Senator John Valentine (R – Orem) has announced that he intends to introduce a bill in the next Utah legislative session that would establish a property right in liquor permits, allowing restaurants with current liquor permits to sell them. Use of any purchased permit would be conditioned upon approval by the state liquor-control board. The
Legislation
Update on Utah’s Privatization Process
By Catherine Parrish Lake on
Posted in Legislation
As we previously reported, Utah is considering privatizing at least some aspects of its liquor control. On Wednesday, August 25, John Freeman, the Deputy Director of Operations for The Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (“DABC”) appeared before the Privatization Board to answer questions.
Mr. Freeman presented four reasons to maintain the status quo. First…
Possible Privatization of Utah Liquor Stores
By Catherine Parrish Lake on
Posted in Legislation
The sixteen-member Utah Privatization Policy Board was created by the legislature to determine what services currently provided by the state can be privatized. State liquor stores are one of many state functions that the Board is examining.
Utah is one of 18 states, and two Maryland counties, that currently use a state run retail system, commonly…
Dueling Liquor Privatization Initiatives in Washington State: What do the Initiatives Say and Who are the Players?
By Susan Johnson on
Posted in Legislation
Word is out that enough signatures have likely been gathered to ensure that an initiative backed by Costco will make it on the on the ballot in Washington State in November. The Costco backed initiative would transition sales of spirits in Washington State from state operated liquor stores to private retail stores and allow manufacturer to…