology to allow one or more carbon intensity pathways for alternative jet fuel by no later than December 31, 2023.
- Requires Washington State University and the University of Washington to calculate emissions of ultrafine and fine particulate matter and sulfur dioxides in communities surrounding an international airport.
- Creates a preferential B&O tax rate of 0.275 percent for the manufacturing and wholesaling of alternative jet fuels.
- Establishes a B&O and public utilities tax credit for certain sales and purchases of alternative jet fuel.
- Provides that the tax incentives begin when one or more facilities in the state begin to produce a cumulative 20 million or more gallons of alternative jet fuel per year.
House Bill 1243 amends the powers and duties that may be vested in municipal airport commissions and changes the requirements for commission membership. Read the House bill analysis here. An executive session is scheduled in the Senate Committee on Local Government, Land Use, & Tribal Affairs on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.