A bill to create a modern fleet of passenger-only ferries in Washington state appeared on the glide path to passage this legislative session in Olympia, following lopsided votes of approval in both the state House and Senate, from Democrats and Republicans.
But instead of bipartisan back-patting, the so-called Mosquito Fleet Act has led to rancor among Democrats, allegations of sabotage and the very real possibility it may not reach Gov. Bob Ferguson's desk before the session ends Thursday.
House Bill 1923 is now in the hands of legislative negotiators trying to reconcile the very different texts tied to the same piece of legislation.
We’re working to hammer out a workable bill — without any of (Sen. Marko) Liias’ 14 mandates that add years of delays and tens of millions in added costs while taking away local democratic control," state Rep. Greg Nance, D-Bainbridge Island, wrote in an email Tuesday. The Kitsap lawmaker is the prime author and sponsor behind the behind Mosquito Fleet Act.
Liias, who leads the Senate Transportation Committee, has been a powerful advocate for Washington State Ferries and often at the forefront of many of the major decisions affecting the state fleet, including the decision last year to award a contract for three new ferries to a Florida company.
In a column for the Kitsap Sun, Nance accused Liias of being "hell-bent on sabotaging a wildly popular bipartisan law" by replacing the entire text of Nance's House-approved bill with language that was "nonsensical" and would make foot ferry service "impossible."
Liias, whose language includes requirements for zero-emission boats built in Washington, for example, denied Nance's charge of sabotage. He said he was trying to align Nance's bill with existing law around new taxing districts, and avoid any increase in sales tax in areas that already operate with higher sales taxes, like his own Snohomish County district.
"If I wanted to kill passenger-only vessels, " Liias said, "well, last year I didn't move the bill out of committee. I would've just done that again."
King and Kitsap counties operate their own passenger-only ferries, but have specific exemptions allowing them to, and are funded in part with local sales tax revenue.
The Mosquito Fleet Act would allow any local government — ports, counties, transit agencies or tribes — to set up its own passenger-only ferry district and apply to get state help buying a new or used ferry, build a dock, run the service or simply look into the possibility and finances of having a ferry system.
Nance first introduced the bill in the 2025 session, but despite an 87-8 House vote in favor of the bill last year, the state Senate didn't hear the bill or hold a vote before the session's end, and the idea went the way of the original Mosquito Fleet, a ragtag armada of privately run foot ferries that served Puget Sound commuters before the creation of the state system.
Nance brought it back this session, and it garnered similar support, with an 84-11 House vote.
With new wind in its sails, it was sent to the Senate Transportation Committee, headed by Liias, a Democrat who represents Edmonds, Mukilteo and parts of Everett and Lynnwood.
Liias has long dismissed the idea of the state backing a foot ferry fleet, saying it would distract from, and compete against, the many needs of the state ferry system. The state fleet has just 21 vessels with hundreds of millions of dollars in deferred maintenance.
Washington State Ferries is also under a mandate to completely electrify and modernize its fleet by 2040, a $6.2 billion endeavor that includes building 16 new hybrid-electric vessels and adding charging stations to 16 terminals, among other pricey upgrades.
"As chair of the transportation committee, my goal is to balance all the priorities," Liias said. "But my top priority is to get our state system back to health."
Last week, Liias proposed sweeping amendments to replace Nance's bill with language of his own. Liias' version introduced new rules, that along with limiting new passenger-ferry districts to buying only boats made in Washington state and operating zero-emission vessels, would cut off state funding for the new districts after two years.
Nance was incensed, and in his column he suggested Liias was a transactional and territorial politician who created a culture of retaliation.
"If this is true — and I believe this is all true — I think these are all very despicable reasons to intentionally sabotage good bipartisan legislation," Nance wrote. "It certainly does not help that our elected officials are fearful of retaliation by the chairman of Transportation if they speak up on what better policy would look like."
As state Sen. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, and state Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-West Seattle — the two bodies' majority leaders — work on a compromise, letters of support for Nance's version began pouring in.
Amy Drayer, a Vashon resident who leads the Islanders for Ferry Action group, wrote lawmakers that the House bill was "simple, flexible, and locally empowering." Liias' version, she wrote, played a "politically cynical game" as people who relied on marine transportation waited for a solution.
Peter Philips, a passenger ferry advocate who organizes an annual ferry conference in Seattle, praised Nance's bill as "elegant in its simplicity."
Liias, on the other hand, "made a good bill a bad bill."
For his part, Liias blamed lack of sleep and end-of-session nerves for Nance's reaction, but said he would have preferred a phone call over a newspaper column.
"In my experience if people have concerns, the best thing is to pick up the phone. In general, that doesn't include writing op-eds," Liias said. "We’ll get through this. But if it becomes an all or nothing, I suspect it won’t make it to the governor’s desk.
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