SB-0279, As Passed Senate, May 7, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE BILL No. 279

 

 

March 20, 2013, Introduced by Senator HANSEN and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled

 

"Michigan liquor control code of 1998,"

 

by amending section 537 (MCL 436.1537), as amended by 2011 PA 298.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 537. (1) The following classes of vendors may sell

 

alcoholic liquor at retail as provided in this section:

 

     (a) Taverns, where beer and wine may be sold for consumption

 

on the premises only.

 

     (b) Class C license licensee, where beer, wine, mixed spirit

 

drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises.

 

     (c) Clubs, where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits

 

may be sold for consumption on the premises only to bona fide

 

members where consumption is limited to these members and their

 

bona fide guests, who are 21 years of age or older.

 

     (d) Direct shippers, where wine may be sold and shipped

 


directly to the consumer.

 

     (e) Hotels of class A, where beer and wine may be sold for

 

consumption on the premises and in the rooms of bona fide

 

registered guests. Hotels of class B, where beer, wine, mixed

 

spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the

 

premises and in the rooms of bona fide registered guests.

 

     (f) Specially designated merchants, where beer and wine may be

 

sold for consumption off the premises only.

 

     (g) Specially designated distributors, where spirits and mixed

 

spirit drink may be sold for consumption off the premises only.

 

     (h) Special licenses, where beer and wine or beer, wine, mixed

 

spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the

 

premises only.

 

     (i) Dining cars or other railroad or Pullman cars, watercraft,

 

or aircraft, where alcoholic liquor may be sold for consumption on

 

the premises only, subject to rules promulgated by the commission.

 

     (j) Brewpubs, where beer manufactured on the premises by the

 

licensee may be sold for consumption on or off the premises by any

 

of the following licensees:

 

     (i) Class C.

 

     (ii) Tavern.

 

     (iii) Class A hotel.

 

     (iv) Class B hotel.

 

     (k) Micro brewers and brewers, where beer produced by the

 

micro brewer or brewer may be sold to a consumer for consumption on

 

or off the brewery premises.

 

     (l) Class G-1 license licensee, where beer, wine, mixed spirit

 


drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises only

 

to members required to pay an annual membership fee and consumption

 

is limited to these members and their bona fide guests.

 

     (m) Class G-2 license licensee, where beer and wine may be

 

sold for consumption on the premises only to members required to

 

pay an annual membership fee and consumption is limited to these

 

members and their bona fide guests.

 

     (n) Motorsports event license licensee, where beer and wine

 

may be sold for consumption on the premises during sanctioned

 

motorsports events only.

 

     (o) Wine maker, where wine may be sold by direct shipment, at

 

retail on the licensed premises, and as provided for in subsections

 

(2) and (3).

 

     (p) Small distiller selling not more than 60,000 gallons of

 

spirits manufactured by that licensee to the consumer at retail for

 

consumption on or off the licensed premises in the manner provided

 

for in section 534.

 

     (q) Nonpublic continuing care retirement center license

 

licensee, where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, mixed wine drink,

 

and spirits may be sold at retail and served on the licensed

 

premises to residents and bona fide guests accompanying the

 

resident for consumption only on the licensed premises.

 

     (r) A small wine maker or an out-of-state entity that is the

 

substantial equivalent of a small wine maker, that holds a farmer's

 

market permit, where wine may be sampled and sold at a farmer's

 

market for consumption off the licensed premises.

 

     (2) A wine maker may sell wine made by that wine maker in a

 


restaurant for consumption on or off the premises if the restaurant

 

is owned by the wine maker or operated by another person under an

 

agreement approved by the commission and located on the premises

 

where the wine maker is licensed.

 

     (3) A wine maker, with the prior written approval of the

 

commission, may conduct wine tastings of wines made by that wine

 

maker on the premises where the wine maker is licensed to

 

manufacture wine. The wine maker may charge for the samples.

