Veto Letter for Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1791

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Washington Governor Jay Inslee partially vetoed Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1791 on May 16, 2023, striking four sections while approving the rest of the bill, which creates a new State Commercial Aviation Work Group to study the need for additional airport capacity in Washington. The governor vetoed the section requiring simultaneous consideration of new airport sites alongside existing airport expansion, insisting the state should first fully explore increasing capacity at existing airports—excluding Sea-Tac—before pursuing a new airport. The vetoed sections also included a budget redirection of already-spent funds, a retroactive repeal of workgroup authority, and an emergency clause deemed unnecessary given the existing commission's June 2023 reporting timeline.

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Governor Jay Inslee veto letter dated May 16, 2023, addressed to the Washington State House of Representatives, partially vetoing Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1791 (ESHB 1791), which creates a new State Commercial Aviation Work Group to study the need for additional airport capacity in Washington including siting a new airport. Sections 3, 5, 7, and 8 are vetoed: Section 3 for directing simultaneous consideration of new airport siting rather than first exhausting existing airport capacity expansion (excluding SeaTac); Section 5 for redirecting already-spent 2022 supplemental transportation budget funds; Section 7 for retroactively reinstating a July 1, 2022 expiration date on the current Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission workgroup; and Section 8 (emergency clause) as unnecessary given the existing Commission’s June 30, 2023 expiration and June 15 single-site reporting requirement. Remaining sections of HB1791 are approved.

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