Bill Text: HI SB490 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Public Safety; Alcohol Impact Area; Chronic Public Inebriation; Liquor Commission; Liquor Control Adjudication Board; Off-premises Liquor License

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-12-17 - Carried over to 2016 Regular Session. [SB490 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2016-SB490-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	490
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO LIQUOR.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  Chapter 281, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"PART    .  ALCOHOL IMPACT AREAS

     §281-A  Alcohol impact area designation; recognition criteria.  (a)  An alcohol impact area may be designated by a county ordinance pursuant to section 46-1.5(28).  Following the designation as an alcohol impact area the respective county shall make a good faith effort for at least six months to mitigate the effects of chronic public inebriation before a county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board may recognize an alcohol impact area and before any unique review process, restriction, or condition may be applied to the area.

     (b)  Following the minimum six-month mitigation period, a designated alcohol impact area may be recognized by a county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board if the following criteria are met:

     (1)  The alcohol impact area's proposed geographic boundaries shall not include the entire county and shall be described in a way that makes it clear which liquor licensees are in the proposed impact area;

     (2)  Proposed boundaries of the alcohol impact area are clearly understandable to the public;

     (3)  The ordinance details the rationale behind the proposed boundaries in the alcohol impact area;

     (4)  A pervasive pattern of public intoxication or public consumption of liquor in the proposed alcohol impact area as evidenced by police reports, emergency medical response data, sanitation reports, public health records, community group petitions, or other similar records;

     (5)  Findings that demonstrate a need for an alcohol impact area due to chronic public inebriation or illegal activity associated with off-premises liquor sales or consumption in the proposed area, threatening the welfare, health, peace, or safety of an alcohol impact area's visitors or occupants;

     (6)  Documentation that demonstrates a good faith effort to control the problem;

     (7)  Documentation of the voluntary options offered to remedy the problem of chronic public inebriation or illegal activity associated with off-premises liquor sales or consumption in the proposed area and why these voluntary measures failed to sufficiently resolve the problem; and

     (8)  A list of restrictions or conditions with an explanation as to how the restrictions or conditions will reduce chronic public inebriation or illegal activity associated with off-premises liquor sales.

     §281-B  Alcohol impact area restrictions or conditions.  (a)  Within an alcohol impact area that has been recognized, a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board may impose restrictions or conditions that may include but are not limited to:

     (1)  Business hours of operation for off-premises liquor sales;

     (2)  Off-premises sale of certain liquor products within an alcohol impact area; or

     (3)  Container sizes available for off-premises liquor sales.

     (b)  A product restriction shall originate from a county's law enforcement agency or public health authority.  Restrictions relating to business operations may originate from a county's law enforcement agency or governing body.

     (c)  Product restrictions shall be reasonably linked to problems associated with chronic public inebriation or illegal activity.  Reasonable links include but are not limited to:  police, fire, or emergency medical response statistics; photographic evidence; law enforcement, citizen, or medical provider testimony; testimony by current or former chronic public inebriants; litter pickup; or other statistical evidence that a reasonable person may rely upon to determine whether a product is associated with chronic public inebriation or illegal activity.

     (d)  Beer and wine products may be restricted only if they have a minimum alcohol content of 5.7 per cent by volume and 12 per cent by volume, respectively.

     (e)  A product restriction or modification shall take effect no less than thirty days after the county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board recognizes the restriction.

     (f)  Following approval by a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board, a county may restrict a product that is materially similar to a product already restricted in its own alcohol impact area or restricted in another recognized alcohol impact area if the product is materially similar to a product already restricted in its own alcohol impact area.  A county shall demonstrate to the respective county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board, in writing, the material similarities and the need for product inclusion.

     (g)  A county may propose the removal of a restriction, condition, or product from its alcohol impact area; provided that the county demonstrates the reason for removal to the respective county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board in writing.

     §281-C  Alcohol impact area notification; implementation and duration; modification.  (a)  Once an alcohol impact area has been recognized, a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board shall notify, in a timely manner, the following:

     (1)  Appropriate liquor distributors of any product restrictions; and

     (2)  All off-premises sales licensees in an alcohol impact area whenever a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board recognizes, or recognizes changes to, an alcohol impact area.

