Bill Text: MS SB2953 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

Mississippi Senate Bill 2953 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Alcoholic beverages; revise definition of qualified resort area for purpose of sale in certain municipalities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2011-02-01 - Died In Committee [SB2953 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2011-SB2953-Introduced.html

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2011 Regular Session

To: Finance

By: Senator(s) Dickerson

Senate Bill 2953

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 67-1-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO INCLUDE WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF THE TERM "QUALIFIED RESORT AREA" UNDER THE LOCAL OPTION ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW, ANY FACILITY LOCATED IN CERTAIN AREAS DESIGNATED BY THE GOVERNING AUTHORITIES OF CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES; TO AMEND SECTION 67-1-16, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE ELECTION TO BE HELD REGARDING SUCH RESORT AREAS AND ALLOW THE QUALIFIED RESORT AREAS TO BE ESTABLISHED IF A MAJORITY OF THE QUALIFIED ELECTORS VOTING IN THE ELECTION VOTE IN FAVOR OF ESTABLISHING QUALIFIED RESORT AREAS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 67-1-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

67-1-5. For the purposes of this chapter and unless otherwise required by the context:

(a) "Alcoholic beverage" means any alcoholic liquid, including wines of more than five percent (5%) of alcohol by weight, capable of being consumed as a beverage by a human being, but shall not include wine containing five percent (5%) or less of alcohol by weight and shall not include beer containing not more than five percent (5%) of alcohol by weight, as provided for in Section 67-3-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, but shall include native wines. The words "alcoholic beverage" shall not include ethyl alcohol manufactured or distilled solely for fuel purposes.

(b) "Alcohol" means the product of distillation of any fermented liquid, whatever the origin thereof, and includes synthetic ethyl alcohol, but does not include denatured alcohol or wood alcohol.

(c) "Distilled spirits" means any beverage containing more than four percent (4%) of alcohol by weight produced by distillation of fermented grain, starch, molasses or sugar, including dilutions and mixtures of these beverages.

(d) "Wine" or "vinous liquor" means any product obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of the juice of sound, ripe grapes, fruits or berries and made in accordance with the revenue laws of the United States.

(e) "Person" means and includes any individual, partnership, corporation, association or other legal entity whatsoever.

(f) "Manufacturer" means any person engaged in manufacturing, distilling, rectifying, blending or bottling any alcoholic beverage.

(g) "Wholesaler" means any person, other than a manufacturer, engaged in distributing or selling any alcoholic beverage at wholesale for delivery within or without this state when such sale is for the purpose of resale by the purchaser.

(h) "Retailer" means any person who sells, distributes, or offers for sale or distribution, any alcoholic beverage for use or consumption by the purchaser and not for resale.

(i) "State Tax Commission," "commission" or "department" means the Department of Revenue of the State of Mississippi, which shall create a division in its organization to be known as the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division. Any reference to the commission or the department hereafter means the powers and duties of the Department of Revenue with reference to supervision of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.

(j) "Division" means the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division of the Department of Revenue.

(k) "Municipality" means any incorporated city or town of this state.

(l) "Hotel" means an establishment within a municipality, or within a qualified resort area approved as such by the department, where, in consideration of payment, food and lodging are habitually furnished to travelers and wherein are located at least twenty (20) adequately furnished and completely separate sleeping rooms with adequate facilities that persons usually apply for and receive as overnight accommodations. Hotels in towns or cities of more than twenty-five thousand (25,000) population are similarly defined except that they must have fifty (50) or more sleeping rooms. Any such establishment described in this paragraph with less than fifty (50) beds shall operate one or more regular dining rooms designed to be constantly frequented by customers each day. When used in this chapter, the word "hotel" shall also be construed to include any establishment that meets the definition of "bed and breakfast inn" as provided in this section.

(m) "Restaurant" means a place which is regularly and in a bona fide manner used and kept open for the serving of meals to guests for compensation, which has suitable seating facilities for guests, and which has suitable kitchen facilities connected therewith for cooking an assortment of foods and meals commonly ordered at various hours of the day; the service of such food as sandwiches and salads only shall not be deemed in compliance with this requirement. No place shall qualify as a restaurant under this chapter unless twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the revenue derived from such place shall be from the preparation, cooking and serving of meals and not from the sale of beverages, or unless the value of food given to and consumed by customers is equal to twenty-five percent (25%) or more of total revenue.

