2009 Senate Bill 186: Ease catering liquor permit restrictions

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Introduced by Sen. John Pappageorge (R) on February 4, 2009, to allow the Liquor Control Commission to issue a supplemental liquor permit to restaurants that would allow them to bring liquor and serve it at catered events where they also serve food. Under current law, caterers are allowed to serve liquor, but the host of the event must purchase it independently.
- Referred to the Senate Economic Development and Regulatory Reform Committee on February 4, 2009.
  - Reported in the Senate on March 12, 2009, with the recommendation that the substitute (S-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
- Substitute offered in the Senate on May 20, 2009, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises details but does not change the substance of the bill as previously described. The substitute passed by voice vote in the Senate on May 20, 2009.
- Amendment offered by Sen. Randy Richardville (R) on May 20, 2009, to authorize a fine of up to $1,000 for a catering permit holder who violates liquor code regulations. The amendment passed by voice vote in the Senate on May 20, 2009.
Passed 25 to 11 in the Senate on May 20, 2009.
Who Voted "Yes" and Who Voted "No"
Received in the House on May 20, 2009.
- Referred to the House Regulatory Reform Committee on May 20, 2009.

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1) Re: 2009 Senate Bill 186 (Require landlords let domestic violence victim out of lease ) by Admin003 on May 21, 2009

Senator Pappageorge asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal.

The motion prevailed.

Senator Pappageorge’s statement is as follows:

The previous speaker is correct; an earlier bill was vetoed. The only remaining issue in this bill is whether a set of small businesses would not have to compete with another set of small businesses, namely caterers. So the onus on those who vote “no,” and for that matter on the Governor, would be to veto a bill that ends a monopoly.

So I would urge you to vote “yes.”

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2) Re: 2009 Senate Bill 186 (Require landlords let domestic violence victim out of lease ) by Admin003 on May 21, 2009

Senator Jacobs’ statement is as follows:

First of all, I would like thank the sponsor of this bill for working very hard trying to address a lot of concerns that I and a lot of other stakeholders had over the bill. However, for me, we are not quite where I need this to be. I do rise in opposition to Senate Bill No. 186. By the way, this is pretty similar to the bill that the Governor did veto in 2006.

At its most basic level, this bill will permit catering companies to provide and serve liquor at events they are catering off premises. Many of these events are private affairs with little or no advertising. So given that, it would be very difficult for the Liquor Control Commission or local law enforcement to conduct random, on-site inspections as they currently do at hotels and restaurants.

Additionally, catering firms currently must purchase their liquor from grocery stores, liquor stores, or other retail outlets. I have gotten a lot of letters from these businesses in my district that this type of business can generate about 20 percent of their annual business from these sales. This new catering permit liquor license would allow catering companies to purchase liquor at a lower wholesale price than the retail outlets.

Now, with the difficult economic situation that our state is facing, I just don’t feel comfortable doing something that would harm these small retail businesses that we all find in our districts. While the changes made in this most recent iteration does address many of the issues that were raised, this new bill still does not address some of the underlying problems that I have with this bill.

So I would encourage members to join me in voting against this bill, although well-intentioned.

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3) 2009 Senate Bill 186 (Require landlords let domestic violence victim out of lease ) by admin on January 1, 2001
Introduced in the Senate on February 4, 2009

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