SSB 5834 -
By Representative Conway
ADOPTED 04/09/2009
On page 1, after line 5, insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 66.04.010 and 2008 c 94 s 4 are each amended to read
as follows:
In this title, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Alcohol" is that substance known as ethyl alcohol, hydrated
oxide of ethyl, or spirit of wine, which is commonly produced by the
fermentation or distillation of grain, starch, molasses, or sugar, or
other substances including all dilutions and mixtures of this
substance. The term "alcohol" does not include alcohol in the
possession of a manufacturer or distiller of alcohol fuel, as described
in RCW 66.12.130, which is intended to be denatured and used as a fuel
for use in motor vehicles, farm implements, and machines or implements
of husbandry.
(2) "Authorized representative" means a person who:
(a) Is required to have a federal basic permit issued pursuant to
the federal alcohol administration act, 27 U.S.C. Sec. 204;
(b) Has its business located in the United States outside of the
state of Washington;
(c) Acquires ownership of beer or wine for transportation into and
resale in the state of Washington; and which beer or wine is produced
((anywhere)) by a brewery or winery in the United States outside of the
state of Washington ((by a brewery or winery which does not hold a
certificate of approval issued by the board)); and
(d) Is appointed by the brewery or winery referenced in (c) of this
subsection as its ((exclusive)) authorized representative for marketing
and selling its products within the United States in accordance with a
written agreement between the authorized representative and such
brewery or winery pursuant to this title. ((The board may waive the
requirement for the written agreement of exclusivity in situations
consistent with the normal marketing practices of certain products,
such as classified growths.))
(3) "Beer" means any malt beverage, flavored malt beverage, or malt
liquor as these terms are defined in this chapter.
(4) "Beer distributor" means a person who buys beer from a domestic
brewery, microbrewery, beer certificate of approval holder, or beer
importers, or who acquires foreign produced beer from a source outside
of the United States, for the purpose of selling the same pursuant to
this title, or who represents such brewer or brewery as agent.
(5) "Beer importer" means a person or business within Washington
who purchases beer from a beer certificate of approval holder or who
acquires foreign produced beer from a source outside of the United
States for the purpose of selling the same pursuant to this title.
(6) "Brewer" or "brewery" means any person engaged in the business
of manufacturing beer and malt liquor. Brewer includes a brand owner
of malt beverages who holds a brewer's notice with the federal bureau
of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms at a location outside the state and
whose malt beverage is contract-produced by a licensed in-state
brewery, and who may exercise within the state, under a domestic
brewery license, only the privileges of storing, selling to licensed
beer distributors, and exporting beer from the state.
(7) "Board" means the liquor control board, constituted under this
title.
(8) "Club" means an organization of persons, incorporated or
unincorporated, operated solely for fraternal, benevolent, educational,
athletic or social purposes, and not for pecuniary gain.
(9) "Confection" means a preparation of sugar, honey, or other
natural or artificial sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits,
nuts, dairy products, or flavorings, in the form of bars, drops, or
pieces.
(10) "Consume" includes the putting of liquor to any use, whether
by drinking or otherwise.
(11) "Contract liquor store" means a business that sells liquor on
behalf of the board through a contract with a contract liquor store
manager.
(12) "Craft distillery" means a distillery that pays the reduced
licensing fee under RCW 66.24.140.
(13) "Dentist" means a practitioner of dentistry duly and regularly
licensed and engaged in the practice of his profession within the state
pursuant to chapter 18.32 RCW.
(14) "Distiller" means a person engaged in the business of
distilling spirits.
(15) "Domestic brewery" means a place where beer and malt liquor
are manufactured or produced by a brewer within the state.
(16) "Domestic winery" means a place where wines are manufactured
or produced within the state of Washington.
(17) "Druggist" means any person who holds a valid certificate and
is a registered pharmacist and is duly and regularly engaged in
carrying on the business of pharmaceutical chemistry pursuant to
chapter 18.64 RCW.
