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Bill

SB 6179

Concerning the use of biometric age verification by liquor licensees.

2023-2024 Regular Session Introduced by Karen Keiser and 2 co-sponsors

Liquor licensees may use biometric age verification to confirm 21+ purchases, with consent and privacy disclosures, under LCB rules.

By resolution, returned to Senate Rules Committee for third reading.
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Bill Summary · SB 6179

Summary — SB 6179 (2024): Biometric age verification by liquor licensees

Status
- Introduced: January 11, 2024
- Latest action: By resolution, returned to Senate Rules Committee for third reading (Mar 7, 2024)
- House action: Passed third reading Feb 12, 2024 (yeas 49, nays 0)
- Sponsor(s): Senate Committee on Labor & Commerce (original sponsors Senators MacEwen, Keiser, Nguyen)

Purpose
- Allow liquor licensees to rely on biometric age verification systems as evidence of a purchaser’s legal age (21+) when the system and use comply with statutory requirements and Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) rules.

Key provisions (substitute and engrossed substitute versions)
- Authorization and operational requirements
- A licensed establishment may use a “biometric age verification system” to verify a purchaser’s age if the system:
- Is a biometric system that captures and processes biometric identifiers (e.g., face geometry, fingerprints, iris scans, voiceprints);
- Uses electronic authorization to verify the validity of a presented card of identification and that the person enrolling is the ID holder;
- Stores relevant ID data and provides an indication on future biometric scans whether the holder meets age eligibility; and
- Maintains records as required by the LCB.
- Use of biometric verification is optional for both licensees and customers.

  • Consent and consumer information

    • A licensee may not enroll or collect a person’s biometric identifiers without the person’s consent (consent must be obtained before enrollment).
    • Consumers must be informed of the categories of data collected and the specific ways the data will be used.
    • (Engrossed substitute included additional requirements: disclosure of how to withdraw consent and request deletion of data; an express prohibition on using the data for any purpose other than age verification; and a clause making violations enforceable solely by the Attorney General under the Consumer Protection Act. The later substitute version that passed the House omits the explicit deletion/withdrawal requirement and the AG-only enforcement language.)

  • Penalty mitigation

    • The LCB may consider a licensee’s use of an approved biometric system as a mitigating circumstance when determining penalties for youth access violations.

Definitions added
- The bill adds definitions to chapter 66.20 RCW for terms including “biometric identifier,” “biometric system,” “card of identification,” “consent,” and “deceptive designs” to clarify scope and consumer-protection standards.

Who is affected
- Liquor licensees and their employees (retailers, bars, restaurants, sports facilities).
- Consumers who choose to use biometric systems to verify age.
- Biometric system providers (subject to consent and disclosure requirements).
- Liquor and Cannabis Board — responsible for rulemaking and record requirements; will have discretion to treat system use as mitigating in enforcement.

Procedural / timeline notes
- The bill moved through the Senate Labor & Commerce committee, was amended (1st substitute), passed the House unanimously on Feb 12, 2024, and was returned to the Senate Rules Committee for third reading (Mar 7, 2024). Further Senate action is required for enactment.

Considerations / potential impacts
- Could reduce fraudulent ID use and administrative burden for licensees who adopt compliant biometric systems.
- Raises privacy and data‑security issues; protections (consent, disclosure, limits on use/retention) differ across versions — final language will determine the strength of consumer controls and enforcement mechanisms.
- LCB rulemaking will be important to specify technical, recordkeeping, and operational standards.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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