AN ACT Relating to expanding the locations where a person can be guilty of unlawful transit conduct to include the Washington state ferries;
Summary
SB 5716 expands Washington’s unlawful transit conduct law to expressly cover conduct on Washington State Ferries, in addition to existing coverage for transit vehicles and transit stations/facilities. The bill amends the transit conduct statute so that a person can be found guilty of unlawful transit conduct while on or in a ferry, and it defines “transit vehicle” to include a ferry boat operated by or on behalf of a transit authority. It also preserves the existing list of prohibited behaviors, such as smoking, littering, dumping materials, disorderly conduct, damaging property, fare evasion, and interfering with transit operations.
The bill makes unlawful transit conduct on ferries a misdemeanor, aligning ferry-related enforcement with the rules already applicable to other public transit settings. In practical terms, it gives Washington State Ferries and law enforcement a clearer statutory basis to address disruptive, unsafe, or destructive conduct aboard ferries and at ferry-related transit facilities. The measure also updates related definitional language so that ferry service is treated as part of the broader public transit framework for purposes of this offense.
Impact
SB 5716 amends RCW 9.91.025, the unlawful transit conduct statute, to add Washington State Ferries to the locations covered by the offense and to include ferry boats within the definition of transit vehicle. This extends existing transit-behavior restrictions and misdemeanor penalties to ferry passengers and other persons on ferry vessels or ferry-related transit facilities, while leaving the underlying prohibited conduct largely unchanged.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously, then passed the full Senate and House with unanimous floor votes in both chambers. The lack of recorded opposition suggests general agreement that ferry riders should be subject to the same conduct rules as other transit users.
Contention
No significant contention is reflected in the available record. Because there were no recorded no votes in committee or on the floor, there is no evidence of organized opposition in the materials provided. The bill’s main policy choice is straightforward: extending an existing public-transit conduct law to ferries and applying the same misdemeanor enforcement framework there.
Crossfiled
AN ACT Relating to expanding the locations where a person can be guilty of unlawful transit conduct to include the Washington state ferries;