---
type: "Bill"
title: "Addressing workforce development issues, including cultural issues, at the Washington state ferries."
description: "Addressing workforce development issues, including cultural issues, at the Washington state ferries."
jurisdiction: "us/states/wa"
legislature: "Washington Legislature"
session: "2023-2024"
identifier: "SB 5550"
citation: "Washington SB 5550 (2023-2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Liias"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 27
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2023-01-25"
last_action: "2023-04-25"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/07ac459e-672c-48c5-b4c2-9c60b67d5557"
source_url: "http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5550&year=2023"
source_hash: "ee2577315f36daf233c08b91d8f6745e75557f2e5de392021a174f8f7ebe278d"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-wa"]
---

# Washington SB 5550 (2023-2024) — Addressing workforce development issues, including cultural issues, at the Washington state ferries.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Bill** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5550.htm)
2. **Passed Legislature** (committee substitute) — [source](http://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/5550.PL.htm)

## Votes

- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#11) — **45–3** (pass) · upper
- 623 Corry Pg 4 Ln 21 (#31) — **41–57** (fail) · lower
- 3rd Reading & Final Passage (#32) — **91–7** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Liias — primary (person)
- C. Wilson — cosponsor (person)
- Hasegawa — cosponsor (person)
- Hunt — cosponsor (person)
- Kauffman — cosponsor (person)
- Keiser — cosponsor (person)
- Lovelett — cosponsor (person)
- Lovick — cosponsor (person)
- Nguyen — cosponsor (person)
- Nobles — cosponsor (person)
- Randall — cosponsor (person)
- Robinson — cosponsor (person)
- Shewmake — cosponsor (person)
- Valdez — cosponsor (person)
- Van De Wege — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-01-25** First reading, referred to Transportation. `reading-1`
- **2023-02-09** Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 4:00 PM.
- **2023-02-16** Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Transportation at 4:00 PM.
- **2023-02-16** TRAN - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-02-16** Minority; do not pass. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-16** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-02-17** Passed to Rules Committee for second reading.
- **2023-02-27** Placed on second reading by Rules Committee. `reading-2`
- **2023-03-01** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2023-03-01** Third reading, passed; yeas, 45; nays, 3; absent, 0; excused, 1. `reading-3`
- **2023-03-02** First reading, referred to Transportation. `reading-1`
- **2023-03-15** Public hearing in the House Committee on Transportation at 4:00 PM.
- **2023-04-04** Executive action taken in the House Committee on Transportation at 1:30 PM.
- **2023-04-04** TR - Majority; do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-04-04** Minority; without recommendation. `committee-passage-unfavorable`
- **2023-04-04** Referred to Rules 2 Review. `referral-committee`
- **2023-04-07** Rules Committee relieved of further consideration. Placed on second reading. `reading-2`
- **2023-04-07** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2023-04-10** Returned to second reading for amendment.
- **2023-04-10** Rules suspended. Placed on Third Reading. `reading-3`
- **2023-04-10** Third reading, passed; yeas, 91; nays, 7; absent, 0; excused, 0. `reading-3`
- **2023-04-12** President signed. `passage`
- **2023-04-14** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2023-04-18** Delivered to Governor. `executive-receipt`
- **2023-04-25** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2023-04-25** Chapter 188, 2023 Laws. `became-law`
- **2023-04-25** Effective date 7/23/2023. `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/07ac459e-672c-48c5-b4c2-9c60b67d5557`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Washington legislature records).