The bill creates a legislative pathway authorizing the governor to declare an emergency for ferry procurement if Washington State Ferries (WSF) fails to award a contract in spring 2025 for a WSF‑designed hybrid electric ferry. Under that emergency authority (citing chapters 38.52 and 43.06 RCW) the Department of Transportation may immediately expedite permitting and conduct an emergency procurement to acquire at least two nonhybrid electric ferries with a goal of delivery in two years, may use the existing Olympic class design or another design compatible with existing infrastructure, and is directed to prefer warranty work performed in Washington when practicable. The emergency provisions are stated to supersede and replace requirements in RCW 47.60.826 and any conflicting executive order, and the department is authorized to negotiate contracts without bid in specified emergency or single‑source situations, including emergency vessel construction under a gubernatorial emergency. The bill also amends multiple statutes to change who has authority and how ferry procurement and related toll and fare functions operate. It amends RCW 47.56.030 to place the Department of Transportation in full charge of planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of toll bridges and other toll facilities including WSF (subject to RCW 47.56.820), assigns toll‑setting to the transportation commission, directs use of unified interoperable toll systems, and adds procurement flexibilities such as allowing competitive sealed proposals when an invitation for bid is impracticable and requiring life‑cycle cost analysis (including fuel efficiency) for RFPs involving propulsion equipment, with life‑cycle cost given at least equal weight to initial price. It reaffirms the department’s authority to acquire and operate the ferry system and to sell and lease back ferries for federal tax purposes (amending RCW 47.60.010), and makes multiple procurement and programmatic changes in the 144‑vehicle ferry program—authorizing contracting for up to five new hybrid diesel‑electric 144‑auto ferries (with minimum two‑vessel contracts and options up to five), exempting certain contracts from RCW 47.60.810–824, allowing various procurement methods, requiring an independent owner’s representative for development and construction of the first vessel of a new class developed after July 6, 2015, requiring third‑party experts to provide semiannual reports to the legislature and OFM, imposing and describing vessel replacement surcharges and limits on fare increases, setting contractor compliance requirements (apprenticeship, water pollution, federal disadvantaged business enterprise targets, and state small business goals), providing a credit for in‑state construction, repealing RCW 47.60.838, and making immediate effective‑date provisions as necessary for public safety or government support. The text provided is incomplete in places. Section 5 (amendment to RCW 47.60.810) is cut off, the full text of the new section referenced as section 2 is not included here, several referenced amendments (including changes to RCW 47.60.315 and the full repeal language) are not shown, the precise trigger or measurement point for the “goal of delivery in two years” is not specified, and no specific budget or appropriation amounts are provided.

If the hybrid ferry contract isn’t awarded in spring 2025, this bill creates a fast-track option for the governor to declare an emergency so Washington State Ferries can buy at least two nonhybrid ferries quickly (using an existing Olympic‑class or compatible design), speed permits, and negotiate emergency contracts without normal bidding. In practice that means the ferry system could put service-capable vessels into operation sooner and delay or reduce near‑term hybrid conversions, shifting money and management away from electrification efforts and potentially shortening outages, but it also increases the chance procurement will proceed with less competitive bidding and inward‑focused design choices. The department and ferry system gain more decision authority and new oversight duties (independent owner’s rep and third‑party experts), shipbuilders in Washington are advantaged by a material bid credit and a preference for in‑state warranty work, and riders face an explicit $0.25 per-ride vessel replacement surcharge plus the possibility of an additional surcharge to fund hybrid vessel debt (unless that would raise fares by more than 10%). Contractors must meet apprenticeship, environmental, and small‑business or federal DBE requirements. Key details that affect costs and timing — the exact trigger for the two‑year delivery goal, and any specific budget or appropriation amounts — are not provided in the excerpts.