Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Commerce & Gaming Committee

HB 2274

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Authorizes events held by a manufacturer of wine under a special permit, for the tasting and selling of wine of the manufacturer's own production, to be open to the general public and, if so, to be advertised.
Modifies the limit on the number of events that may be held pursuant a wine special permit so that a single domestic winery (rather than a single manufacturer of wine) may hold no more than 12 events per year.

Background:

Among the permits issued by the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) is a special permit issued to a manufacturer of wine for an event not open to the general public, to be held or conducted at a specific place upon a specific date, for the purpose of tasting and selling wine of the manufacturer's own production. The permit fee is $10 per event.

An application for a special permit must be submitted to the LCB at least 10 days before the event. Once issued, the special permit must be posted in a conspicuous place at the premises for which the permit was issued during all times the permit is in use.

No more than 12 events per year may be held by a single manufacturer of wine. A "manufacturer" is defined as a person engaged in the preparation of liquor for sale, in any form whatsoever. A "domestic winery" is defined as a place where wines are manufactured or produced within the state of Washington.

In addition to special permits for manufacturers of wine, the LCB also issues special permits for similar events, under similar requirements, to manufacturers of beer for tasting and selling beer of their own production, and to distilleries and craft distilleries for tasting and selling spirits of their own production.

Summary of Bill:

An event for the tasting and selling of wine of a wine manufacturer's own production held pursuant to a special permit may be either open or closed to the general public. If the event is open to the general public the event may be advertised by the manufacturer of wine or the person or entity who owns or operates the place at which the event is held or conducted.

The limit of 12 events per year is changed to apply to a single domestic winery, rather than a single manufacturer of wine.