Alabama Homebrew Legislation 2013

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Accidic said:
Isn't making Wine in Mississippi legal at least already?

Yes. Home made wine is legal in Mississippi. Even in dry counties. Our homebrew bill, if passed, will only allow homemade beer in wet counties.
 
Any idea when this is going to move to the next step. Last I read on AHA website was that it was moving along quickly. Any insight?
 
My apologies guys - I mistakenly said the House committee hearing was yesterday. It is actually today. I'm about to head that way, will give a report when it is over. We expect favorable passage.

ALSO - we just found out that SB171 will have a public hearing tomorrow before the JC&ED Committee. That means it is time to start letting these guys hear our support!

PLEASE CONTACT THESE SENATORS TODAY - calls, e-mails, faxes it doesn't matter! Just let them hear your voice!

Paul Sanford - [email protected] - (334) 242-7867
Slade Blackwell - [email protected] - (334) 242-7851
Scott Beason - 334-242-7794
Linda Coleman - [email protected] - (334) 242-7864
Jerry Fielding - [email protected] - (334) 242-7898
Tammy Irons - [email protected] - (334) 242-7888
Greg Reed - [email protected] - (334) 242-7894
Clay Scofield - [email protected] - (334) 242-7876

Remember - please be in the state, sign with your name and hometown, and be polite.

You can also look up your Senator here - http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senate.html - on the left side of the page and contact them. Ask them to pass their support for the bill along to Senator Sanford (he is the chairperson of the committee).

We have not worked on the Senate in several years, so they are not as familiar with our support for this bill.
 
My apologies guys - I mistakenly said the House committee hearing was yesterday. It is actually today. I'm about to head that way, will give a report when it is over. We expect favorable passage.

ALSO - we just found out that SB171 will have a public hearing tomorrow before the JC&ED Committee. That means it is time to start letting these guys hear our support!

PLEASE CONTACT THESE SENATORS TODAY - calls, e-mails, faxes it doesn't matter! Just let them hear your voice!

Paul Sanford - [email protected] - (334) 242-7867
Slade Blackwell - [email protected] - (334) 242-7851
Scott Beason - 334-242-7794
Linda Coleman - [email protected] - (334) 242-7864
Jerry Fielding - [email protected] - (334) 242-7898
Tammy Irons - [email protected] - (334) 242-7888
Greg Reed - [email protected] - (334) 242-7894
Clay Scofield - [email protected] - (334) 242-7876

Remember - please be in the state, sign with your name and hometown, and be polite.

You can also look up your Senator here - http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senate.html - on the left side of the page and contact them. Ask them to pass their support for the bill along to Senator Sanford (he is the chairperson of the committee).

We have not worked on the Senate in several years, so they are not as familiar with our support for this bill.

I also pretty much quoted this word for word in a post at reddit's homebrewing sub (and credited you for it). I figure it can't hurt to potentially tap another group that might make a few contacts.
 
GREAT News guys - HB9 passes committee with flying colors. Next stop - House floor for a full vote! :mug:

Thanks to Jason, Dan, Bill, and Joe for presenting our case. All 4 speakers did a great job. Mac (our House Sponsor) hit a home run with his speech. The Committee had some great questions, all of which were answered very well.

Our Senate Sponsor, Bill Holtzclaw, showed his support by attending. Many thanks to him and the work he is doing for us.

We hope tomorrow goes just as well as today did!!
 
GREAT News guys - HB9 passes committee with flying colors. Next stop - House floor for a full vote! :mug:

Thanks to Jason, Dan, Bill, and Joe for presenting our case. All 4 speakers did a great job. Mac (our House Sponsor) hit a home run with his speech. The Committee had some great questions, all of which were answered very well.

Our Senate Sponsor, Bill Holtzclaw, showed his support by attending. Many thanks to him and the work he is doing for us.

We hope tomorrow goes just as well as today did!!

Outfreakingstanding!
 
Huff360 said:
GREAT News guys - HB9 passes committee with flying colors. Next stop - House floor for a full vote! :mug:

Thanks to Jason, Dan, Bill, and Joe for presenting our case. All 4 speakers did a great job. Mac (our House Sponsor) hit a home run with his speech. The Committee had some great questions, all of which were answered very well.

Our Senate Sponsor, Bill Holtzclaw, showed his support by attending. Many thanks to him and the work he is doing for us.

We hope tomorrow goes just as well as today did!!

Fantastic!! 1 step closer!!
 
Is it on the special order today? I checked the website but SO isn't up yet.

Not that I am aware of. ALISON does look pretty out of date on some stuff.

