The public hearing for HB 2206 has been changed from March 6 to Thursday, March 7, 2013. The Hearing on the Big Box Liquor bill will be in the House Commerce Committee (click to see committee information).
The Chair hopes to start the Committee by 1:00 p.m. and offer 1 hour for proponents and 1 hour for opponents to testify. The bill may be voted on within a few days of the hearing. We hear the proponents are advertising their willingness to change the bill to Strong Beer and Wine, or perhaps even just Strong Beer, if that will gain them the votes needed to pass the bill out of committee.
KABR will host a lunch in the Statehouse to begin at 11:00 a.m. in the 3rd floor south wing of the State Capitol. Every retailer should plan to attend, and bring employees, family and others who care about preserving local small business. Invite your legislator to meet you at the lunch.
The key to this issue continues to be one-on-one meetings with your legislators. The days of "phoning it in" are over. The delayed hearing provides more opportunities for retailers to meet with their legislators. Please schedule those meetings as soon as you can get on the legislator's schedule to visit with them in person, whether in Topeka or when they are in their hometowns.
This hearing was initially planned for February 19-20, but was rescheduled due to large number of issues this Committee is handling prior to Turnaround Day - March 1. It is being set back again to avoid being on the first day back from their Turnaround break. The Legislature will not meet March 4 or 5, so legislators should be available in their hometowns on those days.
Since HB 2206 is exempt from deadlines, it can be postponed beyond the Turnaround deadline for bills to be considered in their House of Origin. That exempt status comes from its introduction in the House Taxation Committee, an "exempt" committee.
Register to attend HERE. Skip the login option.
Read the Big Box Liquor bill here.
And this is what it will cost the State - NOT including the loss in payroll taxes, property taxes, and income to communities and related small businesses!
Regardless of how many times the Uncork Kansas Coalition inaccurately calls the 761 independently owned liquor stores of Kansas a "monopoly" - Kansas licensed liquor stores are NOT a monopoly. Check out this handout. The Coalition representatives don't know the difference between a monopoly-controlled marketplace and regulation with licensure. Why would we give faceless, out-of-state corporations that don't comprehend the need for regulation and licensure - and mistake it as some type of market manipulation - the serious responsibility of selling alcoholic liquor for the state?
2013 Comments in Opposition to HB 2206 - CLICK HERE.
