HB 2181

H-2617.1
  HOUSE BILL 2181
State of Washington  69th Legislature        2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Barkis,     Low,   Ley,   Schmidt,   Connors,   Klicker,
Wylie, Reeves, and Marshall
Prefiled 12/22/25.    Read first time 01/12/26.    Referred to Committee
on Appropriations.
1     AN ACT Relating to paying for response activities for the
2 December 2025 significant atmospheric river and winter event;
3 amending   RCW   70A.65.250;   creating  new sections; making an
4 appropriation; and declaring an emergency.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
6     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 1.   (1) Washington experienced significant
7 atmospheric river and winter weather events throughout December 2025
8 producing high winds, heavy snowfall, ice accumulation, and extreme
9 rainfall resulting in major coastal, river, and localized flooding,
10 saturated soils, landslides, stream bank and slope erosion, fallen
11 trees and tree limbs, and flying debris, which have caused impacts
12 across Washington state resulting in hazardous conditions affecting
13 the people of Washington, homes, property, businesses, agriculture,
14 transportation systems, and the state economy.
15     (2) The state has received a windfall of $690,000,000 in climate
16 commitment act auction revenues this year as well.
17     (3) The climate commitment act is intended to address major
18 negative events and help people and communities recover from climate
19 impacts.
20     (4) The legislature intends for up to $690,000,000 of the
21 windfall revenue to be used to pay for response activities to the
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1  2025 emergency event including the cleanup, repair, restoration, and
2  replacement of the transportation system.
3     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 2.    The sum of $690,000,000, or as much
4 thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal biennium
5 ending June 30, 2027, from the multimodal transportation account to
6 the department of transportation, for the purposes of conducting or
7 paying for cleanup, repairs, replacement, and restoration of
8 transportation infrastructure that was damaged during the 2025
9 December atmospheric river and winter weather event covered by
10 emergency proclamation 25-07. The funding is to be used for cleanup,
11 repairs, replacement, and restoration of Interstate 90, state route
12 numbers 2, 167, and 410, and other transportation infrastructure as
13 the secretary determines necessary to restore mobility.
14     Sec. 3. RCW 70A.65.250 and 2025 c 424 s 973 are each amended to
15 read as follows:
16     (1)(a) The climate investment account is created in the state
17 treasury. Except as otherwise provided in chapter 316, Laws of 2021,
18 all receipts from the auction of allowances authorized in this
19 chapter must be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may
20 be spent only after appropriation.
21     (b) Projects or activities funded from the account must meet high
22 labor standards, including family sustaining wages, providing
23 benefits including health care and employer-contributed retirement
24 plans, career development opportunities, and maximize access to
25 economic benefits from such projects for local workers and diverse
26 businesses. Each contracting entity's proposal must be reviewed for
27 equity and opportunity improvement efforts, including: (i) Employer
28 paid sick leave programs; (ii) pay practices in relation to living
29 wage indicators such as the federal poverty level; (iii) efforts to
30 evaluate pay equity based on gender identity, race, and other
31 protected status under Washington law; (iv) facilitating career
32 development   opportunities,   such    as   apprenticeship  programs,
33 internships,   job-shadowing,  and   on-the-job   training; and   (v)
34 employment assistance and employment barriers for justice affected
35 individuals.
36     (2) Moneys in the account may be used only for projects and
37 programs that achieve the purposes of the greenhouse gas emissions
38 cap and invest program established under this chapter and for tribal
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1 capacity grants under RCW 70A.65.305. During the 2023-2025 fiscal
2 biennium, moneys in the account may also be used for tribal capacity
3 grant activities supporting climate resilience and adaptation,
4 developing tribal clean energy projects, applying for state or
5 federal grant funding, and other related work; and for providing
6 payments to agricultural fuel purchasers. During the 2025-2027 fiscal
7 biennium, moneys in the account may also be used for tribal capacity
8 grant activities supporting climate resilience and adaptation,
9 developing tribal clean energy projects, applying for state or
10 federal grant funding, and other related work. Moneys in the account
11 as described in this subsection must first be appropriated for the
12 administration of the requirements of this chapter, in an amount not
13 to exceed five percent of the total receipt of funds from allowance
14 auction proceeds under this chapter. Beginning July 1, 2023, and
15 annually thereafter, the state treasurer shall distribute funds in
16 the account that exceed the amounts appropriated for the purposes of
17 this subsection (2) and transfers allowable pursuant to subsection
18 (4) of this section as follows:
19     (a) Seventy-five percent of the moneys to the climate commitment
20 account created in RCW 70A.65.260; and
21     (b) Twenty-five percent of the moneys to the natural climate
22 solutions account created in RCW 70A.65.270.
23     (3) The allocations specified in subsection (2)(a) and (b) of
24 this section must be reviewed by the legislature on a biennial basis
25 based on the changing needs of the state in meeting its clean economy
26 and greenhouse gas reduction goals in a timely, economically
27 advantageous, and equitable manner.
28     (4) During the 2023-2025 and 2025-2027 fiscal biennia, the
29 legislature may direct the state treasurer to make transfers of
30 moneys in the climate investment account to the carbon emissions
31 reduction account, the climate commitment account, ((and)) the
32 natural climate solutions account, and the multimodal transportation
33 account under RCW 47.66.070.
34     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 4.   FOR THE STATE TREASURER—ADMINISTRATIVE
35 TRANSFER
36    Climate Investment Account—State Appropriation: For transfer to
37 the Multimodal Transportation Account—State. . . . . . . $690,000,000
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1      The amount authorized in this section represents the amount of
2  receipts from the auction of allowances authorized in chapter 70A.65
3  RCW received, as of December 3, 2025, in excess of the forecasted
4  amounts assumed by the legislature for the purposes of the omnibus
5  operating, the omnibus capital, and the transportation appropriations
6  enacted by the legislature in the 2025 legislative session. The
7  funding is transferred for the purposes of section 2 of this act.
8     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 5.  This act is necessary for the immediate
9 preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of
10 the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes
11 effect immediately.
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