S-2028.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5664

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Horn, Bauer, Sheldon and Schow)

Read first time 02/27/97.

Allowing credit and debit card purchases in state liquor stores.

    AN ACT Relating to credit and debit card purchases in state liquor stores; and amending RCW 66.08.026 and 66.16.041.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 66.08.026 and 1996 c 291 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

    All administrative expenses of the board incurred on and after April 1, 1963 shall be appropriated and paid from the liquor revolving fund.  These administrative expenses shall include, but not be limited to:  The salaries and expenses of the board and its employees, the cost of establishing, leasing, maintaining, and operating state liquor stores and warehouses, legal services, pilot projects, annual or other audits, and other general costs of conducting the business of the board.  The administrative expenses shall not, however, be deemed to include costs of liquor and lottery tickets purchased, the cost of transportation and delivery to the point of distribution, other costs pertaining to the acquisition and receipt of liquor and lottery tickets, packaging and repackaging of liquor, transaction fees associated with credit card purchases pursuant to RCW 66.16.040 and 66.16.041, sales tax, and those amounts distributed pursuant to RCW 66.08.180, 66.08.190, 66.08.200, 66.08.210 and 66.08.220.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 66.16.041 and 1996 c 291 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The state liquor control board shall ((allow)) accept bank credit card and debit cards from nonlicensees for purchases in ((a pilot project to study and test the use of credit cards in)) state liquor stores((.  In order to conduct the pilot project, the board shall, by rule:

    (a) Establish the criteria for selecting store test sites;

    (b) Limit the pilot project to eighteen months in duration;

    (c) Include no more than twenty stores;

    (d) Include the use of debit cards; and

    (e) Allow only nonlicensees to make credit card purchases.)), under such rules as the board may adopt.  The board shall authorize liquor vendors appointed under RCW 66.08.050 to accept bank credit cards and debit cards for liquor purchases under this title, under such rules as the board may adopt.

    (2) The board shall provide a report ((of the results)) evaluating the implementation of this section to the appropriate committees of the legislature by January 1, 1998.

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