I will do my best to give a heads up and a link to floor audio when we are scheduled. It is usually interesting/infuriating to listen to the debate. :confused:
 
Last year I listened to the audio of the legislature on the days when the last bill was on the special order. It was completely maddening!
To save what little bit of sanity I have left I have decided I won't listen to the debate this year. I just want to know if it passed.
 
Last year I listened to the audio of the legislature on the days when the last bill was on the special order. It was completely maddening!
To save what little bit of sanity I have left I have decided I won't listen to the debate this year. I just want to know if it passed.

I know how you feel. I hate how we because a laughingstock over the stupidity that goes on in the legislature, but I also feel drawn to it (much like it's hard to look away from an overturned 18 wheeler).
 
Good write up and a good response to the "what about the chirrens?" question that seems to be a mainstay of the opposition's argument.



House committee approves bill that would legalize home brewing of beer
By Mike Cason | [email protected]
on February 20, 2013 at 5:35 PM, updated February 20, 2013 at 9:31 PM Print



Email


Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville. (Robin Conn/The Huntsville Times)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- The House Economic Development and Tourism Committee today approved a bill that would allow those 21 and older to make home brewed beer, wine, mead and cider for personal use.

The bill, by Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville, would limit the total production to 15 gallons every three months.

The committee approved the bill after a public hearing, putting it in position for consideration by the House of Representatives.

Several home brewing enthusiasts spoke in favor of the bill.

Jason Sledd of Huntsville told the committee he took up home brewing as a hobby last year.

“At the time, I had no idea what I was doing was illegal in the state of Alabama,” Sledd said.

Sledd said he learned home brewing was illegal after joining a home brewers club.

Rep. Berry Forte, D-Eufaula, said he was opposed to the use of alcohol because of what it had done to some family members. He asked Sledd whether he brewed beer in front of his children.

Sledd said he did, and said he was teaching them the responsible way to use alcohol.

“They will have years of experience of seeing an adult drink alcohol and not being intoxicated,” Sledd said.


Joe Godfrey, executive director of ALCAP, a nonprofit lobbying organization backed by churches, and Dan Ireland, executive director emeritus of ALCAP, spoke in opposition to the bill.

Godfrey said ALCAP opposed all efforts to liberalize alcohol policies. He said Alabama ranks low among states in alcohol sales and alcohol consumption.

“I think that’s a good thing to brag on, the fact that we consume low amounts here in Alabama,” Godfrey said. “We don’t want to be like everybody else.”

Ireland quoted scripture from the Book of Romans that counsels “not to put a stumbling block” in the way of others.

“You’re going to be setting a tone, not only in your home, but in your area, that’s going to entice others to drink,” Ireland said.

McCutcheon, the bill’s sponsor, said he understood the negative effects of alcohol abuse, but said that home brewing is not about promoting intoxication. He noted the biblical account of Jesus turning water into wine.

“Drunkenness is a sin,” McCutcheon said. “Drunkenness is a result not of alcohol, but of the abuse of alcohol.”

He said those who abuse alcohol can already do so with commercial beers.

“This is not the issue here,” McCutcheon said. “This is about the rights of an individual to have the freedom to have a hobby that they enjoy.”

Joe Defee told the committee he has had a successful career in the computer science field and began home brewing when he worked in Washington, D.C. He said the appeal of home brewing for him was similar to the appeal of his other hobby, making acoustic guitars and mandolins. He said he wanted to master the craft.

“I’m really doing this hobby because I’m striving to create a product,” Defee said.

The bill would not legalize home brewing in dry counties and cities. Those convicted of a felony would be banned from home brewing.
 
SB171 is reported favorably from committee in a 5-1 vote!

Thanks to Mike, Joe, and Danner for representing our side of the case, as well as a huge thank you to Sen. Holtzclaw for bringing the bill forth!!


:ban:

Mississippi, you'd better watch out!
 
Rep. Berry Forte, D-Eufaula, said he was opposed to the use of alcohol because of what it had done to some family members. He asked Sledd whether he brewed beer in front of his children.

Sledd said he did, and said he was teaching them the responsible way to use alcohol.

“They will have years of experience of seeing an adult drink alcohol and not being intoxicated,” Sledd said.

Rep. Forte also brought out later that his Grandmother always kept a "jar of moonshine" at the house while he was growing up.

Mac thanked Rep. Forte for proving his point for him. He pointed out that he hoped that the all the children that are currently growing up in the homes of these homebrewers could turn out as well as Rep. Forte has, and be such upstanding and respected members of the community!

It was a not just a home run, it was a grand slam!

Rep. Forte responded that "times are different now" and really had no other rebuttal.
 
Rep. Forte also brought out later that his Grandmother always kept a "jar of moonshine" at the house while he was growing up.

