Interim Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverages Update
September 11, 2008
During its first meetings, the Interim Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverage heard testimony on several topics, including Sunday sales for carry-out at Indiana microbreweries, training for employee permitees and sales clerks, and whether retail permitees should be required to separate their alcoholic beverage displays and place them in areas inaccessible to minors.
Sunday Sales for Carry-Out at Indiana Microbreweries.
The Brewers of Indiana Guild urged the committee to recommend approval of Sunday sales for carry-out at Indiana microbreweries. Witnesses recounted numerous occasions when Indiana’s "blue laws" hampered sales opportunities for microbreweries. They testified about their efforts to build a microbrewery tour similar to Indiana Sunday winery tours, which allow participants to drive from winery to winery to sample and purchase the wineries’ product. Other trade groups support lifting the prohibition, but only if Sunday sales are allowed for all permit holders.
Server Training and Employee Permits for Sales Clerks.
Indiana law requires servers and sales clerks to be trained on serving and selling alcohol by certified trainers. The law aims to eliminate inconsistency in training by ensuring every sales clerk across the state receives the same training. During the last session, the General Assembly authorized the Alcohol and Tobacco Commission to approve third-party training programs for certified trainers. Three retail trade groups support mandatory training. According to these groups, states imposing mandatory training requirements have seen a decrease in underage drinking. Companies participating in voluntary training programs can realize significant reductions in insurance costs.
The trade groups testified that their membership is struggling from minors’ use of fake identification to purchase alcohol. Retailers are looking for tools from the state to help combat the problem. In some states, penalties for selling alcohol to minors are less severe if the minor uses a fake ID. In other states, retailers have a cause of action against minors who use fake IDs to purchase alcohol illegally. The trade groups suggested suggested using technology to store electronic information on a person’s identification that a retailer can access to verify the authenticity of the ID and the age of the customer.
The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking testified in support of mandatory training for all servers and clerks, focusing on checking identifications, refusing service to minors, recognizing intoxicated customers, and the requirements of Indiana law.
Requiring Alcoholic Beverages to be Displayed in Separate Areas in Dealer Establishments.
Committee members stated that they are frequently contacted by constituents upset that grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retailers are permitted to display alcoholic beverages in areas accessible by minors. The General Assembly previously considered requiring these retailers to establish a separate area in their premises, inaccessible for minors, for displaying alcoholic beverages, and the Committee has been charged with studying the proposal.
Trade groups representing the retailers are opposed to the requirement. According to the retailers, where the alcohol is displayed is not as important as making sure that minors cannot leave the store with alcohol. They would focus more on training. The retailers suggested that allowing minors to see alcohol displayed in grocery stores cannot be any more harmful than allowing minors to see alcohol consumed at sporting events.
The Indiana Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking testified on behalf of the Director of Youth Services of Fairbanks Hospital, a nonprofit organization focused on recovery from alcohol and other drug problems. The Coalition testified that it is crucial to display alcohol in a separate area inaccessible to minors. According to the Coalition, minors treated by Fairbanks indicate that it is easy to steal alcohol from retail establishments. The Coalition stated that the best way to reduce alcohol abuse by minors is to minimize alcohol cues to minors.
What’s Next?
The Interim Study Committee on Alcoholic Beverages still has a lot to consider, but may wait until after the fall elections, or even until next summer, to hold additional meetings. Taft will be there when the Committee meets again, so stay tuned for the next Taft Dispatch from the Indiana Statehouse!
