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ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL 1012

 

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State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

 By Representatives Mitchell, Fisher, Poulsen, McDermott, Ogden and Dunn

 

Read first time 01/10/2001.  Referred to Committee onTransportation.

_1      AN ACT Relating to allowing Washington state ferry fares to be

_2  increased in excess of the fiscal growth factor; amending RCW

_3  47.60.326; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.

     

_4  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

     

_5      Sec. 1.  RCW 47.60.326 and 1999 c 94 s 27 are each amended to read

_6  as follows:

_7      (1) In order to maintain an adequate, fair, and economically

_8  sound schedule of charges for the transportation of passengers,

_9  vehicles, and commodities on the Washington state ferries, the

10  department of transportation each year shall conduct a full review

11  of such charges.

12      (2) Prior to February 1st of each odd-numbered year the

13  department shall transmit to the transportation commission a

14  report of its review together with its recommendations for the

15  revision of a schedule of charges for the ensuing biennium.  The

16  commission on or before July 1st of that year shall adopt as a

17  rule, in the manner provided by the Washington administrative

18  procedure act, a schedule of charges for the Washington state

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_1  ferries for the ensuing biennium commencing July 1st.  The schedule

_2  may initially be adopted as an emergency rule if necessary to take

_3  effect on, or as near as possible to, July 1st.

_4      (3) The department in making its review and formulating

_5  recommendations and the commission in adopting a schedule of

_6  charges may consider any of the following factors:

_7      (a) The amount of subsidy available to the ferry system for

_8  maintenance and operation;

_9      (b) The time and distance of ferry runs;

10      (c) The maintenance and operation costs for ferry runs with a

11  proper adjustment for higher costs of operating outmoded or less

12  efficient equipment;

13      (d) The efficient distribution of traffic between cross-sound

14  routes;

15      (e) The desirability of reasonable commutation rates for

16  persons using the ferry system to commute daily to work;

17      (f) The effect of proposed fares in increasing walk-on and

18  vehicular passenger use;

19      (g) The effect of proposed fares in promoting all types of

20  ferry use during nonpeak periods;

21      (h) Such other factors as prudent managers of a major ferry

22  system would consider.

23      (4) If at any time during the biennium it appears that

24  projected revenues from the Puget Sound ferry operations account

25  and any other operating subsidy available to the Washington state

26  ferries will be less than the projected total cost of maintenance

27  and operation of the Washington state ferries for the biennium,

28  the department shall forthwith undertake a review of its schedule

29  of charges to ascertain whether or not the schedule of charges

30  should be revised.  The department shall, upon completion of its

31  review report, submit its recommendation to the transportation

32  commission which may in its sound discretion revise the schedule

33  of charges as required to meet necessary maintenance and operation

34  expenditures of the ferry system for the biennium or may defer

35  action until the regular annual review and revision of ferry

36  charges as provided in subsection (2) of this section.

37      (5) The provisions of RCW 47.60.330 relating to public

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_1  participation shall apply to the process of revising ferry tolls

_2  under this section.

_3      (6) Under RCW 43.135.055, the transportation commission may

_4  increase ferry tolls included in the schedule of charges adopted

_5  under this section by a percentage that exceeds the fiscal growth

_6  factor.

     

_7      NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  Upon any increase of ferry tolls in excess

_8  of the fiscal growth factor as provided for in section 1 of this

_9  act, the department of transportation shall use no more than ten

10  thousand dollars of the revenues generated by the increased fares

11  to conduct a study of the local roadway and parking impacts of

12  vehicular ferry traffic on municipalities in which ferry terminals

13  are located.  The department shall report its findings and make

14  recommendations for mitigating the identified impacts to the

15  legislature on or before January 1, 2002.  The department shall

16  issue its report electronically, posting it on the department's

17  web site for the public, and transmitting the report to the

18  legislature through the use of electronic mail.

     

19      NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  This act is necessary for the immediate

20  preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of

21  the state government and its existing public institutions, and

22  takes effect immediately.

 

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