If you'll recall, a while back I told you that SB153, the bill that legalizes the home production of beer and wine, passed the Alabama Senate on February 23rd.
http://politicsalabama.blogspot.com/2010/02/senate-passes-homebrew-bill.html
On February 25th it was sent to the House, who directed it to the House Travel & Tourism committee... where is has sat ever since. Ignored.
All the bill does is change Alabama law so that it is the same as federal law has been for decades. Federal law and state laws in most other states allow the home production of beer and wine, so Alabama wouldn't be breaking any new ground. In fact, we'd merely be catching up to the rest of the country.
The plain fact is that home production of beer an wine is simple, easy, and safe. I have known people in Florida, where it is legal, who have produced wine and beer at least as good as anything you can buy in a store, and at a fraction of the cost.
It's a hobby, and it can also be an economic boon for the state. The legislation allows for festivals, competitions, and gatherings for those who make beer and wine. The only limitation is that the alcohol can't be sold, which is reasonable.
If you think that this bill would be a reasonable change to state law, I urge you to contact the House Tourism & Travel committee and ask them to pass the bill out of committee with an approval recommendation. You can find the contact information for committee members online at:
http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/housecommittees.html#Anchor-TOURIS-47940
John Morrow is the chairman of the committee, James Thomas is the vice-chair, and Mac Gipson is the ranking minority member.
I urge you to call. The bill in question, SB153, increases our freedoms and individual liberties, and could easily create increased economic activity within the state of Alabama. We only have nine legislative days remaining (eight, after today), so call as soon as possible.
UPDATE: I spoke with the clerk for the Tourism & Travel committee this morning, and I got a little more information. Apparently they discussed the bill on March 3rd, and one or two members had questions about one or two provisions that might impact the ABC. Those concerns are being "worked on," but at the time the committee members seemed to be in favor of the bill.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
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Matthew,
ReplyDeleteThe concerns of the ABC were very minor, and pertained to changing the term 'wine' to 'table wine' to match the official definition.
The reality is the bill is being effectively held up at the request of a powerful lobbyist representing a state-wide alcohol association.
Please direct readers to this website, where they can learn more and even write their legislature:
http://www.supportsb153.org/
Volunteers will hand deliver or mail the message to ensure it actually gets delivered, as emails are not reliably received.
Every year I offer my muscadines to anyone who wants to come pick them and use them for any purpose and I get very few responses. They could probably pick a 5 gallon bucket full in an average year when the fruit ripens in August. I wonder how much wine that would make.
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