SB 5751 -
By Senator Kohl-Welles
ADOPTED AS AMENDED 02/12/2008
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The liquor control board shall
establish a pilot project to allow beer and wine tasting in grocery
stores licensed under RCW 66.24.360.
(a) The pilot project shall consist of thirty locations with at
least six tastings to be conducted at each location between October 1,
2008, and September 30, 2009. However, no licensee may hold more than
one tasting per month during the project period.
(b) The pilot project locations shall be determined by the board
and must be equally allocated between independently owned grocery
stores and national chain grocery stores.
(c) Licensees chosen to participate in the pilot project must meet
the following criteria:
(i) Their primary activity is the retail sale of grocery products
for off-premises consumption; and
(ii) They operate a fully enclosed retail area encompassing at
least nine thousand square feet.
(d) Tasting activities of licensees under this section are subject
to RCW 66.28.010 and 66.28.040 and the cost of sampling may not be
borne, directly or indirectly, by any liquor manufacturer, importer, or
distributor.
(e) A "tasting" may be conducted under the following conditions:
(i) Each sample must be two ounces or less, up to a total of four
ounces, per customer; and
(ii) No more than one sample of any single brand and type of beer
or wine may be provided to a customer during any one visit to the
premises.
(f) The service area and facilities must be located within the
licensee's fully enclosed retail area, and must be of a size and design
such that the licensee can observe and control persons in the area to
ensure that persons under twenty-one years of age and obviously
intoxicated persons cannot possess or consume alcohol. Customers must
remain in the service area while consuming samples.
(g) The licensee may only advertise the tasting event within the
store.
(h) All other criteria needed to establish and monitor the pilot
project shall be determined by the board.
(i) The board shall report on the pilot project to the appropriate
committees of the legislature by December 1, 2009.
(2) The liquor control board shall adopt rules to implement this
section. The rules must include a requirement that employees of
licensees under RCW 66.24.360 and 66.24.371 who are involved in tasting
activities complete a board-approved limited alcohol server training
program that addresses only those subjects reasonably related to the
licensees' tasting activities.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 This act expires December 1, 2009."
On page 1, line 1 of the title, after "tasting;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "creating a new section; and providing an expiration date."