Brief Description: Increasing the number of days certain fairs can use the special occasion liquor license.

Sponsors: Representatives Chandler, Grant, Holmquist, Newhouse, Delvin and Hunt.

Brief Summary of Bill

• Allows county and area agricultural fairs to count a multi-day fair as one event for the purpose of the 12-day per year limit on special occasion licensees serving alcohol.

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 9 members: Representatives Conway, Chair; Wood, Vice Chair; McMorris, Ranking Minority Member; Condotta, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Crouse, Holmquist, Hudgins, Kenney and McCoy.

A not-for-profit society or organization may obtain a special occasion liquor license to sell spirits, beer, and wine by the individual serving, for on-premises consumption at a specified date and time. With prior permission from the Liquor Control Board (Board), an organization with a special occasion license may also sell beer and wine in original unopened containers for off-premises consumption.

The fee for a special occasion license is $60 per day. Sales under this license are limited to 12 calendar days per year.

The Department of Agriculture rules require that in order to receive an allocation from the State Fair Fund, an agricultural area fair or agricultural county fair must promote Washington agriculture. While most Washington county or area fairs do not serve alcohol, the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima includes wine tasting, and several other fairs serve beer during their rodeos.

Special occasion licensees that are agricultural area fairs or agricultural county and district fairs may, once a calendar year, count fairs that last multiple days as one event. Fairs may do this only if alcohol sales are at set dates, times, and locations, and the Board is notified in advance of these dates, times, and locations. Fairs still pay $60 per actual day.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: The Central Washington State Fair, in Yakima, lasts 10 days. To showcase Washington wine at the fair takes nearly all of the 12 days available under a special occasion license. This means the fair can't sponsor wine festivals and other events during the year.

(Information only) The Liquor Control Board members are aware of this proposal and they have no problems with it.