(n) "Club" means an association or a corporation:

(i) Organized or created under the laws of this state for a period of five (5) years prior to July 1, 1966;

(ii) Organized not primarily for pecuniary profit but for the promotion of some common object other than the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages;

(iii) Maintained by its members through the payment of annual dues;

(iv) Owning, hiring or leasing a building or space in a building of such extent and character as may be suitable and adequate for the reasonable and comfortable use and accommodation of its members and their guests;

(v) The affairs and management of which are conducted by a board of directors, board of governors, executive committee, or similar governing body chosen by the members at a regular meeting held at some periodic interval; and

(vi) No member, officer, agent or employee of which is paid, or directly or indirectly receives, in the form of a salary or other compensation any profit from the distribution or sale of alcoholic beverages to the club or to members or guests of the club beyond such salary or compensation as may be fixed and voted at a proper meeting by the board of directors or other governing body out of the general revenues of the club.

The department may, in its discretion, waive the five-year provision of this paragraph. In order to qualify under this paragraph, a club must file with the department, at the time of its application for a license under this chapter, two (2) copies of a list of the names and residences of its members and similarly file, within ten (10) days after the election of any additional member, his name and address. Each club applying for a license shall also file with the department at the time of the application a copy of its articles of association, charter of incorporation, bylaws or other instruments governing the business and affairs thereof.

(o) "Qualified resort area" means any area or locality outside of the limits of incorporated municipalities in this state commonly known and accepted as a place which regularly and customarily attracts tourists, vacationists and other transients because of its historical, scenic or recreational facilities or attractions, or because of other attributes which regularly and customarily appeal to and attract tourists, vacationists and other transients in substantial numbers; however, no area or locality shall so qualify as a resort area until it has been duly and properly approved as such by the department.

(i) The department may approve an area or locality outside of the limits of an incorporated municipality that is in the process of being developed as a qualified resort area if such area or locality, when developed, can reasonably be expected to meet the requisites of the definition of the term "qualified resort area." In such a case, the status of qualified resort area shall not take effect until completion of the development.

(ii) The term includes any state park which is declared a resort area by the department; however, such declaration may only be initiated in a written request for resort area status made to the department by the Executive Director of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, and no permit for the sale of any alcoholic beverage, as defined in this chapter, except an on-premises retailer's permit, shall be issued for a hotel, restaurant or bed and breakfast inn in such park.

(iii) The term includes:

1. The clubhouses associated with the state park golf courses at the Lefleur's Bluff State Park, the John Kyle State Park, the Percy Quin State Park and the Hugh White State Park;

2. The clubhouse and associated golf course where the golf course is adjacent to one or more planned residential developments and the golf course and all such developments collectively include at least seven hundred fifty (750) acres and at least four hundred (400) residential units;

3. Any facility located on property that is a game reserve with restricted access that consists of at least three thousand (3,000) contiguous acres with no public roads and that offers as a service hunts for a fee to overnight guests of the facility;

4. Any facility located on federal property surrounding a lake and designated as a recreational area by the United States Army Corps of Engineers that consists of at least one thousand five hundred (1,500) acres;

5. Any facility that is located in a municipality that is bordered by the Pearl River, traversed by Mississippi Highway 25, adjacent to the boundaries of the Jackson International Airport and is located in a county which has voted against coming out from under the dry law; however, any such facility may only be located in areas designated by the governing authorities of such municipality;

6. Any municipality with a population in excess of ten thousand (10,000) according to the latest federal decennial census that is located in a county that is bordered by the Pearl River and is not traversed by Interstate Highway 20, with a population in excess of forty-five thousand (45,000) according to the latest federal decennial census;

7. The West Pearl Restaurant Tax District as defined in Chapter 912, Local and Private Laws of 2007;

8. Any facility that is located in a municipality with a population in excess of five thousand (5,000) according to the latest federal decennial census that is located in a county in which U.S. Highways 84 and 45 intersect; however, any such facility may only be located in areas designated by the governing authorities of such municipality.

The status of these municipalities, districts, clubhouses, facilities and golf courses described in subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph (o) as qualified resort areas does not require any declaration of same by the department.

(p) "Native wine" means any product, produced in Mississippi for sale, having an alcohol content not to exceed twenty-one percent (21%) by weight and made in accordance with revenue laws of the United States, which shall be obtained primarily from the alcoholic fermentation of the juice of ripe grapes, fruits, berries or vegetables grown and produced in Mississippi; provided that bulk, concentrated or fortified wines used for blending may be produced without this state and used in producing native wines. The department shall adopt and promulgate rules and regulations to permit a producer to import such bulk and/or fortified wines into this state for use in blending with native wines without payment of any excise tax that would otherwise accrue thereon.

(q) "Native winery" means any place or establishment within the State of Mississippi where native wine is produced in whole or in part for sale.

(r) "Bed and breakfast inn" means an establishment within a municipality where in consideration of payment, breakfast and lodging are habitually furnished to travelers and wherein are located not less than eight (8) and not more than nineteen (19) adequately furnished and completely separate sleeping rooms with adequate facilities, that persons usually apply for and receive as overnight accommodations; however, such restriction on the minimum number of sleeping rooms shall not apply to establishments on the National Register of Historic Places. No place shall qualify as a bed and breakfast inn under this chapter unless on the date of the initial application for a license under this chapter more than fifty percent (50%) of the sleeping rooms are located in a structure formerly used as a residence.