     (b)  Recognition of an alcohol impact area shall take effect on the day that the county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board passes a resolution to recognize an alcohol impact area.  Recognition shall remain in effect until:

     (1)  A county repeals the enabling ordinance that designates an alcohol impact area;

     (2)  A county requests that the county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board revoke its recognition of an alcohol impact area;

     (3)  A county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board repeals its recognition of an alcohol impact area on its own initiative and following a public hearing; or

     (4)  A county fails to comply with the reporting requirements of section 281-E.

     (c)  A county may petition a county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board to modify an alcohol impact area's geographic boundaries or an existing restriction or condition and the commission or board may agree to the modification if supporting documentation demonstrates the need for modification.

     §281-D  Alcohol impact area and liquor license application or renewal.  (a)  When a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board receives an application for a new liquor license that includes an off-premises sales privilege in an alcohol impact area, the respective county shall have sixty days to comment upon the application.  The county:

     (1)  May request an extension of the sixty-day comment period when unusual circumstances require additional time for comment; and

     (2)  Shall notify an applicant when the county requests an extension to the sixty-day comment period.

     (b)  When a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board receives an application for a liquor license renewal that includes an off-premises sales privilege, the respective county shall be notified at least ninety days before the current license expires and have ninety days to comment upon the application.  In renewal applications involving a licensee, a licensed business, or a licensed location with a documented history of noncompliance or illegal activity, the county:

     (1)  May request an extension of the ninety-day comment period when unusual circumstances require additional time for comment; and

     (2)  Shall notify a licensee when the county requests an extension to the ninety-day comment period.

     §281-E  Alcohol impact area report and assessment; recognized alcohol impact area revocation.  (a)  No later than sixty days following each anniversary of a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board's recognition of an alcohol impact area, a county shall submit an annual report to the respective county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board that demonstrates the effectiveness of an alcohol impact area's restrictions or conditions.

     (b)  A county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board shall assess an alcohol impact area once every five years.  Within ten days after receiving a county's annual report, a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board shall notify affected parties of the upcoming assessment.  An assessment shall include:

     (1)  Analysis of comments or petitions submitted by affected parties;

     (2)  Analysis of each annual report submitted during a five-year period; and

     (3)  Modifications that a county shall make to an alcohol impact area or the reasons for revoking recognition of an alcohol impact area.

     (c)  Within twenty days of receiving a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board's notification of an upcoming assessment, an affected party may petition the county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board to discontinue its recognition of an alcohol impact area by submitting findings that:

     (1)  Demonstrate how chronic public inebriation or illegal activity associated with liquor sales or consumption within a proposed alcohol impact area does not or no longer contributes to the deterioration of the general quality of life within an alcohol impact area or threaten the welfare, health, peace, or safety of an alcohol impact area's visitors or occupants;

     (2)  Demonstrate the absence of a pervasive pattern of public intoxication or public consumption of liquor as documented in crime statistics, police reports, emergency medical response data, detoxification reports, sanitation reports, public health records, or similar records; and

     (3)  Demonstrate how the absence of restrictions or conditions will reduce chronic public inebriation or illegal activity associated with off-premises sales or liquor consumption.

An affected party may request one twenty-day extension if the party provides sufficient reason as to why the party is unable to meet the initial petition deadline, and a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board shall complete an assessment no later than sixty days following the close of the final comment or petition period."

     SECTION 2.  Section 46-1.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§46-1.5  General powers and limitation of the counties.  Subject to general law, each county shall have the following powers and shall be subject to the following liabilities and limitations:

     (1)  Each county shall have the power to frame and adopt a charter for its own self-government that shall establish the county executive, administrative, and legislative structure and organization, including but not limited to the method of appointment or election of officials, their duties, responsibilities, and compensation, and the terms of their office;

     (2)  Each county shall have the power to provide for and regulate the marking and lighting of all buildings and other structures that may be obstructions or hazards to aerial navigation, so far as may be necessary or proper for the protection and safeguarding of life, health, and property;

     (3)  Each county shall have the power to enforce all claims on behalf of the county and approve all lawful claims against the county, but shall be prohibited from entering into, granting, or making in any manner any contract, authorization, allowance payment, or liability contrary to the provisions of any county charter or general law;

     (4)  Each county shall have the power to make contracts and to do all things necessary and proper to carry into execution all powers vested in the county or any county officer;

     (5)  Each county shall have the power to:

         (A)  Maintain channels, whether natural or artificial, including their exits to the ocean, in suitable condition to carry off storm waters;

