An Act To Permit the Sharing of Revenue from the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages at Sporting Events

Emergency preamble. Whereas,  acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and

Whereas,  professional sports teams provide valuable entertainment and economic benefits to the communities where they play; and

Whereas,  professional sports teams are valuable partners with civic auditoriums and other arenas, which serve as anchor facilities in cities and towns across the State; and

Whereas,  it is vital to ensure that arrangements between professional sports teams and civic auditoriums and other large arenas are mutually economically beneficial in order to maintain these important relationships, and in order to maximize the benefit this legislation needs to take effect as soon as possible; and

Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

Sec. 1. 28-A MRSA §605, first ¶,  as amended by PL 2013, c. 345, §2, is further amended to read:

Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 608, no a license or any interest in a license may not be sold, transferred, assigned or otherwise subject to control by any person other than the licensee. If the business, or any interest in the business, in connection with which a licensed activity is conducted is sold, transferred or assigned, the license holder shall immediately send to the bureau the license and a sworn statement showing the name and address of the purchaser. The bureau is not required to refund any portion of the licensee fee if the license is surrendered before it expires. For the purposes of this section, a tenant brewer who is licensed in accordance with section 1355-A, subsection 6 is not considered to be subject to the control of the host brewer, as described in that subsection, or considered to have been transferred or assigned the license or interest in the license of the host brewer.

Sec. 2. 28-A MRSA §608  is enacted to read:

§ 608.  Licensees with professional sporting events; revenues from the sale of liquor

A licensee authorized to sell liquor for on-premises consumption may enter into an agreement to share revenues from the sale of liquor with a professional sports team not licensed under this Title if:

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.