State Sen. Rice Proposing High Point Beer & Wine Sales In Grocery Stores

[RecycleMichael]

Bill is dead.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20100215_12_0_OKLAHO479131

Senate panel kills expanded beer and wine sales plan in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY - A Senate panel on Monday killed a measure that would have allowed Tulsa and Oklahoma county grocery stores to sell wine and high-point beer. Senate Joint Resolution 62, by Sen. Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, would have put the measure to a vote of the people. Rice, Senate Democratic Minority Leader designate, said the measure's passage would generate economic development.

Rice said Oklahoma's liquor laws are antiquated. He said had the measure been placed on the ballot, he thought it would have passed. He said the Legislature says it is for a free market, but the Senate Business and Labor Committee still killed the bill.

Big grocery stores want to come into Oklahoma but don't because a significant portion of profits come from the sale of wine and high-point beer, Rice said. Sen. Dan Newberry, R-Tulsa, said the measure had a number of problems with it. He said he was concerned it could increase youth access to alcohol. Because the measure was killed in committee, it can't be inserted into another measure, Rice said.

Senators voting for the measure were: Tom Adelson, D-Tulsa; Rice; Steven Russell, R-Oklahoma City; and Harry Coates, R-Seminole.

Senators voting against it were: Newberry; Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso; Sean Burrage, D-Claremore; Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City; David Myers, R-Ponca City.

Brogdon said he thought the measure was discriminatory because it was limited to Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. "I don't understand why we have this archaic system," Adelson said. "This is an opportunity to join the other states finding that it might be good for commerce to introduce something called competition into a product like liquor".

[OpenYourEyesTulsa]

So close.  I agree with Brogdon though.  Get a bill for all counties.  Get it up for a vote before the people and let us be heard.  I want to be able to buy a bottle of wine at QT like an adult.   

[brianh]

Just let the people vote for this kind of bill.  I guess the public shaming of these few should begin now. I disagree with Brogdon, the other counties could follow suit later.  In Oklahoma, the further outside of civilization you live the less likely you would be to vote for something like this anyway.

[Conan71]

I emailed Adelson and told him there was plenty of support to get it to a vote of the people.  He got it.

Brogdon is using the "discriminitory" claim as an excuse.  Now he can go back to his fundie contributors and tell them he's tough on alcohol.  Newberry is just being a moron.  If he's that worried about high point beer and wine getting into the hands of minors, why isn't he outraged they can get their hands on 3.2 beer with laws the way they are now?  Oh I forget, that's a non-intoxicating beverage 

[SXSW]

Is this the first time legislation has actually been introduced on this subject?  If so that's a small victory even though it didn't pass committee (5-4, oh so close!).  Hopefully those that voted no will be publicly shamed by the masses in the OKC and Tulsa metros who demand changes to the liquor laws.  If anything I hope Randy Brogdon's campaign takes a major hit and hopefully Sen. Rice can try this again while amending the bill to include the entire state as well as 'mom and pop' stores.  I'm pretty confident if tattoos and gambling can pass in Oklahoma so can changes to the liquor laws IF they are placed on the ballot...

Oh and a bill allowing microbreweries to produce and sell high-point beer would be nice as well.  Then Marshall's could open up a downtown brewpub!   

[Conan71]

Brogdon doesn't have a chance for Gov.  His fund-raising is way behind He's getting his as$ handed to him by Mary Fallin.

[Nik]

This will probably cost Newberry my support.

[pendo]

Sad and pathetic. I'm quite conservative politically, but it's stupid sh!t like this that gives the rest of the country the impression that our state is backwards...

[PepePeru]

typical.
"He said he was concerned it could increase youth access to alcohol"

I'm curious.  What are some other things that "could" happen by allowing grocery stores to sell "strong" beer and wine.

Give me a freaking break.  How about backing up that argument with something...what is that called....factual evidence?  Is there hard evidence that selling beer & wine in a grocery store leads to higher rates of teenage drinking? 

Oh.  Really are you legislating with your personal opinion?  Is that what you were voted in to do?

I happen to believe that allowing beer and wine to be sold in grocery stores in Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties could lead to higher rates of electing intelligent Senators.

[OpenYourEyesTulsa]

We should start a petition to get it on the ballot.

[guido911]

Chiche' IDIOCY alert!

FIFY.  Someone forgot that the "party of no" has only had control of the legislature for a very short time and a dem has been governor for most of the last decade.

[heironymouspasparagus]

This state has always had stupid for liquor laws.

It's so there can be political patronage for cronies.  Both Dummycrats and Republi-contins.  They are the same.

As noted elsewhere, we are last or heading to the bottom in so many ways...

[swampee]

Our liquor laws are embarrassing. I had a friend fly in from Seattle over the summer on a Sunday. I have been telling him what a cool city Tulsa is but that was slapped in my face within an hour off the plane. He wanted a bottle wine for dinner. I had to tell him about our dated laws. So we had to go into Sonoma on Brookside and buy an opened bottle from the bar. It came off real cool. He was looking at me like he just landed in the twilight zone. I just dont get why Oklahoma is so happy to be 50 to 100 years behind the rest of the country. It gets old.

[Conan71]

Our liquor laws are embarrassing. I had a friend fly in from Seattle over the summer on a Sunday. I have been telling him what a cool city Tulsa is but that was slapped in my face within an hour off the plane. He wanted a bottle wine for dinner. I had to tell him about our dated laws. So we had to go into Sonoma on Brookside and buy an opened bottle from the bar. It came off real cool. He was looking at me like he just landed in the twilight zone. I just dont get why Oklahoma is so happy to be 50 to 100 years behind the rest of the country. It gets old.

For some reason, legislators seem to think we aren't bright enough to handle personal responsibilities like buying wine, liquor, or high point beer on a Sunday or after 9pm any other day for private consumption at home.  Nevermind we can go to any bar and get totally schnitz-faced until 2am any morning then drive home and be a danger to everyone else.

I just always make sure I'm stocked up before the weekend begins, oh, and election days, and holidays 

[kylieosu]

I wrote emails to all of the senators who voted no, letting them know that I don't understand what's wrong with letting this go to a vote of the people, and that I find it insulting that apparently these senators don't think we are competent enough to vote on the laws that govern us. This is the one reply I have received.

Senator Burrage's vote on the liquor/wine issue was made strictly to protect the small business owners in his District.  Sales tax revenue for Rogers and Mayes County would be lost from our counties that so desperately need the revenue in order to offer services to the citizens in that area, such as police protection, fire protection, repairing roads and bridges, etc.  The bill only affects Tulsa and Oklahoma City, but we didn't want to lose our local shoppers to Tulsa County.  There is also a concern that law enforcement was fearful they couldn't enforce the laws to keep underage persons from purchasing liquor and wine.