One of the new laws passed this legislative session is a section to allow sale of clothing marked with the “specific name, brand, or identifying logo of the exclusive liquor store, and bearing no other name, brand, or identifying logo” is effective following enactment.  So, effective as of April 27, 2012.

Wine Educator:

The section to allow “exclusive liquor stores to conduct classes for a fee and allow tastings in the conduct of those classes, provided that the amount served at a class is limited to the amount authorized under section 340A.4041”(see below) is effective following enactment.  So, effective as of April 27, 2012.

340A.4041 CULINARY CLASSES; ON-SALE LICENSE.

Subdivision 1. License authorized. A city or county may issue a limited on-sale intoxicating

liquor license to a business establishment: (1) not otherwise eligible for an on-sale intoxicating

liquor license; and (2) that, as part of its business, conducts culinary or cooking classes for which

payment is made by each participant or advance reservation required. The license authorizes the

licensee to furnish to each participant in each class, at no additional cost to the participant, up to

a maximum of six ounces of wine or 12 ounces of intoxicating malt liquor, during and as part

of the class, for consumption on the licensed premises only.

Subd. 2. Fee. The issuing authority shall set the fee for a license under this section, subject to

section 340A.408, subdivision 2, paragraph (a).

Subd. 3. Application of other law. All provisions of this chapter that apply to on-sale

intoxicating liquor licenses, other than provisions inconsistent with this section, apply to licenses

issued under this section, except that section 340A.409 shall not apply.

The section that creates the Wine Educator license does not list a specific effective date, so that section is effective August 1, 2012.

On Monday, May 11, 2012, which is now history, the Governor signed legislation for a public subsidy package to build the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.  He was cheered and he was heckled, but it passed.  Funding the nearly one billions dollar stadium is supported by the new forms of legalized gambling revenue in Minnesota.  The new Electronic Pull Tabs and Electronic Bingo will bring in enough revenue to the State of Minnesota to fund the bonds to support the States portion of the private/public relationship.

Now, on to gambling and getting some patrons back in our bars and restaurants;  We will be working closely with the Minnesota Gambling Control Board who will be setting the rules, regulating the procedure and filling in all the blanks necessary to get the newly designed electronic forms of paper pull tabs and the new wave of electronic bingo into our  businesses.  Now is the time to tell others of our accomplishments.  We need new members; those retail bars and restaurants who are not members to come forward and help us keep the enthusiasm high as we move forward.  We will be coming to your towns and cities to make sure others know of our association and how we can give value to those licensees who support our team.

We will be publicizing the how, the when, the frequently asked questions as to what comes next.  Stick with us and keep checking this post for updated and newly discussed procedures to follow.  We’re here for ya;  Tony, Mike and Frank, call us anytime with questions or concerns and we’ll keep you posted (651 772 0910)

From  your Board of Directors and from the three of us personally, we wish you a very prosperous summer and look forward to further successful projects.

We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

Frank Ball

MLBA

Posted 5/8/12.

The bill passed but not without some major fireworks between committee members.  It was an event that we witnessed history in the making.  Very emotional and very interesting.  The bill was passed without recommendation, but it was “passed”.  This is the furthest any gambling bill has made it through the grinding legislative process in over 22 years.

We are very proud of our lobbying team who have worked so hard and stayed engaged day after day at the Capitol on this bill.  We also owe a great deal to the MLBA members that called their legislators and worked so diligently on this bill with us.  The bill will now go to the House Ways and Means Committee. We will keep you informed of it’s progress and if you want to know any further information or want to get involved call the office (651-772-0910) or email Frank Ball, Executive Director.

Click here for the article.

The most current information we have as of this date:

Date: April 6, 2012

The House and Senate spent most of the time this past week on the Floor of

each body passing bills and conference committee reports. Leading up to this week,

there was some speculation that the Legislature would finish their work and adjourn sine

die. However, at the end of the day on Thursday, there was no motion for adjournment

sine die. As the Legislature heads into a break for the Easter and Passover holidays,

they will be back to continue working on Monday, April 16.

University of Minnesota Regents: On Wednesday, the House and Senate met

in a Joint Legislative Session for the purpose of electing a person to serve on the

University of Minnesota Board of Regents. The vacancy on the Board was created by

the resignation of former Speaker and Regent Steve Sviggum. After Mr. Sviggum

accepted a job within the Senate Republican caucus, it was determined that the job was

a conflict with serving as a member of the Board of Regents. The Joint Legislative

Session elected Mr. Thomas Devine, insurance executive and university volunteer from

Chanhassen, to serve on the Board of Regents.

Bills Signed and Vetoed: Several high profile bills were sent to Governor

Dayton this week and were either signed or vetoed. K-12 Education Finance Shift

Repayment – Governor Dayton vetoed a bill which would have repaid funds that were

held back from K-12 education funding as part of the budget solution to end the

government shutdown last summer. The House and Senate passed a bill to use $430

million of the state’s budget reserve to pay back a portion of the shift. Governor

Dayton’s veto letter stated that he supports repaying the K-12 shift, but prefers to fund

the repayment by closing corporate tax loopholes and not using the budget reserve.

