1.20.24 - Optimism for alcohol reform seen in governor’s budget
' Advocates of reform of New York’s laws governing the manufacture and sale of alcohol were encouraged earlier this week when Gov. Hochul’s proposed executive budget for fiscal year 2025 included mention of continuing improvements. The measures are incremental and seemingly commonsensical and uncontroversial. Among them:
- Allow one-day event permits for alcohol service to include liquor, hard cider and mead, not only beer and wine, as is currently the case.
- Allow permits for caterers serving alcohol to be issued for outdoor events as well as indoor.
- Drop the requirement that license applicants wait 30 days to formally apply after notifying their municipality of the intention to seek a liquor license.
On the one hand, according to those involved in the issues — as restaurateurs, retailers, distributors, manufacturers, lobbyists and legislators — the proposed changes are small steps at best, akin to the reforms passed last year, including allowing liquor stores to open at 10 a.m. on Sunday instead of noon, as restaurants have been able to since 2016.
The executive budget does not propose significant overhauls like selling wine in supermarkets, permitting restaurants and bars to buy limited amounts of alcohol from liquor stores or allowing liquor stores to carry complementary items like cocktail cherries, cheese and mixers.
“But at least (the budget) opens the door, starts the conversation,” said state Sen. James Skoufis, an Orange County Democrat and vocal advocate for reform of the state’s alcohol laws. A major omnibus bill containing a host of measures that Skoufis proposed last year, in part based on recommendations in a report last spring from a commission appointed to study alcohol reform, never made it out of committee. He said he plans within weeks to introduce an updated version of the bill, adding new elements such as letting liquor stores carry nonalcoholic wine and spirits.
The budget’s inclusion of changes to the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control laws, no matter how small, sends a message that Hochul understands the matter is worthy of negotiation, Skoufis said.
“Is this the most important thing going on right now? No,” he said. “But it’s long past due that we update these archaic laws in ways that would benefit almost all stakeholders.” '