FRI @ 2:30 p.m.: Mosquito Fleet Act Hearing in Senate Transportation Committee
If passed and signed into law, it could open doors that could lead to a San Juans-Bellingham “Medical Express” dream route
by Jeff Noedel
CNL3’s “48th Parallel News”
Thu., Feb. 26, 2026, 12:30 p.m.
There are just a few days left before another do-or-die deadline for H.B. 1923, The Mosquito Fleet Act. The bill must make it out of the Senate Transportation Committee by Monday, March 2.
But last Friday, “1923” moved further than a similar version did in last year’s session. Last year, 1923 failed to secure a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee. On Friday, committee chair Marko Liias placed the bill on the scheduled hearing tomorrow.
BIG COUNTIES ALREADY HAVE LOCALLY-RUN PASSENGER-ONLY ROUTES
King County Metro Water Taxi has made a huge difference in people’s lives. Their walk-on fast ferries connect riders from Downtown Seattle to West Seattle in 10 minutes, and to Vashon Island in 22 minutes. Fares start at $5, and youth ride free. Riders can pay with your universal ORCA transit card.
And by any measure, Kitsap Transit’s Fast Ferries program is a success. On any given weekday, Kitsap Fast Ferries delivers more than 4,000 people across the Puget Sound to their jobs.
Their modern fast ferries can cut through the water at speeds of 28 to 38 knots, while leaving a minimal wake. In addition to the speeds of the ferries, they are a doubly-valuable because they can traverse routes between smaller docks — routes that Washington State Ferries do not serve. One example of a novel route made possible by smaller passenger-only ferries in Kingston to Seattle.
Greg Nance knows all this very well. He is the State Representative for much of Kitsap County, the fourth-largest county in metro Seattle, with terminals for four of WSF routes: Seattle-Bainbridge Island, Edmonds-Kingston, and Seattle-Bremerton, Southworth-Vashon-Fauntleroy.
Representative Nance prioritizes the needs of his constituents. But like the best legislators, he also cares about all Washingtonians. So he is motivated to help other Puget Sound communities experience the economic and lifestyle benefits of a fast ferry he has seen in his own district.
In late 2024, he began touting his idea of “The Mosquito Fleet Act” — an idea I first heard him explain in mid-November 2024 in a public meeting at Mukilteo. By the time the 2025 biennial session of the legislature began, he filed a bill in the House of Representatives of the same name, and it was assigned a number: H.B. 1923. He found 10 more representatives to co-sponsor the bill, and it was instantly popular among leaders and regular folk up and down Puget Sound.
H.B. 1923 is a no-brainer, which is why so many local leaders were puzzled why the bill sailed through the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan, and died in the Senate Transportation Committee last year.
The Mosquito Fleet Act would cost the state government virtually nothing. $50 million in funding was stripped out of the bill last year, since the budget was so stressed with a multi-bilion-dollar shortfall. And going into the Supplemental session this year, the bill was tweaked to add extra protections in fast ferries for southern resident killer whales.
The thing about passenger-only ferry routes, they all have different purposes. Different configured boats. Serve different purposes. What San Juan Islands residents need from a fast ferry is very different from what Kitsap County needs, and what King County needs.
DARE TO DREAM: A PASSENGER-ONLY ROUTE TO BELLINGHAM FOR MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS
Passenger-only ferries are not at all one-size-fits-all.
Some communities need a walk-on ferry for their economy or for tourism. Some need a walk-on ferry to move commuters to their big city jobs. In the San Juans, many say the biggest need is for a passenger-only ferry that takes residents of the islands to their medical appointments in Bellingham. The service would connect to flexible ground transportation — such as a shuttle bus or cab stand — on the Bellingham side.
A sizable portion of the population of the San Juans use the Peace Island Medical Center in Friday Harbor. But for speciality physicians and many types of surgery and other procedures, referrals are made to the sprawling PeaceHealth Medical Center in suburban Bellingham.
It is not unusual to hear of an older resident of the San Juans who has to move back to the mainland for one heartbeaking, but non-negotiable, reason: access to advanced healthcare. It is entirely possible a “medical express” passenger-only ferry, direct to Bellingham with ground connections dockside, could help islanders stay in the islands they love all the way through their lives.
To be clear, H.B. 1923, The Mosquito Fleet Act would not itself set-up passenger-ferry routes in the San Juans and beyond. It would simply pave the way for localities, such as county government, the Town of Friday Harbor, local port commissions, or other local entities to develop a plan and submit it to voters. H.B. 1923 offers no financial support of any new routes; operating funds might come from a variety of sources, including but not limited to dedicated sales tax revenue and/or rider fares.
To watch the WA Senate Transportation Committee hearing live, scheduled for Fri., Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m. click here.
The 19 members of the Transportation Committee are as follows. Click on the hotlink for contact details.
Sen. Emily Alvarado (Democrat, LD 34, Chinatown, SODO, West Seattle, Georgetown, Fauntleroy, Vashon Island)
Sen. Mike Chapman (Democrat, LD 24, Olympic Peninsula, Ocean Shores, Grays Harbor)
Sen. Leonard Christian (Republican, LD 4, Spokane Valley)
Sen. Adrian Cortes (Democrat, LD 18, Vancouver)
Sen. Phil Fortunato (Republican, LD 31, Sumner – Bonney Lake)
Sen. Keith Goehner (Republican, LD 12, Monroe, Index, Leavenworth, Wenatchee)
Sen. Paul Harris (Republican, LD 17, Vancouver)
Sen. Jeff Holy (Republican, LD 6, Spokane)
Sen. Victoria Hunt (Democrat, LD 5, Issaquah, Snoqualmie, Enumclaw)
Sen. Curtis King (Republican, LD 14, Yakima, Pasco)
Sen. Deborah Krishnadasan, Committee Vice-Chair (Democrat, LD 26, Bremerton, Port Orchard, Gig Harbor)
Sen. Marko Liias, Committee Chair (Democrat, LD 21, Mukilteo, North Lynnwood, Edmonds)
Sen. Liz Lovelett (Democrat, LD 40, Fairhaven (Bellingham), Burlington/Mount Vernon, Anacortes, San Juan Islands)
Sen. John Lovick (Democrat, LD 44, Snohomish, Mill Creek)
Sen. Drew MacEwen (Republican, LD 35, Seabeck, Hoodsport, Shelton, Rochester)
Sen. T’wina Nobles (Democrat, LD 28, Lakewood, DuPont)
Sen. Sharon Shewmake (Democrat, LD 42, Blaine, Ferndale, Bellingham)
Sen. Javier Valdez (Democrat, LD 46, Lake City, Northgate, Green Lake, Ravenna)
Sen. Jeff Wilson (Republican, LD 19, Hoquiam, Westport, Centralia, Longview)
When addressing legislators in writing, it is customary to address them as “The Honorable,” and in “The Hon. Liz Lovelett.”