(18) "Drug store" means a place whose principal business is, the
sale of drugs, medicines and pharmaceutical preparations and maintains
a regular prescription department and employs a registered pharmacist
during all hours the drug store is open.
(19) "Employee" means any person employed by the board.
(20) "Flavored malt beverage" means:
(a) A malt beverage containing six percent or less alcohol by
volume to which flavoring or other added nonbeverage ingredients are
added that contain distilled spirits of not more than forty-nine
percent of the beverage's overall alcohol content; or
(b) A malt beverage containing more than six percent alcohol by
volume to which flavoring or other added nonbeverage ingredients are
added that contain distilled spirits of not more than one and one-half
percent of the beverage's overall alcohol content.
(21) "Fund" means 'liquor revolving fund.'
(22) "Hotel" means buildings, structures, and grounds, having
facilities for preparing, cooking, and serving food, that are kept,
used, maintained, advertised, or held out to the public to be a place
where food is served and sleeping accommodations are offered for pay to
transient guests, in which twenty or more rooms are used for the
sleeping accommodation of such transient guests. The buildings,
structures, and grounds must be located on adjacent property either
owned or leased by the same person or persons.
(23) "Importer" means a person who buys distilled spirits from a
distillery outside the state of Washington and imports such spirituous
liquor into the state for sale to the board or for export.
(24) "Imprisonment" means confinement in the county jail.
(25) "Liquor" includes the four varieties of liquor herein defined
(alcohol, spirits, wine and beer), and all fermented, spirituous,
vinous, or malt liquor, or combinations thereof, and mixed liquor, a
part of which is fermented, spirituous, vinous or malt liquor, or
otherwise intoxicating; and every liquid or solid or semisolid or other
substance, patented or not, containing alcohol, spirits, wine or beer,
and all drinks or drinkable liquids and all preparations or mixtures
capable of human consumption, and any liquid, semisolid, solid, or
other substance, which contains more than one percent of alcohol by
weight shall be conclusively deemed to be intoxicating. Liquor does
not include confections or food products that contain one percent or
less of alcohol by weight.
(26) "Manufacturer" means a person engaged in the preparation of
liquor for sale, in any form whatsoever.
(27) "Malt beverage" or "malt liquor" means any beverage such as
beer, ale, lager beer, stout, and porter obtained by the alcoholic
fermentation of an infusion or decoction of pure hops, or pure extract
of hops and pure barley malt or other wholesome grain or cereal in pure
water containing not more than eight percent of alcohol by weight, and
not less than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume. For the
purposes of this title, any such beverage containing more than eight
percent of alcohol by weight shall be referred to as "strong beer."
(28) "Package" means any container or receptacle used for holding
liquor.
(29) "Passenger vessel" means any boat, ship, vessel, barge, or
other floating craft of any kind carrying passengers for compensation.
(30) "Permit" means a permit for the purchase of liquor under this
title.
(31) "Person" means an individual, copartnership, association, or
corporation.
(32) "Physician" means a medical practitioner duly and regularly
licensed and engaged in the practice of his profession within the state
pursuant to chapter 18.71 RCW.
(33) "Prescription" means a memorandum signed by a physician and
given by him to a patient for the obtaining of liquor pursuant to this
title for medicinal purposes.
(34) "Public place" includes streets and alleys of incorporated
cities and towns; state or county or township highways or roads;
buildings and grounds used for school purposes; public dance halls and
grounds adjacent thereto; those parts of establishments where beer may
be sold under this title, soft drink establishments, public buildings,
public meeting halls, lobbies, halls and dining rooms of hotels,
restaurants, theatres, stores, garages and filling stations which are
open to and are generally used by the public and to which the public is
permitted to have unrestricted access; railroad trains, stages, and
other public conveyances of all kinds and character, and the depots and
waiting rooms used in conjunction therewith which are open to
unrestricted use and access by the public; publicly owned bathing
beaches, parks, and/or playgrounds; and all other places of like or
similar nature to which the general public has unrestricted right of
access, and which are generally used by the public.
