Texas Law for Direct Sales Introduced

Don't worry, I'm still sampling beer like crazy, but am studying for the PE exam which I haven't even been approved to take yet. This is taking up so much time it's ridiculous. Hopefully I can get more frequent posts next time I get home.

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Got this from the Texas Beer blog. Here's hope that it passes. I've asked around if there was anything we could do to help, or NOT do to hinder it. If we cannot get this passed this time, maybe we need to tack in on in some version of a Texas stimulus bill. Lord knows more microbreweries would create more jobs. The 5-county Houston area should have something like 10 microbreweries instead of the 2 we have now.

Direct Sales Bill Introduced

Representative Lon Burnam of Tarrant County has introduced legislation to the Texas House of Representatives that would legalize the sale of beer directly from the brewery. Filed February 4th, the bill known as HB1062, or the Texas Brewers Parity Amendment, includes the language

The holder of a brewer's permit whose premises is located in an area where the sale of ale and malt liquor is legal and who produces at least 1,000 barrels of ale or malt liquor a year may sell ale and malt liquor manufactured or bottled on the permitted premises to ultimate consumers: (1) in unbroken packages for off-premises consumption in an amount that does not exceed 35,000 gallons annually; and (2) for consumption on the brewery premises if the brewery is located in an area where the sale of ale and malt liquor for on-premises consumption is legal.

An identical bill SB754 was filed today in the State Senate by Senator Wendy Davis, also of Fort Worth.

Current TABC law requires that brewers sell only to distributors and prohibits any direct sales to the public. The direct sales of wine from Texas vineyards was legalized several years ago with no negative consequences to winemakers, distributors or retailers.

Similar legislation was sponsored by Brock Wagner of Saint Arnold two years ago but was defeated.