House Bill 2277 will allow cities and counties to create year-round entertainment areas where alcoholic beverages can be consumed outside of drinking establishments, in common consumption areas.  

Read a summary of the bill here.

The bill was passed by the House on Tuesday, May 24, on a vote of 97-22.  The bill was passed and amended by the Senate May 16 35-5 - where it gained a couple of amendments.  

An amendment by Senator Rob Olson removes the current ten-day waiting period for private club memberships.

An amendment by Senator Jeff Longbine clarifies that distributors may require minimum order quantities for beer - as passed in the beer bill Sub for SB 13 earlier this session.  The former language allowed minimum orders for alcoholic liquor, which technically include wine and spirits.  This clarifies that ordering rules will not change for wine and spirits.

The bill now goes to the Governor for his signature or veto.

Wine Tasting Rules Discussion Scheduled

There are many retailers who are interested in seeing changes to the rules for wine tastings.  Several stores have asked for the ability to charge for hosting educational tasting events.  

If you are interested in exploring possible changes to current rules for conducting wine tastings, please contact Amy Campbell here.  We hope to host a meeting to exchange ideas on June 7 in Topeka - so please contact us by June 2.