Category: Legislative & Regulatory
News relating to the state and federal politics of beer and regulatory structure
News Legislation to Allow USPS to Ship Beer is Introduced in Congress
Legislation was introduced yesterday in Washington DC that would allow the USPS to ship alcohol in states where it is currently legal to do. The United States Postal Service (USPS) Shipping Equity Acy was introduced by Representatives Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).
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News Consumer Group Says Vizzy Illegally Touting Health Claims with Addition of Vitamin C
The TTB has long prohibited any sort of health claim on alcohol packaging or advertising. The Center for Science in the Public Interest and Consumer Federation of America have submitted a letter to the Food and Drug Administration requesting that they bring enforcement action against Molson Coors for illegally misleading consumers with its Vizzy Hard Seltzer labeling and advertising campaign.
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News West Virginia Tax Reform Bill Would Increase Excise Tax on Beer by 431%
A bill in the West Virginia legislature to eliminate the state’s income tax would raise the excise tax on beer by 431%. The bill would increase the tax on beer from the current $5.58 per barrel to $29.25 which would be the fourth highest in the nation.
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News Georgia Bill Would Double Direct-to-Consumer Sales Cap
Senate Bill 219, which is making its way through the Georgia General Assembly, would allow the state’s breweries to transfer beer between locations and increase the amount of beer per year breweries can sell directly to customers.
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News $1.9 Trillion Covid-19 Relief Package is Passed by Congress – Includes Grants for Brewing Industry
The House gave final passage today to a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package that includes the American Rescue Plan which includes relief to help the hospitality industry including brewers.
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News Beer or Seltzer? AB InBev Files Suit Against Constellation Over Corona Seltzer
Grupo Modelo, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev has filed a lawsuit against Constellation Brands claiming that Constellation’s use of Corona Seltzer has breached their deal on the use of the Corona brand name by applying it to a product other than beer.
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News OSHA Issues New COVID-19 Workplace Guidance
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers implement a COVID-19 protection program and better identify risks which could lead to exposure and contraction, according to a statement from the Brewers Association.
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News Federal Descheduling of Cannabis May Move Forward with New Administration
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act (MORE Act), has a better chance of passage with the new Senate and President Biden in place. The MORE Act passed the House last year but was hung up in the Senate and had no chance of being signed into law with the previous administration.
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News Oregon Issues New Guidance for Hard Seltzer
Hard seltzers are prompting some states to reevaluate where the product “fits in” to the regulatory structure given that seltzers are neither malt based or fruit based. Recently, Oregon issued clarification pertaining to the classification of hard seltzers in the state. The guidance impacts the majority of hard seltzers in the market, most notably on excise tax and licensing needed to produce or sell hard seltzers in the state.
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News Tips on Making Alcoholic Ice Cream
As the pandemic forces brewers to innovate to stay afloat, a growing trend among craft brewers is to utilize alcohol in ice cream and freezer pops, which can be sold in the retail freezer or direct to consumer at the brewery. As this practice gains popularity, more states are approving the manufacture and sale of these items.
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News After 10-Year Effort – MA Finally Gets Franchise Reform
After a 10-year effort to pass franchise reform in Massachusetts, the Mass Brewers Guild and the Massachusetts Wholesalers Association have finally forged a compromise. Senate Bill 2841 was passed by Massachusetts lawmakers in a final vote yesterday.
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