The powers and duties of the commission include:
(1) To elect a chair and such officers as the commission deems advisable. The officers shall include a treasurer who is responsible for all receipts and disbursements by the commission and the faithful discharge of whose duties shall be guaranteed by a bond at the sole expense of the commission. The commission shall adopt rules for its own governance, which shall provide for the holding of an annual meeting for the election of officers and transaction of other business and for such other meetings as the commission may direct;
(2) To do all things reasonably necessary to effect the purposes of this chapter. However, the commission shall have no legislative power;
(3) At the pleasure of the commission, to employ and discharge managers, secretaries, agents, attorneys, and employees and to engage the services of independent contractors as the commission deems necessary, to prescribe their duties, and to fix their compensation;
(4) To receive donations of wine from wineries for promotional purposes;
(5) To engage directly or indirectly in the promotion of Washington wine, including without limitation the acquisition in any lawful manner and the dissemination without charge of wine, which dissemination shall not be deemed a sale for any purpose and in which dissemination the commission shall not be deemed a wine producer, supplier, or manufacturer of any kind or the clerk, servant, or agent of a producer, supplier, or manufacturer of any kind. Such dissemination shall be for agricultural development or trade promotion, which may include promotional hosting and shall in the good faith judgment of the commission be in aid of the marketing, advertising, or sale of wine, or of research related to such marketing, advertising, or sale;
(6) To acquire and transfer personal and real property, establish offices, incur expense, enter into contracts (including contracts for creation and printing of promotional literature, which contracts shall not be subject to chapter
43.19 RCW, but which shall be cancelable by the commission unless performed under conditions of employment which substantially conform to the laws of this state and the rules of the department of labor and industries). The commission may create such debt and other liabilities as may be reasonable for proper discharge of its duties under this chapter;
(7) To maintain such account or accounts with one or more qualified public depositaries as the commission may direct, to cause moneys to be deposited therein, and to expend moneys for purposes authorized by this chapter by drafts made by the commission upon such institutions or by other means;
(8) To cause to be kept and annually closed, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, accurate records of all receipts, disbursements, and other financial transactions, available for audit by the state auditor;
(9) To create and maintain a list of producers and to disseminate information among and solicit the opinions of producers with respect to the discharge of the duties of the commission, directly or by arrangement with trade associations or other instrumentalities;
(10) To employ, designate as agent, act in concert with, and enter into contracts with any person, council, commission or other entity for the purpose of promoting the general welfare of the vinifera grape industry and particularly for the purpose of assisting in the sale and distribution of Washington wine in domestic and foreign commerce, expending moneys as it may deem necessary or advisable for such purpose and for the purpose of paying its proportionate share of the cost of any program providing direct or indirect assistance to the sale and distribution of Washington wine in domestic or foreign commerce, employing and paying for vendors of professional services of all kinds; and
(11) To sue and be sued as a commission, without individual liability for acts of the commission within the scope of the powers conferred upon it by this chapter.
