Pilotage Bill passes the state Senate

If you blinked yesterday, you would have missed NMTA's Pilotage Bill (Senate Bill 6171) passing the Senate 48-1. Currently, any boats more than 500 tons with a foreign flag are required to hire a pilot when they enter Washington state's waters or move their boat within the waters during their stay. Our bill would up that tonnage limit to 750 gross tons that would be eligible to get an exemption through the Pilotage Commission.

Here's how it went down yesterday: http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tvwplayer&eventID=2012020103B#start=6665&stop=6922

The bill is now headed to the House to move through that chamber before it becomes law.