This bill creates a new type of local government entity called a "passenger-only ferry service district," defined as a quasi-municipal corporation and independent taxing authority under the state constitution, and it amends RCW 36.57A.222. The act is titled the "mosquito fleet act" and takes effect July 1, 2026. Passenger-only ferry service districts may be created by certain local governing bodies that border Puget Sound or Grays Harbor (including specified counties, port districts, public transportation benefit areas, city transit systems, county transportation authorities, metropolitan municipal corporation transit systems, unincorporated transportation benefit areas, and regional transit authorities). The districts may establish, finance, and provide passenger-only ferry service and related support services; exercise typical corporate powers such as hiring staff, entering contracts, acquiring and disposing of property, and suing or being sued; and are subject to the public works contract limits that apply to the entity that established them. The bill imposes a procedural requirement that a district must adopt a passenger-only ferry investment plan before providing service. That plan must identify terminals, projected costs, and revenue sources (including tolls, local taxes, and other revenues) and must ensure services benefit district residents. Districts may enter into contracts, public-private partnerships, and use alternative procurement processes substantially consistent with chapter 39.10 RCW. A district may be dissolved by a majority vote of the establishing governing body only after all general obligation bonds and other contractual obligations have been discharged or assumed by another governmental entity. The bill’s legislative findings reference Washington state ferries, tourism-dependent small businesses and mariners, and protections for southern resident orcas, but the specific existing laws or technical standards referenced are not identified in the provided text. The extract shows edits to RCW 36.57A.222 and references two different RCWs for "city transit system," and the title page indicates additional new sections beyond those shown; those other sections and the full prior and amended statutory language are not included here, so some details are uncertain.

If enacted, the bill lets many local governments that border Puget Sound or Grays Harbor create new passenger-only ferry service districts that can plan, finance (using tolls, local taxes, and other revenues), and operate passenger-only ferries and related services inside their boundaries. Those districts will be separate corporate, taxing entities with authority to hire staff, enter contracts, pursue public-private partnerships, and use alternative procurement approaches substantially consistent with state rules; they must complete a required investment plan identifying terminals, projected costs, and revenue sources before starting service. The law takes effect July 1, 2026. Practically, local residents and businesses in any district could see new local taxes or tolls and will be exposed to any bond or contractual obligations the district takes on (the district cannot be dissolved until general obligation bonds and contracts are discharged or assumed by another government). Founding governments and the new districts will share procurement and public works constraints—the district may use flexible procurement but remains subject to the public works limits of the entity that created it. Important details are missing from the provided text, including specific limits on taxation or bonding authority and the exact orca-protection measures referenced, so some fiscal and environmental implementation details remain unclear.