2023c ABC Board Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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NC: North Carolina Considering ABC Bills During 2023 Legislative Session The North Carolina General Assembly is considering several alcohol bills this session which, if enacted, would modernize North Carolina ABC laws. The bills would authorize mixed beverages sales "to-go," authorize distilleries to sell bottles directly to restaurants, require transparency by local ABC boards in the liquor allocation process, and allow happy hour discounts. If enacted, the bills would take effect in late summer or early fall 2023. A summary of each of the pending alcohol bills as of April 24, 2023, is as follows: ABC Omnibus -- SB 490 • Eliminates mixed beverage tax and requirement for tax stamps on premixed cocktails • Authorizes NC ABC Commission members and staff to sample alcohol products • Authorizes cities and counties to enact ordinances to authorize local ABC Boards to open ABC stores for Sunday sales after 12:00pm and on New Years, July 4th, and Labor Day • Raises spending cap for industry members on product displays for a retail permittee from $300 to $1,000 per year per brand by an industry member (this includes product displays, such as racks and shelving, and retailer advertising items, such as glassware, cups, coasters; authorizes branded plug in coolers in ABC stores that are less than $1,500 per brand) • Authorizes to go and delivery sales of mixed beverages by retail permittees in sealed containers (reinstates the prior policy that was in place during the pandemic) • Authorizes transport of these products in sealed containers by consumers • Authorizes delivery service providers to deliver these mixed beverages along with food sold by restaurants • Authorizes mixed beverage permittees to order liquor from any ABC store in the county, rather than one designated ABC store • Authorizes mixed beverage permittees to use clear tape or adhesive to help prevent mixed beverage tax stamps from falling off spirituous liquor bottles • Requires local ABC boards to provide more transparency in how rare spirits are allocated to retailers by requiring boards to submit plans to the Commission for distribution; Commission has 15 days to approve or deny • Requires local ABC boards to sell allocated products only to retail customers who are residents of the county where the local board is located • Requires Commission to notify industry members and local boards at least 60 days in advance of the effective date of an approved retail price reduction for a spirituous liquor product • Allows ABC stores to sell branded consumer specialty items, such as coolers, keychains, bottle openers, and physical and electronic gift cards, and empty barrels in which spirituous liquor was aged; gift cards can be purchased from ABC stores online and received electronically