Jacobs Law – Governor Dayton signed “Jacobs Law”, a bill that modifies parental

notification requirements in cases where a child is the victim of abuse. The bill specifies

that both parents must be notified. The bill stems from a case where a young boy,

Jacob, was a victim of sexual assault and law enforcement notified his father of the

crime, but not his mother. The family, including 12-year old Jacob, advocated for the

law and joined Governor Dayton and legislators for the ceremonial bill signing.

Environmental Permitting – Governor Dayton was joined by legislators and the

Commissioners of the DNR and PCA for a bill signing of SF 1567 which implements

environmental permitting reforms. The bill is a continuation of the work the Legislature

and Governor started last session and is aimed at easing the regulatory burden on

companies and others in applying for environmental permits.

Voter ID Constitutional Amendment: This week, the House and Senate both

passed the Voter ID bill which will place a Constitutional Amendment question on the

November, 2012 ballot. Governor Dayton did not have the opportunity to sign or veto

the bill; proposed Constitutional amendments only require approval by the House and

Senate in order to be passed. Voters will be asked, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution

be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to

require the state to provide free identification to eligible voters, effective July 1, 2013?”

There is the possibility that a law suit will be filed to stop the question from appearing on

the ballot. However, the court will need to act quickly before the November, 2012

election.

Fishing Opener: With the unusually mild winter and warm spring, some

Legislators are proposing that the state’s opening fishing weekend be moved up a

week. Most years, the fishing opener coincides with Mother’s Day. A bill has passed

the House to create a “bonus week” allowing the fishing opener to happen a week

earlier, on May 5, 2012. The official Governor’s Fishing Opener would still be the

weekend of May 12, 2012. The bill will next be considered by the Senate.

Vikings Stadium Update: The House Commerce Committee held a hearing on

Monday night to on the proposed Vikings Stadium. The committee mainly focused on

the issues within the committee’s jurisdiction – gaming, liquor licenses, and contracts.

The bill provides a funding source of electronic pull-tabs and bingo, plus sports-themed

tip-boards which would all be played in licensed bars and operated by charitable gaming

organizations. The bill also provides a variety of back-up funding sources. The

committee passed the bill – becoming the first committee to pass the Vikings Stadium

proposal this session. The bill was sent to the House Rules Committee for

consideration of waiving the committee deadline violation. The Rules committee met on

Thursday and waived the deadline violation, sending the bill to the House Government

Operations Committee. At this time, a hearing in that committee has not been

scheduled.

Looking Ahead: The Legislature will be on a break for the Easter and Passover

holidays until noon on Monday, April 16. Legislative issues that are still outstanding

include passage of a capital improvements or bonding bill; a variety of omnibus bills –

Legacy funding, environment policy, transportation policy, K-12 education policy, health

and human services policy; whether or not a Vikings Stadium bill will make further

progress; and continued discussions regarding electronic pull-tabs and bingo for

charitable organizations. The Legislature has set a deadline for the end of session of

Monday, April 30, 2012. The Constitution requires that they end on May 21, 2012.

Negotiators for the House of Representatives and charitable gaming interests struck a deal this weekend to provide more tax relief for charities, potentially removing one of the remaining obstacles blocking progress on a Vikings stadium bill at the Capitol.

It wasn’t clear whether Gov. Mark Dayton or Senate leaders support the new deal.

A hearing on an amended stadium bill and a standalone bill on tax relief for charities is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, April 2, in the House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee.

Chairman Joe Hoppe, R-Chaska, said he expects the committee to pass both bills. He said he plans to take up the standalone bill first and then, if it passes, include it in the stadium bill.

In the stadium bill, the money for the state’s contribution to the project comes from tax revenue from authorizing electronic versions of pulltab and bingo games that are now played on paper as fundraisers for charitable groups.

The updated bill also specifies four backup sources of funding that would kick in if revenue from e-pulltabs and bingo should fall short.

That has been a concern for some lawmakers, who are afraid the state’s general fund would be tapped if e-pulltab revenue came up short.

But two of the backup sources add taxes at the stadium site, which the Vikings oppose, and another taps excess Hennepin County tax revenue supporting the Twins’ Target Field, which county officials don’t like.

Even so, “I think it’s a good proposal,” said Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, the House sponsor of the bill, on Sunday. “I think we’ve answered questions or concerns that have been raised. We’re optimistic about having it at least get through the first committee,” he said.

The stadium bill – which would put a new stadium next to the current Metrodome, financed with $427 million from the Vikings, $398 million from the state and $150 million from Minneapolis – has had one hearing in the Senate but no vote. Monday will be its first hearing in the House.

Some have called passage of the bill this session a long shot, especially if lawmakers hit their target of adjourning Thursday, April 5.

But the deal with the charities and identification of backup state funding are additional boosts to the process, which got another bump recently when a majority of the Minneapolis City Council submitted letters supporting the stadium plan.

King Wilson, executive director of Allied Charities of Minnesota, which represents charitable gaming interests, said the final touches on the deal were made Saturday evening.

Under the agreement, the charities would receive $36 million in tax relief, he said.

Among the changes is a switch from a tax on gross receipts to a tax on the net, Wilson said, which he called “the best, most fair way to go.”