         (B)  Remove from the channels, and from the shores and beaches, any debris that is likely to create an unsanitary condition or become a public nuisance; provided that, to the extent any of the foregoing work is a private responsibility, the responsibility may be enforced by the county in lieu of the work being done at public expense;

         (C)  Construct, acquire by gift, purchase, or by the exercise of eminent domain, reconstruct, improve, better, extend, and maintain projects or undertakings for the control of and protection against floods and flood waters, including the power to drain and rehabilitate lands already flooded; and

         (D)  Enact zoning ordinances providing that lands deemed subject to seasonable, periodic, or occasional flooding shall not be used for residence or other purposes in a manner as to endanger the health or safety of the occupants thereof, as required by the Federal Flood Insurance Act of 1956 (chapter 1025, Public Law 1016);

     (6)  Each county shall have the power to exercise the power of condemnation by eminent domain when it is in the public interest to do so;

     (7)  Each county shall have the power to exercise regulatory powers over business activity as are assigned to them by chapter 445 or other general law;

     (8)  Each county shall have the power to fix the fees and charges for all official services not otherwise provided for;

     (9)  Each county shall have the power to provide by ordinance assessments for the improvement or maintenance of districts within the county;

    (10)  Except as otherwise provided, no county shall have the power to give or loan credit to, or in aid of, any person or corporation, directly or indirectly, except for a public purpose;

    (11)  Where not within the jurisdiction of the public utilities commission, each county shall have the power to regulate by ordinance the operation of motor vehicle common carriers transporting passengers within the county and adopt and amend rules the county deems necessary for the public convenience and necessity;

    (12)  Each county shall have the power to enact and enforce ordinances necessary to prevent or summarily remove public nuisances and to compel the clearing or removal of any public nuisance, refuse, and uncultivated undergrowth from streets, sidewalks, public places, and unoccupied lots.  In connection with these powers, each county may impose and enforce liens upon the property for the cost to the county of removing and completing the necessary work where the property owners fail, after reasonable notice, to comply with the ordinances.  The authority provided by this paragraph shall not be self-executing, but shall become fully effective within a county only upon the enactment or adoption by the county of appropriate and particular laws, ordinances, or rules defining "public nuisances" with respect to each county's respective circumstances.  The counties shall provide the property owner with the opportunity to contest the summary action and to recover the owner's property;

    (13)  Each county shall have the power to enact ordinances deemed necessary to protect health, life, and property, and to preserve the order and security of the county and its inhabitants on any subject or matter not inconsistent with, or tending to defeat, the intent of any state statute where the statute does not disclose an express or implied intent that the statute shall be exclusive or uniform throughout the State;

    (14)  Each county shall have the power to:

         (A)  Make and enforce within the limits of the county all necessary ordinances covering all:

              (i)  Local police matters;

             (ii)  Matters of sanitation;

            (iii)  Matters of inspection of buildings;

             (iv)  Matters of condemnation of unsafe structures, plumbing, sewers, dairies, milk, fish, and morgues; and

              (v)  Matters of the collection and disposition of rubbish and garbage;

         (B)  Provide exemptions for homeless facilities and any other program for the homeless authorized by part XVII of chapter 346, for all matters under this paragraph;

         (C)  Appoint county physicians and sanitary and other inspectors as necessary to carry into effect ordinances made under this paragraph, who shall have the same power as given by law to agents of the department of health, subject only to limitations placed on them by the terms and conditions of their appointments; and

         (D)  Fix a penalty for the violation of any ordinance, which penalty may be a misdemeanor, petty misdemeanor, or violation as defined by general law;

    (15)  Each county shall have the power to provide public pounds; to regulate the impounding of stray animals and fowl, and their disposition; and to provide for the appointment, powers, duties, and fees of animal control officers;

    (16)  Each county shall have the power to purchase and otherwise acquire, lease, and hold real and personal property within the defined boundaries of the county and to dispose of the real and personal property as the interests of the inhabitants of the county may require, except that:

         (A)  Any property held for school purposes may not be disposed of without the consent of the superintendent of education;

         (B)  No property bordering the ocean shall be sold or otherwise disposed of; and

         (C)  All proceeds from the sale of park lands shall be expended only for the acquisition of property for park or recreational purposes;

