Indiana Alcohol Bills, 2011 session

It’s a short session this year and already politics has taken the forefront (Republicans want to satisfy their sugar daddys with an end to the closed shop and Democrats with weak numbers are going to try to block it the same way the Reps did to the US Senate the last 2 years). Maybe nothing will get done but there’s at least one bill that will get action if nothing else does. Actually, more than one since everyone has joined the you-don’t-have-to-card-old-people bandwagon.

SB 46 - Identification for alcohol purchases - Makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person who is or reasonably appears to be less than 40 years of age an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age. (Current law makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age.) – (Senator Alting)

SB 78 - Identification requirements for alcohol purchases - Makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person who is or reasonably appears to be less than 40 years of age an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age. (Current law makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or an employee or agent of the permittee to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce specified identification showing that the person is at least 21 years of age.) Essentially the same as SB 46. (Senator Merritt)

SB 133 - Identification requirements for alcohol purchases. Repeals a provision that makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or the permittee's employee or agent to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce proof that the person is at least 21 years of age consisting of: (1) a driver's license; (2) a government issued identification card; or (3) a government issued document; that bears the person's photograph and birth date. (Senator Randolph)

HB 1088 - Identification requirements for alcohol purchases - Repeals a provision that makes it a Class B misdemeanor for an alcoholic beverage permittee or the permittee's employee or agent to recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally sell, barter, exchange, provide, or furnish another person an alcoholic beverage for consumption off the licensed premises without first requiring the person to produce proof that the person is 21 years of age by: (1) a driver's license; (2) a government issued identification card; or (3) a government issued document; that bears the person's photograph and birth date. (Rep Pelath)

These are in committee and we hope SB133/HB1088 are the selected ones. They don’t have to be mangled in the reconciliation process and they just darn well make sense.

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Other bills affecting beer, including Sunday and cold sales: (bolding is mine)

SB 197 – Alcoholic beverage matters -  Creates a supplemental dealer's permit and a cold beer dealer's permit. Provides that a supplemental dealer's permit may be issued only to a holder of a beer, wine, or liquor dealer's permit. Allows the holder of a supplemental dealer's permit to sell alcoholic beverages for carryout on Sunday. Allows the holder of a cold beer dealer's permit to sell cold beer. Establishes fees for a supplemental dealer's permits and a cold beer dealer's permits. Requires the fees to be deposited in the enforcement and administration fund of the alcohol and tobacco commission. Allows the: (1) holder of a package liquor store permit, farm winery, or a microbrewery permit to sell carryout alcoholic beverages on Sunday without a supplemental dealer's permit; and (2) holder of a package liquor store permit to sell cold beer without a cold beer dealer's permit. Allows a minor to be on the licensed premises of a package liquor store if the minor is accompanied by the minor's parent or guardian who is at least 21 years of age. Eliminates residency requirements for alcoholic beverage dealers. Repeals a provision that limits the commodities that a package liquor store may sell. (Senator Boots)

This is the wrapped up Sunday and cold sales changes that the grocery/convenience store lobby wants. Boots also automatically gives liquor stores a Sunday license as well as breweries (which could sell growlers of any beer, not just their own – plus wine and spirit carryout just like many bars still do).

SB 112 - Alcoholic beverage wholesalers - Allows a person to wholesale beer, wine, and liquor. (Current law allows a person to wholesale only wine and beer or wine and liquor.) Allows a wine wholesaler that also holds a liquor wholesaler's permit to sell more than 1,000,000 gallons of flavored malt beverage during a calendar year. Repeals a provision that prohibits the alcohol and tobacco commission from issuing a beer wholesaler's permit to a person who holds both a wine wholesaler's permit and a liquor wholesaler's permit. (Senator Merritt)

You see, there’s a big new distributor in town. From Florida. Southern Wine and Spirits. And they would love to get into the beer business. And maybe Monarch would like to get into the craft spirits business with the Rogue rums, whiskeys, and gins.

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And the one that will bring more Hoosiers to craft beer than any other thing we could possibly do:

SB 1093 - Serving alcohol during the Indiana state fair - Provides that the state fair commission may give a priority to value added Indiana agriculture when determining the types of alcoholic beverages to be sold at the Indiana state fair grounds. Repeals a provision that prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages at the state fair grounds during the period of the Indiana state fair. (Senator Cherry)

This bill will allow booths on the fairgrounds sampling and selling Indiana beers, wines, and even spirits. The State Fair powers-that-be are quite happy to see this. It’s a possibility to put Indiana breweries in front of almost a million people next August 5th-21st.

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There are more such as rules for wineries, extra 3-way permits for choice locations, etc. but these are normal business items.