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.