Posted On April 25, 2013
The 63rd Legislature adjourned yesterday a few days before their scheduled 90th day, wrapping up all the major pieces of legislation including the state’s budget, pay plans, tax bills, etc. Importantly, there was no attempt in the waning days to resurrect the dreaded anti-brewery 60/40 bill, HB616. Fortunately, no brewery legislation passed this session after a hard fought effort by the Montana Brewers Association and by craft beer fans statewide. HB616 was tabled in committee after the sponsor realized he couldn’t muster the votes to get it out of committee.
However, HJ18, the Joint Study Resolution designed to study the alcohol licensing system was killed on the House floor. HJ18 left the House Business and Labor Committee with a unanimous 19-0 vote, but suddenly ran into trouble in the House when on second reading it received only 37 favorable votes. The Montana Tavern Association and the Montana Gaming Association worked to defeat this bill even though we had earlier agreed to amendments they had proposed in committee. When 3rd reading came up the next day, it died on a 50 – 50 vote (8 House Business Committee and Labor Members changed their votes). The Montana Tavern Association, Montana Gaming Association, and others evidently don’t want “sunlight” shed on our current broken system, which was a primary goal that the study resolution would have achieved.
So we now head into the interim with a great amount of work ahead of us. The Montana Brewers Association is committed to working with our members and our patrons to develop a sound solution to these issues. We intend to key a sharp eye towards maintaining a strong and growing craft beer industry with open entry into the marketplace, and will continue working with industry partners in the development of workable solutions. We still need your help in this regard, so please stay tuned to our Newsletters, website, our Facebook posts, and join us at our festivals in Billings (May 31) and Missoula (September 28) to show your support of Montana-made beer. Thanks again for all the support you have provided to the craft beer industry during this legislative session.
The Beer Still Flows!