Initiative 1183 - Privatization of Liquor

Contents

• What Is the Liquor Initiative?
• Initiative Websites
• Information on Impact of the Initiative on Local and State Government
• Liquor Funds Distribution to State and Local Governments
• Local Government Documents
• News Articles, Editorials and Opinions
• Related MRSC Pages
  • Municipal Elections - Contains guidelines on supporting and opposing ballot propositions

What Is the Liquor Initiative?

• Text of Initiative 1183 () - This measure would close state liquor stores and sell their assets including the liquor distribution center. The state would license private parties to distribute spirits and to sell spirits in retail stores meeting certain criteria, subject to specified training and compliance requirements. The measure establishes licensing fees for sale and distribution of spirits based on the licensee’s sales revenues. It would change some wine distribution laws and allow non-uniform wholesale pricing for wine and spirits.

Initiative Websites

• Yes on 1183: The Liquor Privatization Initiative - The YES on 1183 Coalition
• No I-1183 - Protect Our Communities

Information on Impact of the Initiative on Local and State Government

• Fiscal Impact Statement for Initiative 1183 (), Washington State Office of Financial Management
• Initiative 1183 and City Budgets,  AWC Legislative Update
• Initiative 1183 (), Budget Suggestions for 2012, MRSC Information Bulletin No. 539, 08/2011
• Legislative Advocacy: Initiative Information  - Association of Washington Cities
• Privatization of Liquor (), Association of Washington Cities Fact Sheet, 08/2011

Liquor Funds Distribution to State and Local Governments

• Liquor Revenues (), Budget Suggestions for 2012, MRSC Information Bulletin No. 536, 08/2011
• Revenue Distribution to Cities, Towns, and Counties - State Treasurer
  • Liquor Board Profits, State Treasurer
  • Beer Tax, State Treasurer - Distribution to boarder areas
  • Liquor Excise Tax, State Treasurer
• Where your Liquor Dollars Go, Washington State Liquor Control Board - Lists proceeds received by cities and counties
• Liquor Sales and Distribution in State Government Performance Review - Opportunities for Washington (), reissued 01/10/2010, Washington State Auditor

Local Government Documents

None available at this time

News Articles, Editorials and Opinions

Editor's Note - These articles represent opinions and may contain factual errors

• Questions About Liquor Initiative Focus on State Revenue, Availability, by Melissa Allison, Local News, Seattle Times, October 27, 2011
• No City, County Revenue at Stake in Liquor Vote, by Jerry Cornfield, HeraldNet, October 24, 2011
• Taking a Closer Look at Liquor Initiative I-1183, by Melissa Allison, Business/Technology, Seattle Times, October 22, 2011
• Editorial: Initiative 1183: Yes, by the Herald Editorial Board, Tricityherald.com, October 21, 2011
• Vote for Initiative 1183: Privatize Liquor Sales, by the Seattle Times Editorial Board, Seattle Times, October 21, 2011
• Costco's $22 Million Sets Record for Initiative Spending, Politics Northwest, Seattle Times, October 19, 2011
• Editorial: Getting State Out of Liquor Business Makes Sense, Opinion, The Spokesman-Review, October 16, 2011
• Initiatives' Verdict: No on 1125 and 1163, Yes on 1183, by the Yakima Herald-Republic Editorial Board, Yakima Herald.com, October 16, 2011
• I-1183 Aims to End State Monopoly on Liquor But Measure Clarifies Limit on Stores, by Jim Camden, City, The Spokesman-Review, October 13, 2011
• 2 bidders want to control state liquor distribution, by Jordan Schrader, The Bellingham Herald, October 10, 2011
• 'Yes' on Initiative 1183: Time to Get State Out of the Booze Business and Join Other States in the 21st Century, The Columbian, October 9, 2011
• Liquor Distributors Feeling Bottled Up By I-1183, by Melissa Allison, Business/Technology, Seattle Times, October 8, 2011
• Privatizing the Liquor Business, by Erik Smith, Seattle Business, October 2011 (Web article from the Print Edition)
• Pro & Con: Initiative 1183 on Privatizing Alcohol Debated, by Tom Owens and Jim Cooper, The Columbian, October 2, 2011
• I-1183 TV Ad on Lower Liquor Costs Mostly True, by Melissa Allison, Government and Politics, Seattle Times, October 2, 2011
• Citizens' Guide to Initiative 1183: To End Washington's Liquor Store Monopoly, by Jason Mercier Washington Policy Center Policy Notes, September 2011
• Ignore the Scare Campaign and Vote for Initiative 1183, Editorials/Opinions, Seattle Times, September 29, 2011
• Watch Seattle Times Editorial Board Meeting on I-1183, the Liquor Initiative, posted by Kate Riley, Editorials/Opinions, Seattle Times, September 27, 2011
• Wholesalers Pour Millions into Fight Against Costco Booze Measure, posted by Chris Grygiel, Seattle Politics, Seattle PI, September 7, 2011
• Initiative 1183 Would Produce Revenue Gains for State and Local Governments (), Special Report, Washington State Research Council, August 9, 2011
• TVW The Capitol Record Archives - TVW's blog about state government
  • This Week’s Q&A: The Arguments Against Initiative 1183, by Niki Reading, July 22, 2011
  • Q&A with Bruce Beckett: Proponent of Privatizing Liquor Sales via Initiative 1183, by Niki Reading, July 15, 2011
• Costco Revamps Liquor-Sales Initiative, by Melissa Allison, Seattle Times, July 16, 2011