Modifying the snack bar liquor license.
HB 1526 modifies Washington's snack bar liquor license fee structure. It maintains the $125 annual fee for licenses allowing limited beer/wine sales on-premises (where alcohol isn't the main business), but adds a temporary fee waiver for 12 months starting March 2021. The waiver applies to licenses expiring during that period or newly issued to previously licensed businesses, excluding establishments suspended for violating health/safety rules or COVID-19 emergency orders. This directly affects small businesses operating under snack bar licenses, particularly those impacted by pandemic-related restrictions.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Mar 2026
Introduced Jan 12, 2026
Signed Mar 24, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Bill
→
Passed Legislature
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was certified as passed by both the House and Senate for the 2026 Regular Session. The primary substantive change updates the annual fee for snack bar liquor licenses from $125 to $187.50. Additionally, the bill references a new 2025 session law (2025 c 343 s 25) instead of the previous 2021 law, indicating a legislative update to the underlying statute.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on snack bar liquor licenses, but the financial obligation for license holders has increased.
FISCAL
The annual fee for a snack bar license was increased from $125 to $187.50 per year.
TECHNICAL
The reference to the governing statute was updated from the 2021 session to the 2025 session, reflecting recent legislative amendments.
ELIGIBILITY
The specific fee waiver provisions for licenses suspended due to COVID-19 health and safety violations were removed from the text.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 3, 2026 · House Mar 12, 2026
How they voted
49–2
Passed
Total votes 51
Mar 3, 2026
D
Democratic31
100% Yea
R
Republican20
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
30
Key actions
14
Committee
9
Mar 24, 2026
Signed into law
Governor signed.
executive
Mar 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
President signed.
upper
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Speaker signed.
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed final passage; yeas, 87; nays, 9; absent, 0; excused, 2.
lower
Mar 12, 2026
Lower · Passed
House concurred in Senate amendments.
lower
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee amendment(s) adopted with no other amendments.
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (49-2)
senate
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
LC - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:45 AM.
upper
Feb 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce at 10:30 AM.
upper
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
lower
Feb 10, 2025
Committee
Referred to Rules 2 Review.
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Minority; do not pass.
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
CPB - Majority; do pass.
lower
Feb 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Executive action taken in the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Business at 1:30 PM.
lower
Jan 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Public hearing in the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Business at 1:30 PM.
lower
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Joe Schmick
RRepublican
Co
Julia Reed
DDemocratic
Co
Kevin Waters
RRepublican
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