AN ACT Relating to expanding the locations where a person can be guilty of unlawful transit conduct to include the Washington state ferries;
Summary
HB 1616 expands Washington’s unlawful transit conduct law so that conduct already prohibited on transit vehicles and at transit stations/facilities also applies on Washington State Ferries. The bill amends RCW 9.91.025 and related definitions to make clear that a “transit vehicle” includes a ferry boat operated by or on behalf of a transit authority, and that “transit facility” includes passenger facilities and related property used for public transportation services. As a result, the same misdemeanor penalties that apply to unlawful conduct in other transit settings would also apply on state ferry vessels and associated ferry transit areas.
The prohibited conduct covered by the bill includes smoking, littering, dumping materials, disorderly or harassing behavior, damaging property, obstructing passenger flow, consuming alcohol where not authorized, gambling, skating, and other conduct inconsistent with the intended use of transit property. The bill also preserves existing exceptions for authorized activities, such as designated smoking areas, authorized public address or music systems, and permitted use by transit employees or public safety personnel. In practical terms, the measure extends existing transit-order rules to ferry riders and ferry facilities without creating a new category of conduct; it broadens the locations where the current law can be enforced.
Impact
HB 1616 changes state law by expressly including Washington State Ferries within the statutory definition of transit vehicles and transit facilities for purposes of unlawful transit conduct. This means ferry passengers and others on ferry vessels or ferry-related facilities become subject to the same enforcement provisions and misdemeanor penalties that already apply in other transit environments under RCW 9.91.025 and its definitional provisions. The bill affects ferry riders, ferry operators, and law enforcement by giving clearer statutory authority to address prohibited behavior on ferries as part of the broader transit system.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong and unanimous support for the bill. It passed the House Transportation Committee 27-0 and later passed the House on third reading and final passage 97-0. No committee transcript objections are provided, and the vote totals suggest the measure was viewed as a straightforward public-order and transit-safety bill with broad bipartisan agreement.
Contention
No significant contention is reflected in the available materials. Because the bill simply extends existing unlawful transit conduct rules to Washington State Ferries, any potential concerns would likely center on enforcement on ferries, the scope of conduct covered, or how the law interacts with ferry operations and passenger rights. However, the unanimous committee and floor votes indicate that no major political or policy dispute emerged in the recorded legislative action.