Government Affairs

A bill to expand to-go sales from Minnesota craft breweries has been paired with a proposed agreement that all parties involved in the legislation’s negotiation – which include organizations representing the state’s craft brewers, wholesalers and liquor stores – would promise to refrain from promoting other alcohol-related laws for five years.

National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) members gathered in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with members of Congress in person for the first time in more than two years as part of the trade group’s annual legislative conference.

A bill introduced in the New Jersey state Senate last month proposes the creation of a new tax class for flavored malt beverages (FMBs). The bill would tax FMBs at $4.40 per gallon, far closer to New Jersey’s rate for distilled spirits ($5.50 per gallon) than for beer ($0.12 per gallon).

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) hosted a virtual listening session Tuesday with other members of Congress and a handful of bar and restaurant owners to discuss replenishment of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).

The Brewers Association (BA) has tapped Nancy Palmer and Sam DeWitt to lead its state government affairs efforts. As the state government affairs managers – newly created roles within the BA – the two will support the trade group’s state-level legislative initiatives in coordination with brewery members and state guilds.

The leisure and hospitality industries have 1.5 million fewer employees than they did before the pandemic began, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) February 2022 employment report, released today.

Reactions to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s report on improving competition in the beverage-alcohol industry continue to roll in from industry experts.

Some hard seltzer brands may be excluded from grocery and convenience stores in Utah under an omnibus bill proposed in the state Senate. Alaska’s state Senate has passed a bill that would make it harder for breweries to open taprooms in the state.

The Treasury, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), issued a 64-page report along with several recommendations that it said would “better level the playing field for small businesses and new marketplace entrants by enforcing existing laws that promote competition and modernizing outdated alcohol regulations.”

Tito’s Vodka maker Fifth Generation, Inc. has struck an offer in compromise (OIC) with the Department of Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for $305,000, the federal agency announced Monday.

A bill in Indiana would remove restrictions on some off-premise retailers that prohibit them from selling cold beer. Towns in New Jersey are now allowed to designate areas where legal drinking age people can drink alcoholic beverages, according to NorthJersey.com.

The U.S. and European Union (EU) have struck a deal that will lift some tariffs on aluminum and steel that were enacted by former President Donald Trump.

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering doubling the commonwealth’s excise tax on beer, wine and spirits. The bill proposes increasing the state excise tax rate for malt beverages (including flavored malt beverages and sugar-based hard seltzers) from $3.30 per barrel to $6.60 per barrel.

Reyes Beer Division CEO Tom Day challenged the notion that competition in California’s beer market has suffered due to his company’s expansion efforts in the Golden State, according to a letter from the leader of the United States’ largest beer wholesaler to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.