
Dear friends,
The first week of the 2025 Washington State Legislative Session was slow, at least in terms of legislation. It’s a time of transition as new members of the House and Senate settle into their roles, and we welcome a new governor for the first time in twelve years.
Along with a new governor, we welcomed Julie Meredith as Washington’s new transportation secretary last week. We also honored our former transportation secretary Roger Millar, and got his reflections on the challenges and opportunities for transportation in our state.
The House and Senate transportation committees held hearings on the transportation budget proposed by former Gov. Jay Inslee. We testified at both hearings to voice our support for keeping the promises of the Climate Commitment Act by providing continued funding for transit operations. (Learn more in our 2025 Legislative Agenda).

TCC Executive Director Kirk Hovenkotter testifying at the Senate Transportation Committee.
Both transportation committees are holding more work sessions than hearings at this point, and we expect this slow pace to continue for another couple of weeks before picking up. We’ll keep you posted as new bills drop and as budget proposals take shape from Governor Ferguson and the committees.
Ride on!
– Transportation Choices
What Happened Last Week
- Both transportation committees held hearings on the budget proposed by former Gov. Inslee (SB 5161 / HB 1226). You can watch the Senate hearing here and the House hearing here.
- The House Transportation Committee held a transportation safety work session to review reports and data on driver safety.
- A bill to lower the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for drivers from 0.08 to 0.05 had its first hearing in front of the Senate Law and Justice Committee (SB 5067). The bill was referred to the Senate Transportation Committee.
- Background: This bill was introduced by Democratic Senator John Lovick and Republican Senator Jim McCune at the request of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission. In recent years, organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the National Transportation Safety Board have advocated for lowering BAC limits nationwide, citing studies that show impairment begins well below 0.08. More than 100 countries have adopted a 0.05 or lower BAC limit. If enacted, the law would take effect on July 1, 2026
What's Coming Up
- The House Transportation Committee is holding a work session today, Jan. 20, on the enforcement of traffic safety laws with an update from the WA State Patrol. They’ll also discuss safety initiatives related to the built environment, with an update from the WA Department of Transportation.
- The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a work session on Wednesday, Jan. 23, to hear from cities, counties, ports, transit agencies, and metropolitan and regional planning organizations.