 

     (4) A wine maker, with the prior written approval of the

 

commission, may conduct wine tastings of wines made by that wine

 

maker and may sell the wine made by that wine maker for consumption

 

off the premises at a location other than the premises where the

 

wine maker is licensed to manufacture wine, under the following

 

conditions:

 

     (a) The premises upon which the wine tasting occurs conforms

 

to local and state sanitation requirements.

 

     (b) Payment of a $100.00 fee per location is made to the

 

commission.

 

     (c) The wine tasting locations are considered licensed

 

premises, and the wine maker may include a charge for the samples.

 

     (d) The wine tasting takes place during the legal hours for

 

the sale of alcoholic liquor by the licensee.

 

     (e) The premises and the licensee comply with and are subject

 

to all applicable rules promulgated by the commission.

 

     (5) Notwithstanding section 1025(1), an outstate seller of

 

beer, an outstate seller of wine, a wine maker, a brewer, a micro

 

brewer, or a specially designated merchant, or an agent of any of

 


those persons, who does not hold a license allowing the consumption

 

of alcoholic liquor on the premises at the same licensed address,

 

may conduct beer and wine tastings on the licensed premises of a

 

specially designated merchant under the following conditions:

 

     (a) A customer is not charged for the tasting of beer or wine.

 

     (b) The tasting samples provided to a customer do not exceed 3

 

servings at up to 3 ounces per serving of beer or 3 servings at up

 

to 2 ounces of wine. A customer shall not be provided more than a

 

total of 3 samples of beer or wine within a 24-hour period per

 

licensed premises.

 

     (c) The specially designated merchant, outstate seller of

 

beer, outstate seller of wine, wine maker, micro brewer, or brewer

 

has first obtained an annual beer and wine tasting permit approved

 

by the commission.

 

     (d) The commission is notified, in writing, a minimum of 10

 

working days before the event, regarding the date, time, and

 

location of the event.

 

     (6) During the time a beer or wine tasting is conducted under

 

subsection (5), a specially designated merchant, outstate seller of

 

beer, outstate seller of wine, wine maker, micro brewer, or brewer,

 

or its agent or employee who has successfully completed a server

 

training program as provided for in section 906, shall devote full

 

time to the beer and wine tasting activity and shall perform no

 

other duties, including the sale of alcoholic liquor for

 

consumption off the licensed premises. Beer and wine used for the

 

tasting must come from the specially designated merchant's

 

inventory, and all open bottles must be removed from the premises

 


on the same business day or resealed and stored in a locked,

 

separate storage compartment on the licensed premises when not

 

being used for the activities allowed by the permit.

 

     (7) A wholesaler shall not conduct or participate in beer and

 

wine tastings allowed under a permit issued under subsection (5).

 

     (8) A beer and wine tasting under subsection (5) may only be

 

conducted during the legal hours for the sale of alcoholic liquor

 

by the licensee.

 

     (9) A brandy manufacturer or small distiller, with the prior

 

written approval of the commission, may conduct tastings of brandy

 

and spirits made by that brandy manufacturer or small distiller and

 

may sell the brandy and spirits made by that brandy manufacturer or

 

small distiller for consumption off the licensed premises at a

 

location other than the licensed premises where the brandy

 

manufacturer or small distiller is licensed to manufacture brandy

 

or spirits under the following conditions:

 

     (a) The premises upon which the brandy and spirits tastings

 

occur conform to local and state sanitation requirements.

 

     (b) Payment of a $100.00 fee per location is made to the

 

commission.

 

     (c) The brandy and spirits tasting locations are considered

 

licensed premises.

 

     (d) The brandy and spirits tasting takes place during the

 

legal hours for the sale of alcoholic liquor by the licensee.

 

     (e) The premises and the license comply with and are subject

 

to all applicable rules promulgated by the commission.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 


after the date it is enacted into law.

 

     Enacting section 2. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No. 79 of the 97th Legislature is enacted into

 

law.