NYS Seal

ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE
ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOB CREATION,
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING


SUBJECT:

Oversight of the State Liquor Authority

PURPOSE:

To discharge the Legislature’s mandated functions of oversight and analysis as it pertains to the State Liquor Authority’s regulation of the alcoholic beverage Industry.

Legislative Office Building
Roosevelt Hearing Room C
Albany, New York

Tuesday,
September 20th, 2005
10:30 a.m.


The Assembly Standing Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry is charged with the responsibility of providing oversight and analysis of the State Liquor Authority’s regulation of the alcoholic beverage control industry. To that end, the Committee seeks to gather information that will enable it to evaluate the extent to which the State Liquor Authority has appropriately exercised its regulatory authority through the issuance of licenses, the imposition of fines and penalties, and otherwise through its application of the enforcement provisions of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law (ABCL). Given that most of the ABCL was codified in the aftermath of the 1933 repeal of Prohibition, the Committee also seeks to determine whether it should consider the recodification of the ABCL, as embodied in A.6686 (Schimminger). Accordingly, the committee seeks testimony from all segments of the alcoholic beverage industry and the State Liquor Authority.

Please see below for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony, and for a description of the bills which will be discussed at the hearing.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committee at the above hearing should complete and return the reply form found below as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes’ duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committee will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committee would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committee’s interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.


Robin Schimminger
Member of Assembly
Chairman
Committee on Economic Development,
Job Creation, Commerce and Industry



SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

  1. How effective is the State Liquor Authority’s enforcement of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law (ABCL)? Are there statutory changes that would enable the State Liquor Authority to improve its enforcement of ABCL? Is there a need for additional investigators and other enforcement personnel?

  2. The preponderance of the body of ABCL was codified more than 70 years ago. Have there been sufficient changes in society and in the ways that businesses are organized to justify the need for a recodification of ABCL as embodied in A.6686 (Schimminger)? Alternatively, are there more modest changes to the three-tiered system of alcoholic beverage distribution that would help modernize the alcoholic beverage industry while maintaining fiscal accountability and providing for the safe and appropriate access of the product?



PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on oversight of the alcoholic beverage industry are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Benita Leigh-Lewis
Principal Committee Assistant
Assembly Committee on Economic Development,
Job Creation, Commerce and Industry
Room 520 - Capitol
Albany, New York 12248
Email: Leighlb@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4928
Fax: (518) 455-5182


box I plan to attend the following public hearing on oversight of the alcoholic beverage industry to be conducted by the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry on September 20th, 2005.

box I plan to make a public statement at the hearing. My statement will be limited to 10 minutes, and I will answer any questions which may arise. I will provide 10 copies of my prepared statement.

box

I will address my remarks to the following subjects:





box I do not plan to attend the above hearing.

box I would like to be added to the Committee mailing list for notices and reports.

box I would like to be removed from the Committee mailing list.

box

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required:






NAME:

TITLE:

ORGANIZATION:

ADDRESS:

E-MAIL:

TELEPHONE:

FAX TELEPHONE:

*** Click here for printable form ***


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