Mac thanked Rep. Forte for proving his point for him. He pointed out that he hoped that the all the children that are currently growing up in the homes of these homebrewers could turn out as well as Rep. Forte has, and be such upstanding and respected members of the community!

It was a not just a home run, it was a grand slam!

Rep. Forte responded that "times are different now" and really had no other rebuttal.

Epic.
 
It looks as if Mississippi is on about the same track

MISSISSIPPI: Homebrew Bill Passed By Senate
February 7, 2013
SB 2183, a bill that would legalize homebrewing in the state of Mississippi, passed the full Senate and is now moving on to the House. If the house passes, the bill will go to the Governor to sign.
 
Yeah, they were moving ahead quickly too.

Their house bill is done, it is not up to the senate bill which is pending assignment to a house committee.

Big difference is their bill would not take effect till July 1 2013. Ours doesn't have that stipulation, so as soon as Bently signs it, it's in place. We have a chance at beating them! ;)

Not that it matters... just saying though, we have a chance!


Our HB received it's reading in the chamber shortly ago. It is now available for placement on the Special Order Calendar.

Our SB will hopefully get it's reading today too, then we will be set on go for placement on the SOC there as well.

Mac is the Chair of the House Rules Committee, and that means everyone wants him to like them. That, hopefully, means they will all support getting his bill on the SOC right away.
 
I would like to know why your glasses/posters were not made available for sale online? If nothing else, this would have generated more money that could be put to good use by you in creating public awareness.

Politics is money, and money == votes.

And whatever happened to the separation of church and state? lol Using religion in a public rights/political argument is like using curse words to insult someone. You're just to ignorant to use logic and reasoned thinking.

There are many different ways to argue the detriments of alcohol abuse and the benefits of the brewing hobby. Religion should not be one of them.
 
I would like to know why your glasses/posters were not made available for sale online? If nothing else, this would have generated more money that could be put to good use by you in creating public awareness.

Politics is money, and money == votes.

And whatever happened to the separation of church and state? lol Using religion in a public rights/political argument is like using curse words to insult someone. You're just to ignorant to use logic and reasoned thinking.

There are many different ways to argue the detriments of alcohol abuse and the benefits of the brewing hobby. Religion should not be one of them.

You don't live in the Bible Belt, do you?
 
I would like to know why your glasses/posters were not made available for sale online? If nothing else, this would have generated more money that could be put to good use by you in creating public awareness.

Politics is money, and money == votes.

Lots of people have asked that, nobody has volunteered to step up, set up the required 501(c)(3), handle the accounting, tax reporting, legal requirements, orders, shipping, cashing of checks, customer complaints, refunds for broken glasses, registration as a lobbyist, audits from the ethics committee, group charter documents, member disputes, leader elections, etc etc etc.

Instead, one dude said "Here's a glass design. I'll get them printed and handle getting them to bars."

True, he collected some money to offset his costs, but that money was not sent to any "Right to Brew" organization. It was collected among friends and friends of friends in a group buy of a pallet of glasses. No sales, no profits.

Many folks chipped in on moving the glasses around the state. I hauled lots of cases from N. Alabama to Montgomery and Auburn and even distributed many of the glasses you will find in the south part of Montgomery. Others hauled them other places. It was organized chaos.

The poster was the same way. Another dude said "Hey, here's a poster, I'm going to take this and run with it." And in a matter of a few days there were posters being printed. Someone else stepped up and took on the shipping of the posters to each 'region' where someone was willing to hand them out.

Involving money in politics makes you a lobbyist. There are a lot of rules that go along with that. "Right to Brew" is not a lobbyist group. It is simply a collective of like minded voters doing what any other person in the State could do. There are no badges at the State House or anything like that. Well, I take that back. We were all wearing a stick on VISITOR label yesterday! You could have walked in and gotten one just like it, and had just as much access as anyone else did.



And whatever happened to the separation of church and state? lol Using religion in a public rights/political argument is like using curse words to insult someone. You're just to ignorant to use logic and reasoned thinking.

There are many different ways to argue the detriments of alcohol abuse and the benefits of the brewing hobby. Religion should not be one of them.


Let me preface this with: I'm not a religious person.

That is an often misunderstood thing. It doesn't mean that you can't use religion in government. It simply means that they should not be one and the same. I've got no problem with the Committee and the Legislative Chambers opening each session with a prayer. If they force me, under the power of law, to participate in that prayer, or tell me I can't pray, go to this church, or they throw me in jail for going to the other church, that's where the separation thing should come in to play. Like so many other basic principles of our Constitution, that too has been bastardized into something that has nowhere near the original meaning.

