Bill Text: NY S03567 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Permits the sale or promotional gifting of certain complementary products for wine and spirits by certain persons or businesses licensed to sell wine and spirits.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-10-13 - APPROVAL MEMO.11 [S03567 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S03567-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         3567--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 1, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
          ment  Operations  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,   ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  alcoholic  beverage control law, in relation to
          permitting the sale or promotional gifting  of  certain  complementary
          products for wine and spirits

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 104 of the  alco-
     2  holic beverage control law, as amended by chapter 2 of the laws of 2013,
     3  is amended to read as follows:
     4    (a)  No wholesaler shall be engaged in any other business on the prem-
     5  ises to be licensed; except  that  nothing  contained  in  this  chapter
     6  shall:  (1)  prohibit  a  beer wholesaler from (i) acquiring, storing or
     7  selling non-alcoholic snack foods, as defined in paragraph (b)  of  this
     8  subdivision, (ii) manufacturing, bottling, storing, or selling non-alco-
     9  holic  carbonated  beverages,  (iii)  manufacturing,  storing or selling
    10  non-alcoholic non-carbonated soft drinks, mineral waters, spring waters,
    11  drinking water, non-taxable malt  or  cereal  beverages,  juice  drinks,
    12  fruit  or vegetable juices, ice, liquid beverage mixes and dry or frozen
    13  beverage mixes, (iv) acquiring, storing or selling  wine  products,  (v)
    14  the  sale  of  promotional  items  on such premises, or (vi) the sale of
    15  tobacco products at retail by wholesalers who are licensed to sell  beer
    16  and  other  products  at retail; (2) prohibit a wholesaler authorized to
    17  sell wine from manufacturing, acquiring or selling wine merchandise,  as
    18  defined  in  paragraph  (d) of this subdivision; (3) prohibit a licensed
    19  winery or licensed farm winery from engaging in the business of  a  wine
    20  wholesaler  for  New  York  state labeled wines produced by any licensed
    21  winery or licensed farm winery or prohibit  such  wine  wholesaler  from
    22  exercising any of its rights pursuant to sections seventy-six and seven-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06925-05-3

        S. 3567--A                          2

     1  ty-six-a  of  this  chapter provided that the operation of such beer and
     2  wine wholesalers business shall be subject to such rules and regulations
     3  as the liquor authority may prescribe; (4) prohibit  a  beer  wholesaler
     4  who  is  authorized  to  sell beer at retail from selling at retail: (i)
     5  candy, chewing gum and cough drops; (ii) non-refrigerated  salsa;  (iii)
     6  cigarette  lighters,  lighter fluid, matches and ashtrays; (iv) barbecue
     7  and picnic-related products and supplies, which shall include,  but  not
     8  be  limited  to,  charcoal, grills, propane gas, plastic and paper cups,
     9  paper or plastic tablecloths and coolers; (v) beer  making  and  brewing
    10  supplies  and  publications, which shall include, but not be limited to,
    11  books, magazines, equipment and ingredients; (vi) steins, mugs and other
    12  glassware appropriate for the consumption of beer,  malt  beverages  and
    13  wine  products; (vii) items typically used to serve beer and malt bever-
    14  ages including, but not limited to, taps, kegerators, koozies  and  beer
    15  socks;  (viii) lemons, limes and oranges, provided that no more than two
    16  dozen of each shall be displayed at any one time; (ix)  rock  salt,  ice
    17  and  snow  melting  compounds,  snow shovels; windshield washer solvent;
    18  firewood; beach umbrellas; sunglasses and sun  block;  and  (x)  prepaid
    19  telephone  cards;  [or] (5) prohibit the installation and operation of a
    20  single automated teller machine in the premises of a beer wholesaler who
    21  is authorized to sell beer at retail; or (6) prohibit  a  liquor  whole-
    22  saler from transporting or selling gifts or promotional items associated
    23  with  wine  or  spirit  products  as provided for in subdivision four of
    24  section sixty-three of this chapter. For the purposes of  this  subdivi-
    25  sion,  "automated  teller machine" means a device which is linked to the
    26  accounts and records of a banking institution and which enables  consum-
    27  ers  to  carry  out  banking transactions, including but not limited to,
    28  account transfers, deposits, cash  withdrawals,  balance  inquiries  and
    29  loan payments.
    30    §  2. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 3 of section 101-b of the alcoholic
    31  beverage control law, as amended by section 1 of part E of chapter 56 of
    32  the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
    33    (a) No brand of liquor or wine shall be sold  to  or  purchased  by  a
    34  wholesaler,  irrespective  of  the  place  of sale or delivery, unless a
    35  schedule, as provided by this section, is transmitted to and received by
    36  the liquor authority, and is then in  effect.  Such  schedule  shall  be
    37  transmitted  to the authority in such form, manner, medium and format as
    38  the authority may direct; shall be deemed duly verified  by  the  person
    39  submitting  such  schedule  upon  its transmission to the authority; and
    40  shall contain, with respect to each item, the exact brand or trade name,
    41  capacity of package, nature of contents, age and proof where  stated  on
    42  the  label, the number of bottles contained in each case, the bottle and
    43  case price to wholesalers, the net bottle and case  price  paid  by  the
    44  seller,  which  prices,  in  each instance, shall be individual for each
    45  item and not in "combination" with any other  item,  the  discounts  for
    46  quantity,  if  any,  and the discounts for time of payment, if any. Such
    47  brand of liquor or wine shall not be sold to wholesalers except  at  the
    48  price  and  discounts  then in effect unless prior written permission of
    49  the authority is granted for good cause shown and for reasons not incon-
    50  sistent with the purpose of this chapter. Such schedule shall be  trans-
    51  mitted  by (1) the owner of such brand, or (2) a wholesaler selling such
    52  brand and who is designated as agent for  the  purpose  of  filing  such
    53  schedule  if the owner of the brand is not licensed by the authority, or
    54  (3) with the approval of the authority, by a wholesaler,  in  the  event
    55  that  the  owner of the brand is unable to transmit a schedule or desig-
    56  nate an agent for such purpose. As used in  this  subdivision  the  term

        S. 3567--A                          3

     1  "item" shall be deemed to include a sealed, pre-wrapped package consist-
     2  ing  of a sealed container or containers of liquor, wine or wine product
     3  and other merchandise reasonably used in connection  with  the  prepara-
     4  tion,  storage,  promotion,  gifting, or service of liquor, wine or wine
     5  products provided that such other merchandise shall not  be  potable  or
     6  edible.    For  the purposes of this section, gift and promotional items
     7  shall only include those items that are complimentary and directly asso-
     8  ciated with the sale of wine or distilled spirits they  are  gifting  or
     9  promoting and shall mean: (i) items that are de minimis in value, but in
    10  no instance shall  merchandise be valued at more than fifteen dollars in
    11  total; (ii) items that are imprinted with the wine or spirits brand logo
    12  on  the  gift  or promotional item; and (iii) items that are included as
    13  part of a manufactured pre-sealed package with  the  wine  or  distilled
    14  spirit  that  is  being gifted or promoted. Further, for the purposes of
    15  this section, gift or promotional items  shall  not  include  any  food,
    16  non-alcoholic  beverage,  or  other  drink  or food mix, nor shall these
    17  items be offered for sale to the general public as individual items.
    18    § 3. Subdivision 4 of section 63 of  the  alcoholic  beverage  control
    19  law,  as  amended  by  section  3 of part H of chapter 58 of the laws of
    20  2019, is amended to read as follows:
    21    4. No licensee under this section shall be engaged in any other  busi-
    22  ness  on  the  licensed premises. The sale of lottery tickets, when duly
    23  authorized and lawfully conducted, the sale of reusable bags as  defined
    24  in  section  27-2801  of the environmental conservation law, the sale of
    25  corkscrews or the sale of ice or the  sale  of  publications,  including
    26  prerecorded  video and/or audio cassette tapes, or educational seminars,
    27  designed to help educate consumers in their knowledge  and  appreciation
    28  of  alcoholic beverages, as defined in section three of this chapter and
    29  allowed pursuant to their license, or the sale of  non-carbonated,  non-
    30  flavored  mineral  waters, spring waters and drinking waters or the sale
    31  of glasses designed for  the  consumption  of  wine  or  spirits,  racks
    32  designed  for  the  storage  of  wine,  and devices designed to minimize
    33  oxidation in bottles of wine which have been uncorked, or  the  sale  of
    34  gift  bags,  gift  boxes, associated gift or promotional items, or wrap-
    35  ping, for alcoholic beverages purchased at the licensed  premises  shall
    36  not  constitute  engaging in another business within the meaning of this
    37  subdivision. Any fee obtained from the sale of  an  educational  seminar
    38  shall  not  be  considered  as a fee for any tasting that may be offered
    39  during an educational seminar, provided that such tastings are available
    40  to persons who have not paid to attend the seminar and all tastings  are
    41  conducted in accordance with section sixty-three-a of this article.  For
    42  the  purposes  of  this  section,  gift  or promotional items shall only
    43  include those items that are complimentary and directly associated  with
    44  the sale of wine or distilled spirits they are promoting and shall mean:
    45  (i)  items  that  are  de  minimis  in  value,  but in no instance shall
    46  merchandise be valued at more than fifteen dollars in total; (ii)  items
    47  that  are  imprinted with the wine or spirits brand  logo on the gift or
    48  promotional item; and (iii) items that are included as part of a   manu-
    49  factured  pre-sealed  package  with the wine or distilled spirit that is
    50  being gifted or promoted. Further, for the  purposes  of  this  section,
    51  promotional items shall not include any food, non-alcoholic beverage, or
    52  other  drink  or  food mix, nor shall these items be offered for sale to
    53  the general public as individual items.
    54    § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    55  have become a law.
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