A state legislative bill to restore reliable ferry service by getting boats on the water faster and cheaper recently passed the House with bipartisan support and is proceeding through the Senate.

State Rep. Greg Nance of the 23rd Legislative District, representing Kitsap, informed The Leader that House Bill 1923, a.k.a. the Mosquito Fleet Act, passed the House 87-8 on Friday, March 7.

As of Monday, March 10, HB 1923 was being shepherded through the Senate Transportation Committee by state Sen. Deborah Krishnadasan of the 26th district, representing South Kitsap and West Pierce County.

Nance, a Democrat, credited Republican leaders with speaking in favor of the bill on the floor, Nance said.

Given his colleagues’ initial skepticism, as well as the “budget hole” the state is facing, Nance noted that the House vote “dramatically exceeded” his expectations. He expressed his gratitude to colleagues for their willingness to work across the aisle.

Nance specifically identified state Rep. Adam Bernbaum of the 24th Legislative District, which includes Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula, who also serves as vice chair of the House Transportation Committee, which heard HB 1923 on Feb. 19.

“In addition to his work drafting the transportation budget and other legislative duties, Adam has been a key partner and champion of the Mosquito Fleet Act,” Nance said.

Nance cited the challenges facing ferry-served communities, who are entering a sixth year of “major” Washington State Ferries service cuts and cancellations, as a motivator for this legislation, which he added could fund future routes linking Port Townsend with Friday Harbor, Whidbey, Kingston and even Seattle.

At the Feb. 19 hearing, Nance touted the bill’s “strong support,” including 749 individuals and organizations signing in “pro” on the legislative record, as well as 30 testifiers, including small business owners, downtown association and chamber of commerce leaders, healthcare professionals, school board directors, firefighters and emergency response planners, bicycle advocates, environmentalists, city council members and mayors, port commissioners, county commissioners and labor leaders.

Nance chuckled as he pointed out that Republican state Rep. Chris Corry of the 15th district, representing the Yakima area, was hearing from his father, who lives in Friday Harbor, about this legislation.

In his own remarks to the House Transportation Committee on Feb. 19, Nance explained that HB 1923 was also named the Mosquito Fleet Act because “we can use lessons from Puget Sound’s maritime history and heritage to guide us to a healthier, more prosperous, more connected future.”

In the near term, Nance acknowledged that the passage of the bill within a limited time window will require that the Senate place a priority on it. He voiced confidence it would move forward given the bill has already “defied the odds.”