(35) "Regulations" means regulations made by the board under the
powers conferred by this title.
(36) "Restaurant" means any establishment provided with special
space and accommodations where, in consideration of payment, food,
without lodgings, is habitually furnished to the public, not including
drug stores and soda fountains.
(37) "Sale" and "sell" include exchange, barter, and traffic; and
also include the selling or supplying or distributing, by any means
whatsoever, of liquor, or of any liquid known or described as beer or
by any name whatever commonly used to describe malt or brewed liquor or
of wine, by any person to any person; and also include a sale or
selling within the state to a foreign consignee or his agent in the
state. "Sale" and "sell" shall not include the giving, at no charge,
of a reasonable amount of liquor by a person not licensed by the board
to a person not licensed by the board, for personal use only. "Sale"
and "sell" also does not include a raffle authorized under RCW
9.46.0315: PROVIDED, That the nonprofit organization conducting the
raffle has obtained the appropriate permit from the board.
(38) "Soda fountain" means a place especially equipped with
apparatus for the purpose of dispensing soft drinks, whether mixed or
otherwise.
(39) "Spirits" means any beverage which contains alcohol obtained
by distillation, except flavored malt beverages, but including wines
exceeding twenty-four percent of alcohol by volume.
(40) "Store" means a state liquor store established under this
title.
(41) "Tavern" means any establishment with special space and
accommodation for sale by the glass and for consumption on the
premises, of beer, as herein defined.
(42) "Winery" means a business conducted by any person for the
manufacture of wine for sale, other than a domestic winery.
(43)(a) "Wine" means any alcoholic beverage obtained by
fermentation of fruits (grapes, berries, apples, et cetera) or other
agricultural product containing sugar, to which any saccharine
substances may have been added before, during or after fermentation,
and containing not more than twenty-four percent of alcohol by volume,
including sweet wines fortified with wine spirits, such as port,
sherry, muscatel and angelica, not exceeding twenty-four percent of
alcohol by volume and not less than one-half of one percent of alcohol
by volume. For purposes of this title, any beverage containing no more
than fourteen percent of alcohol by volume when bottled or packaged by
the manufacturer shall be referred to as "table wine," and any beverage
containing alcohol in an amount more than fourteen percent by volume
when bottled or packaged by the manufacturer shall be referred to as
"fortified wine." However, "fortified wine" shall not include: (i)
Wines that are both sealed or capped by cork closure and aged two years
or more; and (ii) wines that contain more than fourteen percent alcohol
by volume solely as a result of the natural fermentation process and
that have not been produced with the addition of wine spirits, brandy,
or alcohol.
(b) This subsection shall not be interpreted to require that any
wine be labeled with the designation "table wine" or "fortified wine."
(44) "Wine distributor" means a person who buys wine from a
domestic winery, wine certificate of approval holder, or wine importer,
or who acquires foreign produced wine from a source outside of the
United States, for the purpose of selling the same not in violation of
this title, or who represents such vintner or winery as agent.
(45) "Wine importer" means a person or business within Washington
who purchases wine from a wine certificate of approval holder or who
acquires foreign produced wine from a source outside of the United
States for the purpose of selling the same pursuant to this title."
Renumber the remaining sections consecutively and correct the title.
EFFECT: Removes the exclusivity requirement for authorized representatives of out-of-state breweries and wineries and allows breweries and wineries to appoint more than one authorized representative. Removes the restriction that an out-of-state winery or brewery may not appoint an authorized representative if the winery or brewery holds a certificate of approval. (Certificates of approval allow an out-of-state winery or brewery to sell to a Washington distributor or sell directly to a Washington retailer with an endorsement.) Limits authorized representatives to representatives of beer and wine produced in the United States.