2023 Revised Code of Washington › Title 23B - Washington Business Corporation Act › Chapter 23B.11 - Merger and Share Exchange. › 23B.11.030 - Approval of plan of merger or share exchange.

RCW 23B.11.030
Approval of plan of merger or share exchange.
(1) After a plan of merger or share exchange has been adopted in accordance with RCW 23B.11.020 or 23B.11.040, the board of directors of each corporation party to the merger, or the board of directors of the corporation whose shares will be acquired in the share exchange, shall submit the plan for approval by the shareholders, except as provided in subsection (7) or (9) of this section or as provided in RCW 23B.11.040 or 23B.11.045.
(2) For a plan of merger or share exchange to be approved by shareholders:
(a) The board of directors must recommend that the shareholders approve the plan of merger or share exchange, unless (i) the board of directors determines that because of conflict of interest or other special circumstances it should not make such a recommendation or (ii) RCW 23B.08.245 applies, and in either case the board of directors communicates the basis for so proceeding to the shareholders; and
(b) The shareholders entitled to vote must approve the plan.
(3) The board of directors may condition its submission of the proposed plan of merger or share exchange on any basis, including the affirmative vote of holders of a specified percentage of shares held by any group of shareholders not otherwise entitled under this title or the articles of incorporation to vote as a separate voting group on the proposed plan of merger or share exchange.
(4) The corporation shall notify each shareholder, whether or not entitled to vote, of the proposed shareholders' meeting in accordance with RCW 23B.07.050. The notice must also state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider the plan of merger or share exchange and must contain or be accompanied by a copy of the plan or a summary of the material terms and conditions of the proposed merger or share exchange and the consideration to be received by shareholders.
(5) If the plan of merger is required to be approved by the shareholders, in addition to any other voting conditions imposed by the board of directors under subsection (3) of this section, the plan of merger must be approved by two-thirds of the voting group comprising all the votes entitled to be cast on the plan, and of each other voting group entitled under RCW 23B.11.035 or the articles of incorporation to vote separately on the plan. The articles of incorporation may require a greater or lesser vote than that provided in this subsection, or a greater or lesser vote by separate voting groups, so long as the required vote is not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the plan of merger and of each other voting group entitled to vote separately on the plan. Separate voting by additional voting groups is required on a plan of merger under the circumstances described in RCW 23B.11.035.
(6) In addition to any other voting conditions imposed by the board of directors under subsection (3) of this section, the plan of share exchange must be approved by two-thirds of the voting group comprising all the votes entitled to be cast on the plan, and of each other voting group entitled under RCW 23B.11.035 or the articles of incorporation to vote separately on the plan. The articles of incorporation may require a greater or lesser vote than that provided in this subsection, or a greater or lesser vote by separate voting groups, so long as the required vote is not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the plan of share exchange and of each other voting group entitled to vote separately on the plan. Separate voting by additional voting groups is required on a plan of share exchange under the circumstances described in RCW 23B.11.035.
(7) Approval by the shareholders of the surviving corporation on a plan of merger is not required if:
(a) The articles of incorporation of the surviving corporation will not differ, except for amendments enumerated in RCW 23B.10.020, from its articles of incorporation before the merger;
(b) Each shareholder of the surviving corporation whose shares were outstanding immediately before the effective date of the merger will hold the same number of shares, with identical designations, preferences, limitations, and relative rights, immediately after the merger;
(c) The number of voting shares outstanding immediately after the merger, plus the number of voting shares issuable as a result of the merger, either by the conversion of securities issued pursuant to the merger or the exercise of rights and warrants issued pursuant to the merger, will not exceed the total number of voting shares of the surviving corporation authorized by its articles of incorporation immediately before the merger; and
(d) The number of participating shares outstanding immediately after the merger, plus the number of participating shares issuable as a result of the merger, either by the conversion of securities issued pursuant to the merger or the exercise of rights and warrants issued pursuant to the merger, will not exceed the total number of participating shares authorized by its articles of incorporation immediately before the merger.
