AN ACT Relating to pilot qualifications; and amending RCW 88.16.035, 88.16.090, and 88.16.105.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. Section 4, chapter 337, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 88.16.035 are each amended to read as follows:

The board of pilotage commissioners shall:

(1) Adopt rules, pursuant to chapter 34.04 RCW as now existing or hereafter amended, necessary for the enforcement and administration of this chapter((. Rules in effect on September 21, 1977, with the exception of those rules pertaining to pilot qualifications shall remain in force and effect until amended, repealed, or replaced by the board, except that such rules as are inconsistent with the provisions of RCW 88.16.005, 88.16.010, 88.16.020, 88.16.035, 88.16.050, 88.16.070, 88.16.090, 88.16.103, 88.16.105, 88.16.150 and 88.16.155 are hereby repealed));

(2) License pilot applicants meeting the qualifications and passing the examination as provided for in RCW 88.16.090 as now or hereafter amended and to establish additional training requirements, including a program of continuing education developed after consultation with pilot organizations, as required to maintain a competent pilotage service;

(3) Maintain a register of pilots, records of pilot accidents and other history pertinent to pilotage, along with a roster of vessels, agents, owners, operators, and masters necessary for the maintenance of a roster of persons interested in and concerned with pilotage and maritime safety;

(4) To annually fix the pilotage tariffs for pilotage services performed aboard vessels as required by this chapter: PROVIDED, That the board may fix extra compensation for extra services to vessels in distress, for awaiting vessels, or for being carried to sea on vessels against the will of the pilot, and for such other services as may be determined by the board;

(5) To file annually with the governor, the secretary of the senate, and the chief clerk of the house of representatives a report which includes, but is not limited to, the following: The number, names, addresses, ages, pilot license number, and years of service as a Washington licensed pilot of any person licensed by the board as a Washington state pilot; the names, employment, and other information of the members of the board; the total number of pilotage assignments by pilotage district, including information concerning the various types and sizes of vessels and the total annual tonnage; the annual earnings of individual pilots before and after deduction for expenses of pilot organizations, including extra compensation as a separate category; the annual expenses of private pilot associations, including personnel employed and capital expenditures; the status of pilotage tariffs, extra compensation, and travel; the retirement contributions paid to pilots and the disposition thereof; the number of accidents, groundings, mishaps, or other incidents which are reported to or investigated by the board, including the vessel name, location of incident, pilot's name, and disposition of the case together with information received before the board acted from all persons concerned, including the United States coast guard; the disposition and listing of all complaints filed by any person against any pilot or by any pilot against any other person or organization; the names, qualifications, time scheduled for examinations, and the district of persons desiring to apply for Washington state pilotage licenses; summaries of dispatch records, quarterly reports from pilots, and the bylaws and operating rules of pilotage organizations; the names, sizes in deadweight tons, surcharges, if any, port of call, name of the pilot, and names and horsepower of tug boats for any and all oil tankers subject to the provisions of RCW 88.16.170 through 88.16.190 together with the names of any and all vessels for which the United States coast guard requires special handling pursuant to their authority under the Ports and Waterways Safety Act of 1972; the expenses of the board; and any and all other information which the board deems appropriate to include;

(6) Publish a manual which includes the pilotage act and other statutes of Washington state and the federal government which affect pilotage, including the rules of the board, together with such additional information as may be informative for pilots, agents, owners, operators, and masters. Such manual shall be distributed without cost to all pilots and governmental agencies upon request. All other copies shall be sold for a five dollar fee with proceeds to be credited to the pilotage account;

(7) Provide for the maintenance of efficient and competent pilotage service on all waters covered by this chapter; and do such other things as are reasonable, necessary, and expedient to insure proper and safe pilotage upon the waters covered by this chapter and facilitate the efficient administration of this chapter.

