OWA members were in Washington, D.C. last week for a series of meetings with the TTB, Senate Finance Committee staff, USDA and Oregon’s seven-member congressional delegation. We took every available opportunity to reinforce the importance of the lower federal excise taxes on wine that have been in place since January 2018 and the need to lock in those rates permanently before Dec. 31 while fixing technical issues for wine transfers in bond and custom crush facilities. We also discussed with TTB the Bureau’s resource constraints and limited jurisdictional authority over wine labeling requirements when state rules articulate higher standards for AVAs than those in place at the federal level.
 
While in D.C., OWA coordinated with our industry partners from the Napa Valley, Wine America and Washington State to host a standing-room-only tasting of West Coast wines for congressional members and D.C. staff.  
 
We also had a few unexpected moments.

For those keeping score at home as the 2019 legislative session in Salem enters the middle innings, you might have heard that some bills of interest to winemakers and grape growers have either advanced for further work or been tabled.
 
Senate Bill #7, which would have lowered the blood alcohol level to .05, falls into the latter category. It will go no further in 2019.
 
Senate Bills #111 (grape tax collection) and #591 (unfair trade practice actions related to deceptive wine labeling) are now with the Joint Ways and Means and Senate Rules Committees respectively. House Bill #2322, which might make it easier to site solar energy projects on farm land, was also moved on to Joint Ways and Means. We’ll continue reporting to you on those as news breaks.
 
You might be hearing more over the next few weeks about House Bill #2019. It is designed to create a new business tax to fund additional investments in education. This is an important priority for Governor Brown. The OWA is lobbying for a credit against any potential new tax liabilities equal to the state and federal excise taxes, including OLCC’s “privilege” tax, now paid by Oregon wineries.
 
Finally, there is still time to reserve your spot and be among the 40+ Oregon wineries pouring in Portland for hundreds of wine consumers at the OWA tasting on June 2. Register your winery right here.