BREAKING: WA Legislature advances titling modernization efforts

Posted by Joe Adamack on March 6, 2024

Washington lawmakers took a significant and necessary step to move ahead with efforts to adopt a fully digital lien and titling program and modernize the current process. The new state transportation budget, which was released today and will be voted on tomorrow, provides GoWest-requested funding and direction to the Department of Licensing to undertake a comprehensive review and analysis of the current process, areas for improvement, and stakeholder priorities, and then develop a report back to the Legislature with a set of recommendations on all needed changes. The titling proviso was championed by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. 

This step must be done first in order to identify the statutory, regulatory, and budgetary changes that will need to occur in what would be a significant overhaul impacting consumers, lenders, auto dealers, vehicle subagents, and state and local governments. While GoWest has been in communication with DOL on this over multiple years the agency had not advanced the work. The GoWest-requested proviso developed on behalf of Washington Credit Unions was developed after the issue was identified as a priority by the Washington Governmental Affairs Committee and State Issues Working Group. The detailed work produced in the next step of the process will then provide necessary information and answers that are essential in order to introduce the actual legislation to implement those steps.

Over the next year we will have the opportunity to work directly with the Department of Licensing in development of the report and recommendations as well and have greatly appreciated the feedback and efforts by credit union experts. If you are interested in participating in a technical working group that would provide feedback and information to DOL along the way, please let me ([email protected]) know of your interest.

Posted in Advocacy on the Move, Washington Advocacy.