Sec. 2. Section 8, chapter 18, Laws of 1935 as last amended by section 1, chapter 122, Laws of 1986 and RCW 88.16.090 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) ((No)) A person may pilot any vessel subject to the provisions of this chapter on waters covered by this chapter ((~~unless such a person is~~)) only if appointed and licensed to pilot such vessels on said waters under and pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

(2) ((No)) A person is eligible to be appointed a pilot ((~~unless such a~~)) if the person is a citizen of the United States, over the age of twenty-five years and under the age of seventy years (( ~~and~~)), a resident of the state of Washington at the time of appointment((~~, nor unless~~)) and only if the pilot applicant holds as a minimum, a United States government license as a master of freight and towing vessels not more than one thousand gross tons (inspected vessel), such license to have been held by the applicant for a period of at least two years prior to taking the Washington state pilotage examination and a first class United States endorsement without restrictions on that license to pilot in the pilotage districts for which the pilot applicant desires to be licensed, ((~~nor unless~~)) and if the pilot applicant meets such other qualifications as may be required by the board.

(3) Pilots shall be licensed hereunder for a term of five years from and after the date of the issuance of their respective state licenses. Such licenses shall thereafter be renewed as of course, unless the board shall withhold same for good cause. Each pilot shall pay to the state treasurer an annual license fee established by the board of pilotage commissioners pursuant to chapter 34.04 RCW, but not to exceed one thousand five hundred dollars, to be placed in the state treasury to the credit of the pilotage account. The board may assess partially active or inactive pilots a reduced fee.

(4) Pilot applicants shall be required to pass a written and oral examination administered and graded by the board which shall test such applicants on this chapter, the rules of the board, local harbor ordinances, and such other matters as may be required to compliment the United States examinations and qualifications.

(5) ((~~On and after September 21, 1977,~~)) The board shall have developed five examinations and grading sheets for the Puget Sound pilotage district, and two for each other pilotage district, for the testing and grading of pilot applicants. The examinations shall be administered to pilot applicants on a random basis and shall be updated as required to reflect changes in law, rules, policies, or procedures. The board may appoint a special independent examination committee or may contract with a firm knowledgeable and experienced in the development of professional tests for development of said examinations. Active licensed state pilots may be consulted for the general development of examinations but shall have no knowledge of the specific questions. The pilot members of the board may participate in the grading of examinations. If the board does appoint a special examination development committee it is authorized to pay the members of said committee the same compensation and travel expenses as received by members of the board. When grading examinations the board shall carefully follow the grading sheet prepared for that examination. The board shall develop a "sample examination" which would tend to indicate to an applicant the general types of questions on pilot examinations, but such sample questions shall not appear on any actual examinations. Any person who wilfully gives advance knowledge of information contained on a pilot examination is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

(6) All pilots and applicants are subject to an annual physical examination by a physician chosen by the board. The physician shall examine the applicant's heart, blood pressure, circulatory system, lungs and respiratory system, eyesight, hearing, and such other items as may be prescribed by the board. After consultation with a physician and the United States coast guard, the board shall establish minimum health standards to ensure that pilots licensed by the state are able to perform their duties. Within ninety days of the date of each annual physical examination, and after review of the physician's report, the board shall make a determination of whether the pilot or candidate is fully able to carry out the duties of a pilot under this chapter.

(7) The board shall prescribe, pursuant to chapter 34.04 RCW, a number of familiarization trips, between a minimum number of twenty-five and a maximum of one hundred, which pilot applicants must make in the pilotage district for which they desire to be licensed. Familiarization trips any particular applicant must make are to be based upon the applicant's vessel handling experience.

(8) The board may prescribe vessel simulator training for a pilot applicant, or pilot subject to RCW 88.16.105, as it deems appropriate to enhance that person's ability to perform pilotage duties under this chapter.

(9) The board shall prescribe, pursuant to chapter 34.04 RCW, such reporting requirements and review procedures as may be necessary to assure the accuracy and validity of license and service claims, and records of familiarization trips of pilot candidates. Willful misrepresentation of such required information by a pilot candidate shall result in disqualification of the candidate.

Sec. 3. Section 10, chapter 337, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 88.16.105 are each amended to read as follows:

The board shall prescribe, pursuant to chapter 34.04 RCW, rules governing the size and type of vessels which a newly licensed pilot may be assigned to pilot on the waters of this state and whether the assignment involves docking or undocking a vessel. The rules shall also prescribe required familiarization trips before a newly licensed pilot may pilot a larger or different type of vessel. Such rules shall be ((~~only~~)) for the first ((~~two~~)) three year period in which pilots are actually employed.