    (17)  Each county shall have the power to provide by charter for the prosecution of all offenses and to prosecute for offenses against the laws of the State under the authority of the attorney general of the State;

    (18)  Each county shall have the power to make appropriations in amounts deemed appropriate from any moneys in the treasury, for the purpose of:

         (A)  Community promotion and public celebrations;

         (B)  The entertainment of distinguished persons as may from time to time visit the county;

         (C)  The entertainment of other distinguished persons, as well as, public officials when deemed to be in the best interest of the community; and

         (D)  The rendering of civic tribute to individuals who, by virtue of their accomplishments and community service, merit civic commendations, recognition, or remembrance;

    (19)  Each county shall have the power to:

         (A)  Construct, purchase, take on lease, lease, sublease, or in any other manner acquire, manage, maintain, or dispose of buildings for county purposes, sewers, sewer systems, pumping stations, waterworks, including reservoirs, wells, pipelines, and other conduits for distributing water to the public, lighting plants, and apparatus and appliances for lighting streets and public buildings, and manage, regulate, and control the same;

         (B)  Regulate and control the location and quality of all appliances necessary to the furnishing of water, heat, light, power, telephone, and telecommunications service to the county;

         (C)  Acquire, regulate, and control any and all appliances for the sprinkling and cleaning of the streets and the public ways, and for flushing the sewers; and

         (D)  Open, close, construct, or maintain county highways or charge toll on county highways; provided that all revenues received from a toll charge shall be used for the construction or maintenance of county highways;

    (20)  Each county shall have the power to regulate the renting, subletting, and rental conditions of property for places of abode by ordinance;

    (21)  Unless otherwise provided by law, each county shall have the power to establish by ordinance the order of succession of county officials in the event of a military or civil disaster;

    (22)  Each county shall have the power to sue and be sued in its corporate name;

    (23)  Each county shall have the power to establish and maintain waterworks and sewer works; to collect rates for water supplied to consumers and for the use of sewers; to install water meters whenever deemed expedient; provided that owners of premises having vested water rights under existing laws appurtenant to the premises shall not be charged for the installation or use of the water meters on the premises; to take over from the State existing waterworks systems, including water rights, pipelines, and other appurtenances belonging thereto, and sewer systems, and to enlarge, develop, and improve the same;

     (24) (A)  Each county may impose civil fines, in addition to criminal penalties, for any violation of county ordinances or rules after reasonable notice and requests to correct or cease the violation have been made upon the violator.  Any administratively imposed civil fine shall not be collected until after an opportunity for a hearing under chapter 91.  Any appeal shall be filed within thirty days from the date of the final written decision.  These proceedings shall not be a prerequisite for any civil fine or injunctive relief ordered by the circuit court;

         (B)  Each county by ordinance may provide for the addition of any unpaid civil fines, ordered by any court of competent jurisdiction, to any taxes, fees, or charges, with the exception of fees or charges for water for residential use and sewer charges, collected by the county.  Each county by ordinance may also provide for the addition of any unpaid administratively imposed civil fines, which remain due after all judicial review rights under section 91-14 are exhausted, to any taxes, fees, or charges, with the exception of water for residential use and sewer charges, collected by the county.  The ordinance shall specify the administrative procedures for the addition of the unpaid civil fines to the eligible taxes, fees, or charges and may require hearings or other proceedings.  After addition of the unpaid civil fines to the taxes, fees, or charges, the unpaid civil fines shall not become a part of any taxes, fees, or charges.  The county by ordinance may condition the issuance or renewal of a license, approval, or permit for which a fee or charge is assessed, except for water for residential use and sewer charges, on payment of the unpaid civil fines.  Upon recordation of a notice of unpaid civil fines in the bureau of conveyances, the amount of the civil fines, including any increase in the amount of the fine which the county may assess, shall constitute a lien upon all real property or rights to real property belonging to any person liable for the unpaid civil fines.  The lien in favor of the county shall be subordinate to any lien in favor of any person recorded or registered prior to the recordation of the notice of unpaid civil fines and senior to any lien recorded or registered after the recordation of the notice.  The lien shall continue until the unpaid civil fines are paid in full or until a certificate of release or partial release of the lien, prepared by the county at the owner's expense, is recorded.  The notice of unpaid civil fines shall state the amount of the fine as of the date of the notice and maximum permissible daily increase of the fine.  The county shall not be required to include a social security number, state general excise taxpayer identification number, or federal employer identification number on the notice.  Recordation of the notice in the bureau of conveyances shall be deemed, at such time, for all purposes and without any further action, to procure a lien on land registered in land court under chapter 501.  After the unpaid civil fines are added to the taxes, fees, or charges as specified by county ordinance, the unpaid civil fines shall be deemed immediately due, owing, and delinquent and may be collected in any lawful manner.  The procedure for collection of unpaid civil fines authorized in this paragraph shall be in addition to any other procedures for collection available to the State and county by law or rules of the courts;

