2026

SB 5067: Lowering the BAC from .08 to .05 (defeated)

We are pleased to report that due to our strong advocacy on behalf of our WA Wine Institute members opposing the bill alongside the WA Hospitality Association, WA Brewers Guild, and other stakeholders, the bill was defeated for a fourth time. We continue to be vocal that the Legislature should focus on how to combat high BAC drivers and repeat DUI offenders instead of considering an approach that will not help make our roads safer but instead punish responsible consumers and result in extreme economic damage to our state’s wineries, restaurants, brewers, cideries, and more. We will also continue to ask the Legislature to work with us towards solutions that make a meaningful impact.

As we expect a .05 BAC bill to be considered during the 2027 session, WWI humbly asks all Washington wineries for their support by joining WWI as we continue to get stronger and better equipped to push back as your statewide trade lobbying Association. We also want to thank our members for their support and engagement with our work, and humbly ask for their continued support and to encourage their network of wineries to join WWI so we can plan on what we need to best represent our members next session on this and all difficult legislative proposals impacting wineries. For any questions or support with membership needs, including dues, contact our Membership and Programs Manager Marie Schurk at marie@wwi.wine.

HB 2325: A Protected and Sustainable Tourism Marketing Funding Model (passed)

We are excited to share that with strong bipartisan support, HB 2325 survived the legislative process. A multi-year process in the making, the bill creates the framework for an industry-driven funding and operating model for a (finally) competitive statewide tourism marketing that is not beholden to the state raiding those dollars during budgeting challenges. Once in place, we anticipate a $25-$30 million budget giving Washington State a tourism marketing effort that can finally compete with other states to draw tourists to WA (and WA wine country) from around the country and world. WWI is an active part of building this model.

HB 1607: Bottle Deposit Program (defeated)

As a bit of historical context, in 2025 the Legislature adopted a very controversial “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR) bill that essentially overhauls Washington State’s solid waste and recycling models. This decision means that many WA businesses will be required to pay in some form for the collection, and hopefully recycle, if possible, the packaging they use to sell their products. This largely means many wineries will pay for where our wine glass ends up after use by the consumer. Now that we are in this reality, it is clear that a less cost-intensive and proven system like a bottle deposit program is a better choice than any system created for us by the Dept of Ecology. HB 1607 would have kick-started the process of a WA-centric bottle deposit system, but unfortunately, it did not garner enough support to survive the legislative process. WWI will continue to monitor and engage on these discussions in 2027 and beyond.

HB 2079: Wine/Beer Excise Tax Increase (not considered)

This bill came in very late during the 2025 session as a proposal to raise revenue by increasing wine and beer excise tax rates, and we immediately went to work to defeat this bill as quickly as possible. For this Session, the bill did not receive a hearing, and we are happy to report it was not seriously considered. We will always stay diligent every year for any attempts to raise revenue by increasing our members’ extremely high state excise tax burden.