(1) The holder of a spirits distributor license or spirits retail license issued under this title may commence sale of spirits upon issuance thereof, but in no event earlier than March 1, 2012, for distributors, or June 1, 2012, for retailers. The board must complete application processing by those dates of all complete applications for spirits licenses on file with the board on or before sixty days from December 8, 2011. (2) The board must effect orderly closure of all state liquor stores no later than June 1, 2012, and must thereafter refrain from purchase, sale, or distribution of liquor, except for asset sales authorized by chapter 2, Laws of 2012. (3) The board must devote sufficient resources to planning and preparation for sale of all assets of state liquor stores and distribution centers, and all other assets of the state over which the board has power of disposition, including without limitation goodwill and location value associated with state liquor stores, with the objective of depleting all inventory of liquor by May 31, 2012, and closing all other asset sales no later than June 1, 2013. The board, in furtherance of this subsection, may sell liquor to spirits licensees. (4)(a) Disposition of any state liquor store or distribution center assets remaining after June 1, 2013, must be managed by the department of revenue. (b) The board must obtain the maximum reasonable value for all asset sales made under this section. (c) The board must sell by auction open to the public the right at each state-owned store location of a spirits retail licensee to operate a liquor store upon the premises. Such right must be freely alienable and subject to all state and local zoning and land use requirements applicable to the property. Acquisition of the operating rights must be a precondition to, but does not establish eligibility for, a spirits retail license at the location of a state store and does not confer any privilege conferred by a spirits retail license. Holding the rights does not require the holder of the right to operate a liquor-licensed business or apply for a liquor license. (5) All sales proceeds under this section, net of direct sales expenses and other transition costs authorized by this section, must be deposited into the liquor revolving fund. (6)(a) The board must complete the orderly transition from the current state-controlled system to the private licensee system of spirits retailing and distribution as required under this chapter by June 1, 2012. (b) The transition must include, without limitation, a provision for applying operating and asset sale revenues of the board to just and reasonable measures to avert harm to interests of tribes, military buyers, and nonemployee liquor store operators under then existing contracts for supply by the board of distilled spirits, taking into account present value of issuance of a spirits retail license to the holder of such interest. The provision may extend beyond the time for completion of transition to a spirits licensee system. (c) Purchases by the federal government from any licensee of the board of spirits for resale through commissaries at military installations are exempt from sales tax based on selling price levied by RCW 82.08.150. [ 2012 c 2 s 102 (Initiative Measure No. 1183, approved November 8, 2011).]
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