Senate Committee Approves S4343
The Senate Commerce Committee approved S4343, our bill to permit bars and restaurants to purchase wine and spirits from liquor stores, at its meeting on May 9th. The bill was reported to the Senate floor which means it can be voted on at any time. The Senate leadership will decide if, and when, the bill will be voted on by the full Senate (not all bills that make it to the Senate floor are voted on).
Here’s how the Senators on the Commerce Committee voted:
AYES – Boyle; Felder, Funke, Gallivan, Griffo, Hamilton, Kennedy, Robach,
AYE W/O RECOMMENDATION (vote to move out of committee but not necessarily in favor of bill) – Bailey, Persaud, Sanders
NAYS – 0
Passage of this bill by the Senate Commerce Committee does not change the law. The bill has to pass the Senate, pass the Assembly and be signed into law by the Governor so it is still illegal to buy wine & spirits from a liquor store. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re off to a great start!
Your contact with committee members was critical to our success and your continued engagement with legislators is needed if we’re going to get the bill through the rest of the process. We’re scheduling appointments with legislators in the next few weeks so you can explain to them for yourselves why this bill is necessary. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to participate in these meetings. We’ll be in touch with you soon to let you know when and where to go to meet with your state legislators. It’s not too late to sign-up if you haven’t already. Contact our office at 518-436-8121 to join in.