SB 5368 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Studying taxes and fees related to alcohol.

Senate Bill 5368 directs the Washington state institute for public policy to conduct a comprehensive study of the state's alcohol taxation and fee system. This study will analyze taxes and fees on spirits, beer, and wine, including their rates, sales, and revenues over the past five years. It will also compare Washington's system with those in other states and countries. The institute must submit a final report detailing these findings to the legislature by December 31, 2025.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute Bill → Engrossed Substitute Bill · 4 edits · Mar 11, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from a 'Substitute' to an 'Engrossed Substitute' version, indicating it has passed additional legislative stages. The most significant change is the restructuring of the required report on alcohol taxes; the detailed list of data points was expanded and reorganized into seven specific subsections to ensure comprehensive analysis of other states' systems and economic impacts. Additionally, the deadline for submitting the final report was moved from December 31, 2025, to June 30, 2026, and the section's expiration date was extended from January 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026.

Scope change

The scope of the required study was expanded to explicitly include data from 2008 to 2020 and a new requirement to analyze the economic impact of local breweries, wineries, and distilleries.

TIMELINE

The deadline to submit the final report was changed from December 31, 2025, to June 30, 2026.

The expiration date for the section was extended from January 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026.

REQUIREMENT

The required report content was restructured from four items into seven specific items, adding a requirement to analyze economic impacts on local jobs and wages.

The data range for historical sales and revenue analysis was updated to cover the period from 2008 to 2020.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 11, 2025

How they voted

46–5

Passed

Total votes 51

Mar 11, 2025

D Democratic31

29 Yea 2 Nay

93% Yea

R Republican20

17 Yea 3 Nay

85% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Apr 7, 2025

Committee

Referred to Rules 2 Review.

lower

Apr 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

lower

Apr 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

FIN - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).

lower

Apr 4, 2025

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Finance at 8:00 AM.

lower

Mar 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 1:30 PM.

lower

Mar 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

Floor amendment(s) adopted.

upper

Feb 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

upper

Feb 27, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 25, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 18, 2025

Committee

Referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 14, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 8:00 AM.

upper

Feb 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors