Bill Text: NJ S2769 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Reduces number of rooms necessary for historic hotel to receive liquor license.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-05-20 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S2769 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S2769-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator CHRISTOPHER "KIP" BATEMAN
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Reduces number of rooms necessary for historic hotel to receive liquor license.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning alcoholic beverage licenses and amending P.L.1947, c.94.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 8 of P.L.1947, c.94 (C.33:1-12.20) is amended to read as follows:
8. a. Nothing in this act shall prevent the issuance, in a municipality, of a new license to a person who operates a hotel or motel containing 100 guest sleeping rooms or who may hereafter construct and establish a new hotel or motel containing at least 100 guest sleeping rooms.
b. A person who holds a license issued pursuant to subsection a. of this section and who has been required by law to reduce the number of sleeping rooms in the hotel may continue to hold the license if the hotel has at least 75 sleeping rooms, has been in continuous operation for at least 120 years in the same building, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
c. (1) After the effective date of P.L.2009, c.83, a minimum bid not to exceed $25,000 plus $50 per sleeping room may be required for the issuance of a license pursuant to the provisions of this section if the dining facilities of the hotel or motel are regularly and principally used to provide only meals for catered events and breakfast for guests of the hotel or motel.
(2) This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit a municipality from requiring a minimum bid for any license issued under the provisions of this section to a hotel or motel that does not meet the criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
d. In addition to the license authorized pursuant to subsection a. of this section, nothing in this act shall prevent the issuance, in a municipality, of a new license to a person who operates a hotel or motel containing not less than 24 guest sleeping rooms and was constructed to operate as a hotel or motel prior to January 1, 1880 and is included in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and in the National Register of Historic Places.
(cf: P.L.2009, c.83. s.1)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill permits the operator of a historic hotel or motel with a minimum of 24 sleeping rooms to qualify for an alcoholic beverage license, regardless of the number of such licenses already issued in the municipality. Specifically, the bill applies to any hotel or motel constructed prior to January 1, 1880 that is included in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and in the National Register of Historic Places.
The number of alcoholic beverage licenses a municipality may issue is based on its population. A municipality may issue one plenary retail consumption or seasonal retail consumption license for every 3,000 residents and one plenary retail distribution license for every 7,500 residents.
However, current law allows a municipality to issue an alcoholic beverage license to the operator of a hotel with 100 or more sleeping rooms, without regard to these population requirements. This bill reduces the number of rooms necessary to qualify for a hotel license to 24 or more rooms for certain historic hotels or motels.
Nothing under the provisions of this bill would allow an alcoholic beverage license issued under the hotel exception to be transferred to new licensee for use in connection with an establishment that does not operate in a registered historic hotel or motel.