The new numbers make it viable for charitable organizations to install electronic versions of the games, Wilson said. Those that decide to stay with paper versions would still get the tax relief, he said.

“It took a while to get there,” Wilson said of the deal. “I think we’re there.”

Wilson said his negotiations were mainly with House Speaker Kurt Zellers’ office and other House leaders, and he’s not sure how aware or supportive Dayton is of the new plan.

A spokeswoman for Dayton said the governor was reviewing the new proposal Sunday evening. Attempts to reach Senate leaders were not successful.

Dayton said late last week he had told legislative leaders that they should be working out a resolution with the charities.

Lanning, the Moorhead Republican, said the new arrangement should leave the state with enough to pay the stadium bonds plus a cushion, but if more money is needed, “we’ve got lots of backup in this bill.”

The following revenue sources would kick in if needed, in the following order:

– a tax on luxury boxes;

– excess revenue from Hennepin County taxes;

– an admissions tax.

Lester Bagley, the Vikings’ vice president of public affairs and stadium development, said Sunday the team opposes the luxury-box and admissions taxes. “We don’t agree with the principle that the Vikings should backstop the state’s contribution,” Bagley said.

Mike Opat, chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, said there are other uses specified in statute for Hennepin County tax revenue beyond what’s needed for financing and support of Target Field. He said those funds shouldn’t be in the state’s mix.

“Why would they be backing up a state revenue with a local revenue?” Opat asked

 TO:  MLBA Board of Directors, Cc:  MLBA members and non-members

REF:  2012 House of Representative Omnibus Liquor Bill Sunday Sales

FROM:  MLBA Office, St. Paul, MN

Today, the House of Representatives took up the Omnibus Liquor bill, which contains various provisions, related to alcohol.  The MLBA had worked to ensure that this bill did not contain any provisions that were problematic to license holders.

Last night, MLBA lobbyists were told that two amendments involving Sunday sales would be offered on the floor.   The MLBA lobbyist have been working all year to line up votes on the assumption that these amendments might be offered.  In the morning and early afternoon, MLBA lobbyist worked to confirm legislators previous commitments as well as to encourage MLBA supporters to speak against the amendments.  We were very successful.  Both amendments were soundly defeated.

The first amendment was offered by Representative Drazkowski (R-Mazzeppa) to allow for the Sunday Sale of alcohol statewide.   The following representatives, who the MLBA lobbyist asked to speak against the amendment, spoke against the amendment in support of off-sale license holders:

Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights)

Morrie Lanning (R-Morehead)

Kerry Gauthier (D-Duluth)

Tom Rukavina (D-Chisholm)

Joe McDonald (R-Watertown)

Bob Gunther (R-Fairmont)

Greg Davids (R-Preston)

Dean Urdahl (R-Litchfeild)

Larry Howes (R-Walker)

John Ward (D-Brainerd)

Bruce Anderson (R-Buffalo)

Mike Benson (R-Rochester)

MLB A Memo; page 2

In addition to Representative Drazkowski, the amendment’s author, the following representatives spoke in favor of the amendment:

David Dill (D-Cross Lake)

John Kriesel (R-Cottage Grove)

Tina Liebling (R-Rochester)

Phyllis Kahn (D-Minneapolis)

This amendment was defeated 97-25.

The second amendment was offered by Representative John Kriesel (R-Cottage Grove).  This amendment allowed Minnesota counties that bordered Canada, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota to allow Sunday sales.  With very little discussion, this amendment failed 99-21.

These were very big margins of defeat of Sunday Sales which will make it much more difficult in the future to bring this issue up.

Thank you to all off-sale retail licensees, both members and non-members who continue to contact their legislators to express their opposition to Sunday Sales.  On behalf of the MLBA Board of Directors, we wish to thank all retail owners for the support and continued dedication to this industry.

Sincerely:

Frank Ball

Executive Director

Source: NWCN
by JIM FORMAN
March 28, 2012
The bids are rolling in on the state’s 167 liquor stores, which are up for online auction, in preparation for Washington to get out of the liquor business in June.
“From the first 24 hour period we’ve had a lot of bidding activity,” said Pat McLaughlin of the state’s Liquor Control Board. “We’ve got 170 bidders registered and actively bidding,” he said.
The state was forced out of the booze business when voters passed initiative 1183. So now, for the right price, the right to take over existing stores, buy their inventory, even hire on workers already in place are up for grabs.
But the highest bidder won’t necessarily win out, said McLaughlin. The goal is to raise the most money possible, and if a lower bidder agrees to buy out the inventory, and store fixtures, they could get the nod.
As an added incentive to protect the state employees who are losing their jobs, any bidder who agrees to keep staff members will receive cash rebates on their bid.
There are really two auctions in play, one sells off stores piecemeal, $1,050 is the high bid for the state store on Bainbridge Island, the most expensive, the store on Greenwood Avenue in Seattle is running at $64,100. The other auction is for all of the stores, that’s running well over half a million dollars.
McLaughlin says he expects the real bidding war to start as the scheduled April 20th deadline for the online auction draws near. “They can go at it,” he said.