OLYMPIA — A bipartisan bill to create a special license plate to fund aviation development in Washington passed the House 94 to 4.

House Bill 1400, sponsored by Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, would create a special license plate Washington residents can purchase to support airport infrastructure in the state.

With the exception of a $12 share for new plates and $2 fee for renewal the Department of Licensing would keep for expenses, the money generated for the fee would go toward the Department of Transportation for aviation infrastructure and development. In addition to the fees and taxes applicants pay when licensing vehicles, the special license plate would cost $40 and the renewal fee would be $30.

Dent said his bill is a way to raise fund for growth and raise awareness of aviation in the state.

“I’m really excited because aviation and aerospace in the state of Washington is huge,” Dent said, who is also an aviation company owner in Moses Lake. “It’s bigger than most people realize.”

Dent said he believes having investment in aviation infrastructure may help development for airports and fields in eastern Washington, such as the Grant County Airport and Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) test flights in the area. “Will a license plate fee do that? No, probably not directly,” Dent said. “But it does allow people to show their enthusiasm for aviation and will bring attention to how big aviation is in the state of Washington.”

The bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, Rep. Cary Condotta, R-Wenatchee, Rep. Mike Steele, R-Wenatchee, and Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg. David Sawyer, D-Lakewood, voted against the bill, as he said he usually voted against new license plate bills on principle. He said with the number of special plates that already exist, adding more may become confusing for law enforcement. He added that many states have hundreds of such plates and he doesn’t see the addition as necessary. Dent has sponsored several bills to encourage investment into aviation in Washington, such as HB 1018 which increases small airport grants passed through the House in early February and currently sits in the Senate Transportation committee.

HB 1400 will now move to the Senate for further consideration.