Oklahoma liquor laws

[bchris02]

It's done.

It's now up to the people of Oklahoma. Hopefully they make the right choice. It will be interesting to see how much effort the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma will put into getting this defeated.

http://www.news9.com/story/32072879/...rong-beer-wine

[Bullbear]

It's done.

It's now up to the people of Oklahoma. Hopefully they make the right choice. It will be interesting to see how much effort the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma will put into getting this defeated.

http://www.news9.com/story/32072879/...rong-beer-wine

you know why you always take two Baptists fishing with you?.. if you only take one they drink all your beer!

[David]

That's just so the originating house can enroll the bill to the governor.

Ahh, thanks.

It's done.

It's now up to the people of Oklahoma. Hopefully they make the right choice. It will be interesting to see how much effort the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma will put into getting this defeated.

http://www.news9.com/story/32072879/...rong-beer-wine

Not quite yet, that article is just about SB383. SJR68 still hasn't been voted on by the house.

[bradh]

does SB383 allow liqour stores to sell cold beer?

[jerrywall]

does SB383 allow liqour stores to sell cold beer?

That's in SJR68 I believe, but could be wrong. Although those two bills are basically packaged together (SB383 details out all the various rules and regulations and structure for able and such in order for SJR68 to be implemented).

[David]

The House is spending a lot of time debating SB383. I don't know if the conference committee changed it a lot or anything, but don't these people know they already approved this bill back on the 15th?

[jerrywall]

Yeah.... I'm starting to get nervous with 383.... so much was packed in there after the fact. Fingers crossed.

[jerrywall]

30 minutes of debate on deck starting now.

[David]

It passed, 52 to 45. Pretty close one.

[jerrywall]

It passed, 52 to 45. Pretty close one.

There were some good points made in favor of waiting on 383, I have to say, considering they could have worked out all these details if/when SJR68 passes.

[jerrywall]

The SJR68 debate is fairly lively.

[jerrywall]

This is turning into a nailbiter..

[bchris02]

This is turning into a nailbiter..

64 to 30, passed.

[David]

SJR68 passes 64 to 30.

[David]

Slightly more context to the big swing:

https://twitter.com/JRLROK/status/735944150323863553

Floor leader Inman comes in with thumbs up and the House Democrats begin to vote green. SJR68 passes by a vote of 64-30. #BargainingChip

[jerrywall]

Ah, that makes more sense.

[bchris02]

So does Fallin still have to sign this or is it guaranteed for the ballot? Any chance she doesn't?

In terms of the statewide vote, what are the chances it passes?

[bille]

All three passed...what a historic this day is!

I'm most excited about SB424 and the fact that it'll go into effect way quicker than I would have possibly imagined.

[Dustin]

All three passed...what a historic this day is!

I'm most excited about SB424 and the fact that it'll go into effect way quicker than I would have possibly imagined.

November, right? As we are voting on 383, 424 goes into effect. No vote required?

[David]

The status on SB424 is that it has been sent to the governor for a signature.

For some reason, representative Mulready asked for something about being able to reconsider the vote on both SB383 and SJR68 after shepherding both though to approval in the house. Assuming that isn't some additional complication that could derail things, I'm assuming that SB383 will also be going to Fallin and that SJR68 will be on the ballot in November.

[barrettd]

Could someone smarter than I explain what sb424 means to me as a consumer of locally-crafted beer? What additional products can a brewery offer because of this bill they cannot currently offer?

[warreng88]

Lawmakers OK bill expanding strong beer, wine sales

By: Tim Talley Associated Press May 26, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahomans will decide whether to expand access to alcohol in the state and permit cold strong beer and wine to be sold in grocery and convenience stores under legislation state lawmakers approved Thursday.

The House and Senate passed measures that authorize a sweeping overhaul of the state’s alcohol laws but hinge on voter approval in November.

Currently, liquor, wine and strong beer are sold only at licensed package stores, which are strictly regulated and closed on Sundays. Oklahoma allows refrigerated low-point beer to be sold at grocery and convenience stores until 2 a.m. and on Sundays.

Supporters of the measures said that 41 other states already allow the sale of strong beer and wine in grocery stores and that the measures are needed to update Oklahoma’s alcohol laws. Oklahoma is one of only five states that only allow grocery stores to sell 3.2 percent alcohol content beer.

