5.3.24 - Push grows to expand New York’s liquor shipment, container laws
' State lawmakers want to expand the types of alcoholic beverages that can be directly shipped to New York consumers and how restaurants buy alcohol in the state before legislative session ends in about five weeks.
The $237 billion state budget extended to-go alcoholic beverages for five years through 2030, and allows movie theaters that serve food to get a liquor license. Several lawmakers plan to make alcohol-to-go permanent in the future.
But before lawmakers leave Albany on June 6, they want to pass legislation to allow restaurants to buy a limited supply of alcohol from local retailers instead of waiting for delivery shipments from large distributors. There's also discussion to pass a bill to permit cideries, distilleries and other small beverage producers to ship to customers like wineries across the state.
"A lot of these laws in the alcohol space are from the Prohibition era — they're super antiquated," state Sen. James Skoufis said Thursday.
Skoufis, a Hudson Valley Democrat, sponsors the bills and said it's time for change since nearly a century has passed since Prohibition ended.
The state's two largest liquor distributors — Empire Merchants and Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits — comprise over 90% of the market and form a duopoly, the senator said. The distributors and other special interests have fought hard against the change for years and do not want small businesses cutting into their profit, even minimally.
"These two reforms would take a very small piece of their business away — we're talking a fraction of 1%, probably," said Skoufis, adding the Legislature needs to take action. '
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