A Senate bill that would increase the amount of income a restaurant bar can derive from alcohol sales now has an amendment to it that would also allow alcohol sales on election days. Both the original bill, Senate Bill 40, introduced by Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, and the amendment, which comes from a House bill introduced by Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington, are bad news for Kentuckians and clearly demonstrate how the alcohol industry will never be satisfied until all of our communities are awash in this dangerous but legal drug.
Senate Bill 40 will have the general effect of turning what are now restaurants with some alcohol sales into pubs. And, of course, the amendment really begs the question, “Does Kentucky really need drunk voters going to the polls?’
Click here to read the bill for yourself.
If you would like to see this bill defeated, please call the toll free legislative message at 800-372-7181 and leave a message with the receptionist for your state senator. Call Monday through Thursday after 7 a.m. EST weekdays and until 11 p.m. EST. Call until 6 p.m. EST on Fridays.
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Just a follow-up on this post. Don Cole, executive director of the Kentucky Ethics League, passes along this information:
Senate Bill 40, a bill relating to the sale of alcohol in restaurants, was passed by the Senate and forwarded to the House of Representatives where it has been amended in major ways, so that it now covers far too many aspects of alcohol regulation. Some of the broad reaching negative affects of this legislation include allowing sales of alcohol on primary and general election days while polls are open, allowance of microbrewery establishment and sales, allowing the complimentary serving of samples by a brewer and the removal of limitations on hours of sale, plus, it changes the ratio of food and alcohol sales in restaurants to allow more alcohol sales and less food sales. Without going into a lengthy explanation and more details on this convoluted bill, let me simply say that it is bad legislation which will expand alcohol availability and sales in Kentucky.
We definitely need to do all we can to get this bill defeated. Please call the legislative message line at 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message for your Representative in the House urging him or her to vote against Senate Bill 40. Since the amended version of the bill would go back to the Senate for review, if passed by the House, please leave a message for your Senator also.