CGVT
Senior Member
7 votes short?
I am disappointed, but not surprised, at this. Still, I'd way rather the homebrew bill pass - we can fight the gourmet bill again next year.
7 votes short?
I guess I need to look up the bill numbers. Homebrewdad, is this the case for the gourmet bottle bill too?
Forgive my ignorance on awesome Alabama politics (you'd think I would fit right in) but does this mean the bill isn't dead yet? Based on the Facebook post at least?
It seems that Free the Hops thinks that the Gourmet Bill might get another vote in the house. Again, I don't know how that would happen...
ALCAP LEGISLATIVE RECAP
Dr. Joseph C. Godfrey, Executive Director
May 9, 2012
The "Large Container" bill SB294 has failed in the House of Representatives. There were not enough BIR (Budget Isolation Resolution) votes to allow it to be brought before the House. The bill could still be brought before the House of Representatives when the Education Budget and the General Fund Budgets are passed.
The "Home Brew" bill (HB354) has passed out of the Senate Job Creation and Economic Development Committee. PLEASE call your Senator and ask them to vote NO on HB354. It could be on the Senate calendar as early as today (May 9), Thursday (May 10) or Monday, May 21. The reasons why we should oppose this bill are listed below.
Please contact your Senator as soon as possible and ask them (or leave a message) to vote NO on HB354. We only have a couple of legislative days to encourage Senators to vote NO.
Thank you for your prayers! We are engaged in a spiritual battle and we must stand together!
Why should you respectfully ask them to vote NO on HB354?
- In spite of assurances from supporters of this bill, there is no way to regulate home brewing. Home brewers argue that they will "self-regulate," but since many of them are already engaging in this currently illegal activity, they have proven that they will not always follow the law. This bill allows them to store up to 15 gallons per quarter (no more than 15 gallons at any given time) of home brewed beer, wine, mead and/or cider. The bill also allows them to transport up to 10 gallons to tasting events and contests. Unless law enforcement officials raid their homes (unlikely, nor would we advocate such action), what is to keep them from storing much more than 15 gallons?
- According to years of statistical data that demonstrate that young people usually get their first taste of alcohol at home (sometimes with their parents' approval, but often without their parents' knowledge), having these large supplies of home brewed alcoholic beverages around the house may become a great temptation. When parents approve the use of alcoholic beverages, whether it be home brewed or "store bought," young people often reason, "Well, if alcohol is okay to drink, then why not try other mind-altering drugs? If my parents protest, they're just being hypocritical!"
- It must be remembered that alcohol, while a legal substance in most locations, is still a mind-altering drug. That's why, after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, the Federal Government allowed states to establish strict controls over the sale and use of alcoholic beverages. Our greatest concern with the passage of HB354 is that this bill, along with all the other alcohol-liberalization laws that are continually being passed, is leading us down the proverbial "slippery slope" toward becoming a nation drowning in alcohol. When the home brew bill was first introduced, supporters wanted to be able to store 100 gallons in their homes. This year they came back, asking for only 15 gallons, but you can be certain that next year, or not too many years in the future, they will be back with a bill, or a series of bills, that allow(s) them to store 25, 50, 75, 100 gallons or more.
- Supporters of this bill argue that the individuals who are involved in home brewing are often well-educated, church-attending professionals who are simply wanting to practice home brewing as a hobby. But, let me reiterate, their hobby involves the production of a controlled and addictive substance that often has deadly results. No one starts out deciding, "I think I will become an alcoholic." They begin by drinking socially and they gradually begin to drink more and more, until they find themselves addicted. Of course, not everyone becomes addicted, but perhaps their children will be influenced to drink and the result will be an addiction to alcohol or some other drug.
There are many other reasons why ALCAP opposes all alcohol-liberalization bills, including HB354, but I hope this will give you some answers when people question you about your opposition.
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