URGENT: THE MOSQUITO FLEET ACT NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT TODAY

Urge the Washington Legislature now to pass the Mosquito Fleet Act and get new passenger-only ferries on the water ASAP. 

The ISSUE

• The State ferry system is broken - delayed sailings, canceled sailings, and a reservation system that rations service
• While WSF staffing is improving, the state of the fleet is deteriorating badly, and it will get much worse before it starts to get better
• This leads to people missing jobs, medical appointments, economic impact, and hurdles to commerce
• Most of the legislature is favorable to THE ORIGINAL HB 1923, except for one Committee Chair

A SOLUTION is Right in Front of Us

• HB 1923 is the product of a 1-1/2 year campaign for the law, which will empower communities
• Local leaders can solve problems, and are accountable to local constituents and local voters
• Locally run passenger only ferries are huge successes for King County and Kitsap County, and they'll be successes in other localities in Washington

The HANGUP:  Senate Transportation Chairman Marko Liias' "Striker Amendment” loaded HB 1923 with 14 obligations and restrictions, several of which would damage or sink HB 1923

• The Liias “striker amendment” was a last minute switcharoo, and its content was not vetted in any public hearing
• Expert supporters of passenger-only ferry routes are shocked, confused, and angry at the changes, and the way they were put in
• The Liias version would add millions of dollars of cost to developing a typical local passenger-only ferry system
• The Liias version will add years of delay to the creation of new routes
• The Liias version would make it illegal for the State to ever provide any funding for any of the new local routes
• The way the Liias amendment was put in -- minutes before it was voted on -- is not good government.  It's not transparent.  And it's not responsive to the will of the people who have supported HB 1923 for 1-1/2 years.

Sign the petition today to support solutions for ferry-dependent Washingtonians promptly, while supporting good government at the same time.