(s) "Board" shall refer to Board of Tax Appeals of the State of Mississippi.

(t) "Spa facility" means an establishment within a municipality or qualified resort area and owned by a hotel where, in consideration of payment, patrons receive from licensed professionals a variety of private personal care treatments such as massages, facials, waxes, exfoliation and hairstyling.

(u) "Art studio or gallery" means an establishment within a municipality or qualified resort area, that is in the sole business of allowing patrons to view and/or purchase paintings and other creative artwork.

(v) "Cooking school" means an establishment within a municipality or qualified resort area and owned by a nationally recognized company that offers an established culinary education curriculum and program where, in consideration of payment, patrons are given scheduled professional group instruction on culinary techniques. For purposes of this paragraph, the definition of cooking school shall not include schools or classes offered by grocery stores, convenience stores or drugstores.

SECTION 2. Section 67-1-16, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

67-1-16. (1) (a) Before an area may be designated by the governing authorities of a municipality as an area in which facilities, which are defined as qualified resort areas in Section 67-1-5(o)(iii)5 or Section 67-1-5(o)(iii)8, may be located, an election shall be held, under the election laws applicable to the municipality, on the question of whether qualified resort areas shall be allowed in the municipality. An election to determine whether qualified resort areas shall be allowed in the municipality shall be ordered by the municipal governing authorities, upon presentation to the governing authorities of a petition containing the names of at least twenty percent (20%) of the duly qualified voters of the municipality asking for the election. An election on the question may not be held by the municipality more often than once each year.

(b) Thirty (30) days' notice shall be given to the qualified electors of the municipality, in the manner prescribed by law, on the question of allowing qualified resort areas to be established. The notice shall contain a statement of the question to be voted on at the election. The ballots used in the election shall have the following words printed thereon: "FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF QUALIFIED RESORT AREAS," and next below, "AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF QUALIFIED RESORT AREAS." In marking his ballot, the voter shall make a cross (X) opposite the words of his choice.

(c) Qualified resort areas may be established if a majority of the qualified electors voting in the election vote for such establishment. A qualified resort area may not be established if a majority of the qualified electors voting in the election vote against such establishment.

(2) (a) Before a municipality may be designated as a qualified resort area as defined in Section 67-1-5(o)(iii)6, an election shall be held, under the election laws applicable to the municipality, on the question of whether the municipality shall be a qualified resort area. An election to determine whether the municipality shall be a qualified resort area shall be ordered by the municipal governing authorities, upon presentation to the governing authorities of a petition containing the names of at least twenty percent (20%) of the duly qualified voters of the municipality asking for the election. An election on the question may not be held by the municipality more often than once each year.

(b) Thirty (30) days' notice shall be given to the qualified electors of the municipality, in the manner prescribed by law, on the question of allowing qualified resort areas to be established. The notice shall contain a statement of the question to be voted on at the election. The ballots used in the election shall have the following words printed thereon: "FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUALIFIED RESORT AREA," and next below, "AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUALIFIED RESORT AREA." In marking his ballot, the voter shall make a cross (X) opposite the words of his choice.

(c) The municipality may be established as a qualified resort area if a majority of the qualified electors voting in the election vote for such establishment. A qualified resort area may not be established if a majority of the qualified electors voting in the election vote against such establishment.

(3) (a) Before an area may be designated a qualified resort area as defined in Section 67-1-5(o)(iii)7, an election shall be held in the municipality in which the area is located under the election laws applicable to the municipality, on the question of whether the area shall be a qualified resort area. An election to determine whether the area shall be a qualified resort area shall be ordered by the municipal governing authorities, upon presentation to the governing authorities of a petition containing the names of at least twenty percent (20%) of the duly qualified voters of the municipality asking for the election. An election on the question may not be held by the municipality more often than once each year.

(b) Thirty (30) days' notice shall be given to the qualified electors of the municipality, in the manner prescribed by law, on the question of allowing qualified resort areas to be established. The notice shall contain a statement of the question to be voted on at the election. The ballots used in the election shall have the following words printed thereon: "FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUALIFIED RESORT AREA," and next below, "AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUALIFIED RESORT AREA." In marking his ballot, the voter shall make a cross (X) opposite the words of his choice.

(c) The area may be established as a qualified resort area if a majority of the qualified electors voting in the election vote for such establishment. A qualified resort area may not be established if a majority of the qualified electors voting in the election vote against such establishment.

SECTION 3. The Attorney General of the State of Mississippi shall submit this act, immediately upon approval by the Governor, or upon approval by the Legislature subsequent to a veto, to the Attorney General of the United States or to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in accordance with the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after the date it is effectuated under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended.