SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 630

BYHouse Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Zellinsky, Schmidt, Gallagher and Haugen)

Revising certain pilotage requirements.

House Committe on Transportation

Senate Committee on Transportation

Senate Hearing Date(s):April 1, 1987

Majority Report:     Do pass as amended.

     Signed by Senators Peterson, Chairman; Hansen, Vice Chairman; Tanner, Vice Chairman; Bailey, Barr, Conner, DeJarnatt, Garrett, Nelson, Patterson, Sellar, Smitherman, von Reichbauer.

Senate Staff:Gene Baxstrom (786-7303)

                April 3, 1987

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, APRIL 1, 1987

BACKGROUND:

The State Pilotage Act, Chapter 88.16 RCW, creates the Board of Pilotage Commissioners and outlines their duties and authority.  Statute provides that the Board be composed of two pilots, two shippers, and two additional members who shall be persons interested in and concerned with pilotage, with broad experience related to the maritime industry exclusive of experience as either a state licensed pilot or as a shipping representative.  There currently is no specific requirement that the pilot representative or the shipping representative be presently actively engaged in those activities nor that the other two members of the Board not be either a state pilot or a shipping company person.

The Board does not have the authority to preclude a pilot from serving on a certain company's vessels.

To prosecute violators of the Pilotage Act, the Board must bring charges through the prosecuting attorney in the county where a violation of the act occurred.

A joint subcommittee of the House and Senate Transportation Committees reviewed the State Pilotage Act during 1986.  The following summary reflects the recommendations of that subcommittee which relate to the Board.

SUMMARY:

The following changes in the Board of Pilotage Commissioner's structure are: (1) the current chair of the Board of Pilotage Commissioners is changed from the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to the Assistant Secretary of Transportation; (2) authority for the chair to name another departmental employee as chair is retained; however, that person must be full-time; (3) the shipping and pilot members of the Board must remain actively engaged in those respective vocations while serving on the Board; (4) citizen members of the Board may not have been a pilot or employee of a shipping company for 10 years prior to appointment to the Board and may not have any direct financial interest related to pilotage or shipping companies.

The Board is authorized to bring actions to prosecute those violating the Pilotage Act through the attorney general, in addition to the current authority for a county attorney general.

A steamship company or agent may request to the Board for specific safety reasons that a particular pilot not be assigned to its vessels.  A hearing on that request is provided and the Board is granted the authority to deny a pilot the ability to serve on that company's vessels.

The Grays Harbor Pilotage District is redefined to include Willapa Harbor and the Board is given the authority to establish the boundary line between the harbors and the high seas.

Obsolete language is deleted.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SENATE AMENDMENT:

It is specified that pilot members of the Board must include a member from the Port Angeles and the Grays Harbor pilotage district.

The requirement that a departmental employee, who may be designated by the Assistant Secretary for Marine Transportation to chair the Board, be a full-time person is deleted.

Language requiring that citizen members of the Board not be pilots or shipping company employees for ten years, nor have a direct financial interest related to pilotage or shipping companies prior to appointment to the Board, is deleted and current law is retained.

Fiscal Note:    none requested

Senate Committee - Testified:   Randy Ray, Puget Sound Steamship Operators Associations; Ralph White, Chairman, Board of Pilotage Commissioners