Washington Senate restores estate tax rates; opponents warn of $400 million biennial hit to legacy fund

Senators on the Washington State Senate floor voted to pass Senate Bill 6,347, a measure that restores estate tax rates and carries amendments that sponsors described as technical adjustments to implementation dates and scope.

Senator Kaufman, who framed the legislation, said the bill "simply restores those rates" and urged supporting language to maintain funding for the Education and Legacy Trust Fund. Senator Frame moved adoption of amendment 0698, which he described as a technical change to move an administrative date from April 1 to July 1; the amendment was adopted. A subsequent title change amendment (0701) inserting the word "certain" to preserve selected provisions from last year’s law also passed.

Not all senators supported the measure. Senator Hasegawa delivered an extended floor statement explaining why he would vote no, calling the change a step away from progressivity and raising budgetary concerns. "This is gonna cost us about 400,000,000 a biennium," he said, and added that the loss of revenue would come out of the Education Legacy Trust Fund. Hasegawa framed the vote as premature given ongoing budget shortfalls and said he could not support taking revenue now when the state faces multi‑billion dollar deficits.

After debate and roll call, the final tally was recorded as 38 yeas and 11 nays; the president declared Senate Bill 6,347 passed and its title will be the title of the act.

The bill’s floor action combined technical, administrative amendments with a substantive vote to restore prior estate tax rates. Supporters stressed continuity with last year’s policy and the need to preserve certain exclusions and inflators added previously; opponents emphasized the bill’s fiscal note and potential impact on the Education Legacy Trust Fund.

The next procedural step is enrollment and transmission to the governor. No further floor action on this bill was recorded during the session.