February 12, 2018
HB 2609 was pulled to the floor calendar. This means it could receive a vote of the full House of Representatives as early as today. It will need to be approved by the full House by tomorrow to be considered further.
February 6, 2018
HB 2609 was approved by the House Appropriations committee and is now in the House Rules committee.
January 29, 2018
HB 2609 is scheduled for executive session in the House on Commerce & Gaming committee.
UPDATE: HB 2609 was approved by the committee and now goes to the House Appropriations committee for consideration.
You can watch the hearing live on TVW on Monday, February 5 at 1:30 p.m.
January 23, 2018
HB 2609 received a public hearing in the House Commerce & Gaming committee. You can watch my testimony in support below.
January 11, 2018
The ambiance of my district’s industrial spaces has changed, and I love it. Interspersed among the warehouses and manufacturing plants are breweries with indoor and outdoor tasting rooms where locals can sit, maybe bring their dog, and enjoy a refreshing beverage brewed right in their neighborhood.
I am so proud to represent one of the two main manufacturing industrial centers in the state of Washington: the Ballard-Interbay neighborhoods. The manufacturing here is mostly maritime, but in the last decade or so it has become a hub of breweries and distilleries.
You will find far more breweries than distilleries, however, in large part due to a complex regulatory scheme that dates back to when the state privatized liquor sales in 2012. HB 2609 seeks to streamline and clarify that regulatory scheme, while allowing small distillers to grow their businesses with retail outlets besides their own tasting rooms.
Ultimately, the goal is for responsibly-regulated manufacturing to happen, without allowing a massive expansion of alcohol. Now wouldn’t that be worth raising a glass?