“It promotes small business. It gives consumers choice,” said the House author of the measures, state Rep. Glen Mulready, R-Tulsa.

State Sen. Stephanie Bice, who worked on the proposal in the Senate, described the thorny mix of statutes and constitutional changes needed to modernize the statutes as “somewhat of an unscrambling of the egg.”

“It required us to do an entire title rewrite,” said Bice, R-Oklahoma City. “This has been a long process.”

But opponents said expanding access to alcohol will lead to an increase in problem drinking, especially underage drinking.

“This is not a good bill to protect all the areas of our society,” said state Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell.

State Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, said the measures make no attempt to raise taxes on alcohol for what would be the first time in 30 years to provide funds to treat problem drinkers.

“You’re going to have these negative social consequences,” Nelson said.

The measures, which have been opposed by the Retail Liquor Association of Oklahoma, may force many small liquor stores in the state to close, said state Rep. Richard Morrissette, D-Oklahoma City.

The Senate voted 33-12 for the 285-page bill. The House later approved the measure on a 52-45 vote and sent it to Gov. Mary Fallin to be signed into law.

The bill is a companion measure to a question that received final passage in the House that will go on the November ballot asking voters to loosen Oklahoma’s alcohol laws. If the ballot question passes, the measures would go into effect in 2018. If it fails, the legislation would be dead.

Earlier Thursday, the House gave final approval to a separate measure that would authorize on-site beer sales at breweries.

Organizations that support the measures praised their passage.

“A legislative solution was always our top priority and now we can shift our focus to getting out the vote in November,” said Tyler Moore, spokesman for Oklahomans for Consumer Freedom, a coalition of retailers, consumers, and free-market advocates.

Eric James, senior director of sales and marketing for Anheuser-Busch Sales of Oklahoma, said the company has been a staunch advocate for updating the state’s liquor laws.

“We are confident that this November, Oklahomans will support modernization, consumer choice and economic growth,” James said in a statement.

[bchris02]

From what I have seen so far, it seems like a lot of opposition to this is going to come from the religious right. There is going to be a lot of scare tactics out there about how this will increase underage drinking, increase drunk driving, and tear at the moral fabric of this state. My guess is the passage will depend on young people turning out to vote. Most younger people, even those that are churchgoing, don't see alcohol as the social taboo that the older generation (who grew up in a state where liquor by the drink was not legal) do.

[Celebrator]

From what I have seen so far, it seems like a lot of opposition to this is going to come from the religious right. There is going to be a lot of scare tactics out there about how this will increase underage drinking, increase drunk driving, and tear at the moral fabric of this state. My guess is the passage will depend on young people turning out to vote. Most younger people, even those that are churchgoing, don't see alcohol as the social taboo that the older generation (who grew up in a state where liquor by the drink was not legal) do.

I for one am very religious (not a member of the religious right though), do not drink myself (I have seen alcohol destroy too much to support it with my dollars) and think the world would be a lot better place without alcohol (in my dreams!), but I will vote for this measure in November because I support free market principles and more choice for the consumer in this particular case. I just don't see how this is a bad thing for the state. I don't buy the opposition's arguments.

[Bunty]

From what I have seen so far, it seems like a lot of opposition to this is going to come from the religious right. There is going to be a lot of scare tactics out there about how this will increase underage drinking, increase drunk driving, and tear at the moral fabric of this state. My guess is the passage will depend on young people turning out to vote. Most younger people, even those that are churchgoing, don't see alcohol as the social taboo that the older generation (who grew up in a state where liquor by the drink was not legal) do.

So that helps explain why Pottawatomie County, where Shawnee is, could not pass legalizing liquor by the drink on Sundays? I suppose having Oklahoma Baptist University there didn't help matters. But, still, the vote was very close.

Anyway, the religious right will have to turn out in big enough numbers in the two biggest counties, Oklahoma and Tulsa, to defeat alcohol law reform. They certainly have not been able to do that in the past. I think the religious right has been much better in making sure alcohol law reform questions would not be permitted a vote. So as I see it, the recent developments already represent a huge defeat for the religious right.