ALCAP is a lobbyist organization. It is their right to lobby the Legislators using any tactics they choose. Dr. Ireland and Dr. Godfrey (who attended the House hearing yesterday) are both nice fellows. They are always pleasant to us and we are the same to them. We all had a fairly lengthy conversation yesterday prior to the public hearing convening. Their views, and the views of those who support them, differ from ours, that's all there is to it.

Neither side is "Bad people" as is the usual case with this kind of stuff.
 
Ireland quoted scripture from the Book of Romans that counsels “not to put a stumbling block” in the way of others.

Humph. Mr. Ireland and I interpret that bit of Romans differently. He's the one being the stumbling block, not the alcohol. Well, I suppose this isn't the place for that conversation.

Glad it passed the committee. Hopefully it will get passed before long.
 
Sadly, there are those down here in the bible belt that like to impose their agendas on others. Most specifically, one particular denomination that while I will leave them nameless, is known to be EXTREMELY hypocritical on fronts such as these. A childhood friend of mine was the son of one of their preachers. He beat him nightly leaving distinct "injury" that occasionally resulted in infection. Sorry but I have nothing nice to say on their behalves. As a result I typically abstain but this whole thing wreaks now as it always has. It's really no wonder why many non-religious groups despise Christians.

Sorry, biting my tongue now before I say what I really mean.

I will, however, say i've never had the misfortune of meeting a homebrewer that wasn't upstanding.
 
I think painting any group based on the actions of a few is a dangerous activity.

I'd bet I could find you a few bad homebrewers, and I can guarantee that I can find you a few good Christians. In fact, I can show you a few good Christian Homebrewers.

We were recently told by one of the Senators that they voted no on our Bill based solely on the number of calls they received in their office. That is proof that we need to let our voices be heard!

We may not have much warning when our bills are headed to the Floor this year!
 
It is coming down to crunch time. If you care about this, contact your Senator and Representative. Make a call or send a quick e-mail asking for their support. It doesn't take long and could be the difference!
 
BTW, I didn't hear back from my Rep, but my Senator sent me a canned e-mail. As far as I know neither has ever voted for any alcohol bills, so I'm not holding my breath that they will change their minds this year...

Thank you so much for your email. I appreciate your taking the time to contact me.
I read every e-mail I receive, and I do my best to reply to
as many as possible. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough time in the day to reply
to all of them.
Your opinion is important to me, and you can rest assured that I will
give your e-mail the serious consideration it deserves.
Best Regards,
Trip
 
My lovely fiancée emailed her senator and representative without me really having to ask. I love this woman. l'll do the same right now in a minute.
 
Yes, there are homebrewing Christians... In the interest of full disclosure, I'm catholic but frankly I believe they put their nose where it doesn't belong on a very regular basis. I also condemn the same actions as wrong in those cases as well though. That said, in this particular case, it is quite the norm and I'd be harder pressed to find the exception to the rule (not on the child abuse to be fair) than to find perfect fits... It's funny how they overlook passages where Jesus creates wine or instructions such as “Drink your wine with a merry heart.” Ecclesiastes 9:7.

But I digress and to get back on topic... I'm glad to hear of the success that has been achieved this year. One thing I'm not clear on is I've heard that since the bills are the same if they pass the House and Senate even with different nomenclature they can be sent to the Governor as is. Not sure if that's true (it's probably in this thread somewhere in fact so I'll have to wait until later when I can reread it a bit more closely to find out) but I'd love to know.
 
I think painting any group based on the actions of a few is a dangerous activity.

I'd bet I could find you a few bad homebrewers, and I can guarantee that I can find you a few good Christians. In fact, I can show you a few good Christian Homebrewers.

We were recently told by one of the Senators that they voted no on our Bill based solely on the number of calls they received in their office. That is proof that we need to let our voices be heard!

We may not have much warning when our bills are headed to the Floor this year!

I'd like to think of myself like this. That seems a bit self serving though.
 
One thing I'm not clear on is I've heard that since the bills are the same if they pass the House and Senate even with different nomenclature they can be sent to the Governor as is.

Yes, the Bills are identical. So assume the HB passes Tuesday (just assume...) then our Senate sponsor would simply substitute the HB in place of the SB and the floor debate would continue.

If the SB passes first, then it would get substituted in the place of the HB for the debate over there.

This helps speed the process along as we were able to clear both committees right away. Otherwise, if we only had a HB we would have to wait to pass the House floor vote before we could go to the Senate committee.

Another option - Assume the SB fails the floor vote and the HB passes. The HB can then go to committee in the Senate and try it's luck at another floor vote. Not sure that would happen, but it could.
 
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