SP0359
LD 1042
Session - 126th Maine Legislature
C "A", Filing Number S-225, Sponsored by
LR 1718
Item 2
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 8 by striking out all of paragraph I (page 1, line 30 in L.D.) and inserting the following:

I The retail licensee may conduct no more than one taste-testing event per month.

Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 8 by striking out all of paragraphs L, M, N and O (page 1, lines 35 to 37 and page 2, lines 1 to 18 in L.D.) and inserting the following:

L Liquor served at a taste-testing event may be provided by the retail licensee purchasing the liquor from a wholesale licensee or agency liquor store. A record of a transaction under this paragraph must be maintained and made available to the bureau.
M The retail licensee shall establish a designated area in which to conduct a taste-testing event in accordance with this section and shall make reasonable attempts to ensure that tastings are confined to the designated area.
N The retail licensee, with prior approval from the bureau, may conduct an invitation-only taste-testing event at the licensed premises in place of or to coincide with a taste-testing event that is open to the public.
O After a taste-testing event is concluded, the retail licensee may return any unused portion of liquor used to conduct the taste-testing event to the licensee's existing stock.

Amend the bill in section 1 in subsection 8 by inserting at the end a new blocked paragraph to read:

The bureau may adopt rules to implement this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Amend the bill by inserting after section 1 the following:

Sec. 2. Report. By February 15, 2015, the division within the Department of Public Safety responsible for administering the laws relating to liquor licensing and enforcement shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over alcoholic beverage matters regarding the administration of taste-testing events conducted in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 28-A, section 1051, subsection 8. The report must include information pertaining to the enforcement of the laws governing taste-testing events and any administrative or enforcement concerns reported to or encountered by the division. The committee is authorized to report out a bill after consideration of the report and any recommendations made by the division.’

summary

This amendment is the majority report of the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs. This amendment reduces the number of taste-testing events that may occur at an establishment licensed for on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages from 3 per month to one per month. The amendment requires that liquor provided for taste-testing events be provided by the licensee and not a manufacturer or wholesaler. The amendment specifies that taste-testing events are to be in a designated area of the establishment and that liquor remaining after the event may be returned to the licensee's stock. Finally, the amendment authorizes the division within the Department of Public Safety responsible for liquor licensing and enforcement to adopt rules and requires the division to submit a report regarding the conduct of taste-testing events at on-premises establishments.


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