Government Affairs

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has named Mary Ryan as its new administrator, effective August 16.

With the nation’s can supply tightening, President Donald Trump yesterday announced the reimposition of a 10% tariff on Canadian aluminum, claiming that America’s neighbor to the north was flooding the market.

Michigan legislators are considering a bill that would extend indefinitely delivery sales of alcoholic beverages for bars and restaurants and create “social districts” in which consumers would be able to drink beer, wine or spirits in a common area outside the walls or designated patio spaces of licensed establishments, according to MLive.com.

Dr. Anthony Fauci today cautioned against reopening businesses and other public gathering spaces before states meet guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An investigation by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) found that third-party delivery services are “routinely delivering alcoholic beverages to minors,” according to an industry advisory posted by the regulatory agency.

The near-nationwide shutdown of the on-premise channel will result in a loss of $8 billion for the beer industry if it continues into June, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones said during a State of the Industry webinar hosted by the NBWA and the Beer Institute (BI).

More aid money is on the way for small businesses. President Donald Trump today signed into law a fourth stimulus package that includes $310 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which ran out of money and stopped accepting applications on April 16.

After being shut out of receiving loans from the coronavirus relief bill’s Paycheck Protection Program, small business owners have filed class action lawsuits against some of the country’s biggest banks, alleging unfair business practices and fraud.

Just two weeks after it began accepting applications, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ran out of funds on Thursday, April 16.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced Tuesday that it will postpone tax payments and filing deadlines as its constituent businesses grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Craftworks Holdings has laid off its nationwide staff of 18,000 people, according to Westword.

As states enforce bans on on-premise consumption at breweries, bars and restaurants to stop the spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic, some are also loosening restrictions on takeout and delivery of alcoholic beverages.

The Senate approved a multi-billion dollar relief bill to offer immediate aid in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday afternoon.
This bill makes coronavirus testing free, provides paid sick leave, expands unemployment benefits and provides grants to states to process and pay claims.

The on-premise shutdown of bars and restaurants in New York City could last for “months” in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said during an interview with CNN this morning.

Newly named Massachusetts Brewers Guild’s president Sam Hendler wants to finally resolve the contentious franchise reform debate with the state’s wholesalers. Hendler, a co-founder and co-owner of Framingham, Massachusetts-based craft breweries Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and the Springdale Beer Company, acknowledged that the franchise law reform effort has been dragging on long before he was of legal drinking age. “I was a high school senior when it started,” he told Brewbound.

A bill introduced in the Michigan Legislature earlier this month would allow breweries producing up to 2,000 barrels annually to self-distribute their products in the state. Currently, Michigan breweries producing up to 1,000 barrels can self-distribute. According to national trade group the Brewers Association, the majority of Michgian’s craft breweries produced fewer than 1,400 barrels in 2018, the last year in which data was available.