(1) There is created an agricultural commodity commission to be known and designated as the Washington wine commission. The commission shall be composed of twelve voting members and one nonvoting member; five voting members shall be growers, five voting members shall be wine producers, one voting member shall be the director, and one voting member shall be a wine distributor licensed under RCW 66.24.200. Of the grower members, at least one shall be a person who does not have over fifty acres of vinifera grapes in production, at least one shall be a person who has over one hundred acres of vinifera grapes in production, and two may be persons who produce and sell their own wine. Of the wine producer members, at least one shall be a person producing not more than twenty-five thousand gallons of wine annually, at least one shall be a person producing over one million gallons of wine annually, and at least two shall be persons who produce wine from their own grapes. In addition, at least one member shall be a wine producer located in western Washington and at least two members shall be wine producers located in eastern Washington.

     (2) The commission shall have one nonvoting member who is a wine producer in this state whose principal wine or wines are produced from fruit other than vinifera grapes.

     (3) Seven voting members of the commission constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business of the commission.

     (4) Each voting member of the commission shall be a citizen and resident of this state and over the age of twenty-one years. Each voting member, except the member holding position eleven, must be or must have been engaged in that phase of the grower or wine producer industry that he or she is appointed to represent, and must during his or her term of office derive a substantial portion of income therefrom, or have a substantial investment in the growing of vinifera grapes or the production of wine from vinifera grapes as an owner, lessee, partner, or a stockholder owning at least ten percent of the voting stock in a corporation engaged in the growing of vinifera grapes or wine production from vinifera grapes; or the manager or executive officer of such a corporation. These qualifications apply throughout each member's term of office. This subsection does not apply to the director.

[2003 c 396 § 38; 1997 c 321 § 40; 1988 c 254 § 12; 1987 c 452 § 3.]

NOTES:

     Effective date -- 2003 c 396: See note following RCW 15.66.030.

     Effective date -- 1997 c 321: See note following RCW 66.24.010.