Bill > H3080

This bill establishes an embarkation fee of $2.00 per passenger for ferry trips originating from ports in Barnstable, Nantucket, Dukes, and Bristol counties, with an exemption for ferry boats that transport 100 passengers or fewer. Ferry service operators are required to collect and pay these fees quarterly to the commissioner of revenue, who will then distribute the revenues as follows: 25% to fire districts providing fire or public safety services at the port, 12.5% to cities or towns sharing a harbor but not providing ferry service, and 62.5% to cities or towns with ports that provide ferry service. The collected funds must be deposited into a special fund and can only be used to mitigate ferry service impacts, such as supporting harbor services, public safety, emergency services, or infrastructure improvements. Passengers with commuter, student, commuter excursion, or school-related fares are exempt from the embarkation fee, with "commuter fare" specifically defined as tickets purchased in a book or through the Steamship Authority's Islands Preferred Excursion Program.

Budget and Finance

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H3080