Senate give unanimous approval of Haugen WSF accountability plan

OLYMPIA — A bill establishing greater accountability at Washington State Ferries passed the Senate today on a rare 49-0 vote.

Senate Bill 6932, sponsored by Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, requires Washington State Ferries (WSF) to adopt the recommendations of the 2007 Joint Transportation Committee ferry study.

“It’s time we gave Washington State Ferries some very strict and clear guidelines of what we, and their customers, expect,” said Haugen, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. “They need to establish and maintain performance standards, and they need to be ready to give us a good explanation when those standards aren’t met.”

SB 6932 will require WSF will be required to develop specific plans that address various aspects of their operations, including:

• a vessel deployment plan to ensure that the fleet is being used as efficiently as possible
• a vessel maintenance and preservation program, to be reviewed by the JTC in 2009, which must include, at a minimum:
  • measures to maximize efficiency by reducing dry-dock time;
  • a review of maintenance expenditures; and
  • notification to the legislature of any vessels not being maintained according to it’s established schedule.
• a vessel rebuild and replacement plan that provides a timeline for vessel acquisition and identifies future capital needs.
• A vessel sizing study to ensure that WSF is procuring appropriate vessels

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