         (C)  Each county may impose civil fines upon any person who places graffiti on any real or personal property owned, managed, or maintained by the county.  The fine may be up to $1,000 or may be equal to the actual cost of having the damaged property repaired or replaced.  The parent or guardian having custody of a minor who places graffiti on any real or personal property owned, managed, or maintained by the county shall be jointly and severally liable with the minor for any civil fines imposed hereunder.  Any such fine may be administratively imposed after an opportunity for a hearing under chapter 91, but such a proceeding shall not be a prerequisite for any civil fine ordered by any court.  As used in this subparagraph, "graffiti" means any unauthorized drawing, inscription, figure, or mark of any type intentionally created by paint, ink, chalk, dye, or similar substances;

         (D)  At the completion of an appeal in which the county's enforcement action is affirmed and upon correction of the violation if requested by the violator, the case shall be reviewed by the county agency that imposed the civil fines to determine the appropriateness of the amount of the civil fines that accrued while the appeal proceedings were pending.  In its review of the amount of the accrued fines, the county agency may consider:

              (i)  The nature and egregiousness of the violation;

             (ii)  The duration of the violation;

            (iii)  The number of recurring and other similar violations;

             (iv)  Any effort taken by the violator to correct the violation;

              (v)  The degree of involvement in causing or continuing the violation;

             (vi)  Reasons for any delay in the completion of the appeal; and

            (vii)  Other extenuating circumstances.

               The civil fine that is imposed by administrative order after this review is completed and the violation is corrected shall be subject to judicial review, notwithstanding any provisions for administrative review in county charters;

         (E)  After completion of a review of the amount of accrued civil fine by the county agency that imposed the fine, the amount of the civil fine determined appropriate, including both the initial civil fine and any accrued daily civil fine, shall immediately become due and collectible following reasonable notice to the violator.  If no review of the accrued civil fine is requested, the amount of the civil fine, not to exceed the total accrual of civil fine prior to correcting the violation, shall immediately become due and collectible following reasonable notice to the violator, at the completion of all appeal proceedings;

         (F)  If no county agency exists to conduct appeal proceedings for a particular civil fine action taken by the county, then one shall be established by ordinance before the county shall impose the civil fine;

    (25)  Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, any county mayor, by executive order, may exempt donors, provider agencies, homeless facilities, and any other program for the homeless under part XVII of chapter 346 from real property taxes, water and sewer development fees, rates collected for water supplied to consumers and for use of sewers, and any other county taxes, charges, or fees; provided that any county may enact ordinances to regulate and grant the exemptions granted by this paragraph;

    (26)  Any county may establish a captive insurance company pursuant to article 19, chapter 431; [and]

    (27)  Each county shall have the power to enact and enforce ordinances regulating towing operations[.]; and

    (28)  Each county shall have the power to enact ordinances designating alcohol impact areas pursuant to section 281-A."

     SECTION 3.  Section 281-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

     ""Alcohol impact area" means a geographic area designated as such pursuant to section 281-A due to the area having been adversely affected by chronic public inebriation or illegal activity associated with off-premises liquor sales or consumption."

     SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

 

 

Report Title:

Public Safety; Alcohol Impact Area; Chronic Public Inebriation; Liquor Commission; Liquor Control Adjudication Board; Off-premises Liquor License

 

Description:

Defines alcohol impact area as a geographic area designated by a county due to the area having been adversely affected by chronic public inebriation or illegal activity associated with off-premises liquor sales or consumption.  Provides a county with the authority to enact an ordinance to designate an alcohol impact area and a county liquor commission or liquor adjudication board with the authority to recognize an alcohol impact area.  Requires a county to submit annual reports to a county liquor commission or liquor control adjudication board and requires a county liquor commission or adjudication board to conduct an assessment of an alcohol impact area once every five years.

 

 

 

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