Bill Text: CT SB00485 | 2017 | General Assembly | Chaptered


Bill Title: An Act Concerning Notice To The Department Of Consumer Protection Regarding Depletion Allowances For Wine Or Spirits, Registration Requirements For Craft Beer And Farmers' Market Wine Sales Permits.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Passed) 2017-06-19 - Transmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor [SB00485 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2017-SB00485-Chaptered.html

Substitute Senate Bill No. 485

Public Act No. 17-90

AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER PROTECTION REGARDING DEPLETION ALLOWANCES FOR WINE OR SPIRITS, REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CRAFT BEER AND FARMERS' MARKET WINE SALES PERMITS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 30-94 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(a) No permittee or group of permittees licensed under the provisions of this chapter, in any transaction with another permittee or group of permittees, shall directly or indirectly offer, furnish or receive any free goods, gratuities, gifts, prizes, coupons, premiums, combination items, quantity prices, cash returns, loans, discounts, guarantees, special prices or other inducements in connection with the sale of alcoholic beverages or liquors. No such permittee shall require any purchaser to accept additional alcoholic liquors in order to make a purchase of any other alcoholic liquor.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section and subsection (b) of section 30-63, a holder of a manufacturer permit issued under subsection (a) of section 30-16 or an out-of-state shipper's permit for alcoholic liquor other than beer issued under section 30-18 may offer and provide to a holder of a wholesaler permit issued under subsection (a) of section 30-17 a floor stock allowance or a depletion allowance, or both, with the prior approval of the department or upon written notice to the department in advance. Such allowances shall be offered and provided on a nondiscriminatory basis to all such wholesaler permittees authorized to distribute the products of any such manufacturer or out-of-state shipper permittee in accordance with such requirements as the department may prescribe by regulation adopted under chapter 54, provided (1) no such manufacturer or out-of-state shipper permittee may require any such wholesaler permittee to participate in any program providing such allowances, and (2) the rate or percentage used to calculate any such allowance may not vary based on the quantity of alcoholic liquor other than beer that is sold. As used in this subsection, "floor stock allowance" means any rebate, discount or other inducement that is given to a wholesaler permittee to be used for the sales promotion or the destruction of any alcoholic liquor other than beer that is stored in the wholesaler permittee's warehouse or other storage facilities at the time such rebate, discount or other inducement is given, and "depletion allowance" means any rebate, discount or other inducement used for the sales promotion of any alcoholic liquor other than beer that is given to a wholesaler permittee based on the amount of such alcoholic liquor subject to such promotion that is sold at wholesale by the wholesaler permittee.

Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 30-63 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):

(a) No holder of any manufacturer, wholesaler or out-of-state shipper's permit shall ship, transport or deliver within this state, or sell or offer for sale, any alcoholic liquors, except for beer manufactured by a permittee in this state and sold for consumption only on the permittee's premises, unless the name of the brand, trade name or other distinctive characteristic by which such alcoholic liquors are bought and sold, the name and address of the manufacturer thereof and the name and address of each wholesaler permittee who is authorized by the manufacturer or his authorized representative to sell such alcoholic liquors are registered with the Department of Consumer Protection and until such brand, trade name or other distinctive characteristic has been approved by the department. Such registration shall be valid for a period of three years. The fee for such registration, or renewal thereof, shall be two hundred dollars for out-of-state shippers and fifteen dollars for Connecticut manufacturers for each brand so registered, payable by the manufacturer or such manufacturer's authorized representative when such liquors are manufactured in the United States and by the importer or such importer's authorized representative when such liquors are imported into the United States. The department shall not approve the brand registration of any fortified wine, as defined in section 12-433, which is labeled, packaged or canned so as to appear to be a wine or liquor cooler, as defined in section 12-433.

Sec. 3. Section 30-37o of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(a) The Commissioner of Consumer Protection shall issue a farmers' market wine sales permit to a holder of a manufacturer permit for a farm winery upon submission of proof to the commissioner that such holder is in compliance with the requirements of subsection (e) of section 30-16. Such permit shall authorize the sale of wine manufactured from such farm winery during an unlimited number of appearances at a farmers' market at not more than [three] ten farmers' market locations per year provided such holder: (1) Has an invitation from such farmers' market to sell wine at such farmers' market, (2) only sells wine by the bottle at such farmers' markets, and (3) is present, or has an authorized representative present, at the time of sale of any such bottle of wine from such farm winery at such farmers' market. Any such farmers' market wine sales permit shall be valid for a period of one year from the date of issuance. The annual fee for a farmers' market wine sales permit shall be two hundred fifty dollars. There shall be a one-hundred-dollar, nonrefundable filing fee for any such permit.

(b) Any town or municipality may, by ordinance or zoning regulation, prohibit the sale of wine by the holder of a farmers' market wine sales permit at a farmers' market held in such town or municipality.

Sec. 4. Subsection (h) of section 30-91 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):

(h) The sale or the dispensing or consumption or the presence in glasses or other receptacles suitable to permit the consumption of alcoholic liquor by an individual in places operating under a nonprofit golf tournament permit shall be unlawful on any day prior to [eleven] nine o'clock a. m. and after ten o'clock p. m.

feedback