A bill to capture some of the commercial fishing taxes for the city of Westport, already deposited in the state general fund, is alive in the Washington state Legislature following a hearing Thursday in Olympia.

HB 1806 is prime sponsored by Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-24th District. Its aim is to tap into fishing revenue at the port to help pay for added costs to the city from the commercial fishing industry for areas such as sewer, water and roads.

“This came to me from the city of Westport,” Tharinger testified before the House Finance Committee on Thursday. “If you are not familiar with Westport, it’s the largest food landing port in the state, and one of the largest on the West Coast. There is a huge impact to the city when these fish are coming in — tuna, salmon and crab — and other riches from the sea, and there’s huge processing plants, there’s trucks everywhere and there’s huge impacts to the infrastructure.”

HB 1806 is a way for the state to share some of the revenue to meet the local needs to pay for infrastructure, Tharinger testified, calling the fishing industry “an obviously important part of our economy on the coast.”

The bill proposes that a portion of the enhanced food fish excise tax, known as the “landing tax,” be allocated to the cities where the fish is landed, allowing these communities to benefit from the taxes paid by commercial fishers.

The enhanced food fish tax is measured by the value of the fish when first landed. “Landed” means the act of physically placing enhanced food fish on a tender in the territorial waters of Washington, including wharves and piers.

The tax is paid by the first commercial possessor, who is usually the licensed dealer who bought the fish.

If passed, HB 1806 would reduce state revenues by $690,000 in five months in 2027 and by $1.7 million for the first full year in 2028. It would raise local revenues by $560,000 in the first partial year in 2027 and by $1.7 million in the first full year in 2028.

The bill amends RCW 82.27.070 to mandate that 50% of the excise tax collected be distributed to the city in which the fish was landed. The bill creates a new rate of 2.65% for the state general fund and introduces a new distribution of 2.625% to the landing cities, enhancing local support for communities engaged in commercial fishing.

The enhanced food fish tax also applies to byproducts and parts of seafood.