(8) As used in subsection (7) of this section:
(a) "Participating shares" means shares that entitle their holders to participate without limitation in distributions.
(b) "Voting shares" means shares that entitle their holders to vote unconditionally in elections of directors.
(9) Unless the articles of incorporation provide otherwise, approval by the shareholders of a public company is not required for a plan of merger if:
(a) The plan of merger expressly: (i) Permits or requires the merger to be effected under this subsection; and (ii) provides that, if the merger is to be effected under this subsection, the merger will be effected as soon as practicable following the satisfaction of the requirements of (f) of this subsection;
(b) Another party to the merger or a parent of another party to the merger makes an offer to purchase, on the terms stated in the plan of merger, any and all of the outstanding shares of the corporation that, absent this subsection, would be entitled to vote on the plan of merger, except that the offer may exclude shares of the corporation that are owned at the commencement of the offer by the corporation, the offeror, or any parent of the offeror, or by any wholly owned subsidiary of any of the foregoing;
(c) The offer discloses that the plan of merger states that the merger will be effected as soon as practicable following the satisfaction of the requirements of (f) of this subsection and that the shares of the corporation that are not tendered in response to the offer will be treated as provided in (h) of this subsection;
(d) The offer remains open for at least 10 days;
(e) The offeror purchases all shares properly tendered in response to the offer and not properly withdrawn;
(f) The: (i) Shares purchased by the offeror in accordance with the offer; (ii) shares otherwise owned by the offeror or by any parent of the offeror or any wholly owned subsidiary of any of the foregoing; and (iii) shares subject to an agreement that they are to be transferred, contributed, or delivered to the offeror, any parent of the offeror, or any wholly owned subsidiary of any of the foregoing in exchange for shares or other interests in that offeror, parent, or subsidiary, are collectively entitled to cast at least the minimum number of votes on the merger that, absent this subsection, would be required by this chapter for the approval of the merger by the shareholders entitled to vote on the merger at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote on the approval were present and voted;
(g) The offeror or a wholly owned subsidiary of the offeror merges with or into the corporation; and
(h) Each outstanding share of each class or series of shares of the corporation that the offeror is offering to purchase in accordance with the offer, and which is not purchased in accordance with the offer, is to be converted in the merger into, or into the right to receive, the same amount and kind of securities, eligible interests, obligations, rights, cash, or other property to be paid or exchanged in accordance with the offer for each share of that class or series of shares that is tendered in response to the offer, except that shares of the corporation that are owned by the corporation or that are described in (f)(ii) or (iii) of this subsection need not be converted into or exchanged for the consideration described in this subsection (9)(h).
(10) As used in subsection (9) of this section:
(a) "Offer" means the offer referred to in subsection (9)(b) of this section.
(b) "Offeror" means the person making the offer.
(c) "Parent" of an entity means a person that owns, directly or indirectly, through one or more wholly owned subsidiaries, all of the outstanding shares of or other interests in that entity.
(d) Shares tendered in response to the offer will be deemed to have been "purchased" in accordance with the offer at the earlier time as of which:
(i) The offeror has irrevocably accepted those shares for payment; and
(ii) Either: (A) In the case of shares represented by certificates, the offeror, or the offeror's designated depository or other agent, has physically received the certificates representing those shares; or (B) in the case of shares without certificates, those shares have been transferred into the account of the offeror or its designated depository or other agent, or an agent's message relating to those shares has been received by the offeror or its designated depository or other agent.
(e) "Wholly owned subsidiary" of a person means an entity of or in which that person owns, directly or indirectly, through one or more wholly owned subsidiaries, all of the outstanding shares or other interests.
(11) After a merger or share exchange is approved, and at any time before articles of merger or share exchange are filed, the planned merger or share exchange may be abandoned, subject to any contractual rights, without further shareholder approval, in accordance with the procedure set forth in the plan of merger or share exchange or, if none is set forth, in the manner determined by the board of directors.
[ 2023 c 432 § 5; 2022 c 42 § 108; 2011 c 328 § 6; 2009 c 189 § 38; 2003 c 35 § 6; 1989 c 165 § 133.]