Alabama vote.

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.

I just looked at SB 294 and it only passed out of the senate by one vote. Something doesn't pass the smell test here.

homebrewdad said:

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.

Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.

I guess these guys equate bigger bottles to drinking forties of Colt 45 out of a paper bag on a street corner?

CGVT said:

7 votes short?

Click to expand...

Given that there were 40 votes against, we would have needed 60 votes in favor. So, it was 18 votes short.

Ha! My math sucks!

Back to the homebrewing bill , I received this email today. Looks like we only have 3 legislative days left to get this bill voted on.


"HB354 to legalize Homebrewing in Alabama was reported favorably out of
the Senate Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development this
afternoon! The next step forward is the Senate Floor for a full vote.
Time in the 2012 Legislative Session is running very short, though,
and it is up to all of us to not only convince our senators to vote in
favor of the bill, but to also first get them to put it on the
Senate's agenda ASAP!

The Senate will meet Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and then
only one more day afterward, before the 2012 Legislative Session ends.
If they do not vote on HB354 before then, Homebrewing Legalization
will die again this year. The sense of urgency is very real!

What can you do to help? Call your Senator's office and leave a
message with his or her assistant politely asking the Senator to pass
HB354 to legalize Homebrewing this session. Email may work, but given
the time constraints we are under, a phone call during business hours
is the safest way to ensure your voice is heard in time. Our
opposition has already started their phone calls, and we must
overwhelm their numbers, so ask your friends to help, too!

To find your Senator's contact information, the Free The Hops web
page, http://freethehops.org/legislative/ , is a handy tool to use.

Getting through the Senate is the last step before our bill will go to
the Governor for his signature. Advancing through the second house's
committee is farther than a Homebrewing bill has ever made it in
Alabama. Let's keep the momentum going!

Thank you for your support."

http://www.alahomebrewing.org/

From Free the Hops on Facebook

Free the Hops
We have learned that several "No" votes today were part of some political crossfire oddly unrelated to our bill. Politics sucks. But we have a decent shot at getting another vote on Thursday. We'll post the full roll call on how every Rep voted soon, and YOU need to make sure the No votes understand how important passage of this bill really is.

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?

No, it is not at all dead. It passed the Senate the past two years, but died in the House. This year, it already passed the House, and has now passed the Senate committee. Now, we have to get it read and voted on in front of the whole Senate - before the session runs out.

I guess not. This was posted on Facebook a few minutes ago. I don't quite get what is going on. My Rep (Davis) has voted no on every alcohol related bill that has come before him. I don't know why he would be on the "should have voted yes if not for politics" list.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your target list. Obviously, if you live in any one of these folks' district, target them above all else and make sure they know you live in their district. But phone calls from every concerned Alabama citizen to every person on this list would not be out of line. You are affected by their No vote or failure to vote Yes. Note that this is not a complete list of every No/Pass vote, but rather a specific list given to us by our lobbyist of people who could have/should have voted "Yes" but failed to do so for the wrong reasons. Contact info can be found at the link below.

VOTING NO
Burdine
Buskey
Coleman
Davis
Galliher
Gaston
Hall
Holmes
Kennedy
Lindsey
Mask
McCampbell
Mitchell
Todd

NOT VOTING
Hubbard M.
Barton
Bracy
Colston
Givan
Hammon
Howard
Jackson
Love
McClammy
McMillan
Rogers
Williams J.

I guess I need to look up the bill numbers. Homebrewdad, is this the case for the gourmet bottle bill too?

Thanks for the update CGVT. I'm on a pointless self imposed vacation from Facebook.

StoneHands said:

I guess I need to look up the bill numbers. Homebrewdad, is this the case for the gourmet bottle bill too?

Click to expand...

Sadly, the gourmet bottle bill is dead. It requires a 60% supermajority, and it only had two more yesses than nos.

StoneHands said:

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?

Click to expand...

There are two bills.

The one that was voted down in the house today was the Gourmet Bottle Bill. It would allow the sale of beer in bottles up to 22.5 os

The second is the homebrew legalization bill. It passed the house and needs to get on the calendar in the Senate for vote.

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...

Gourmet Bottle Bill: SB 294

Homebrew Legalization: HB 354

CGVT said:

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...

Click to expand...

That's the way I read your post above as well. It would be great if they could. I think both bills are equally important. In a way, the bottle bill is more important to me, since the law isn't really enforced on home brewing. It'd be nice to have a competition or two though, and not have to go into a dissertation when the neighbors look at you sideways.

The gourmet bill is important - I'd like to be able to get a full sized bottle of Chimay Grande Reserve - but to me, the homebrew bill is more important.

We are currently one of exactly two states that makes this illegal. Yes, they are not enforcing the law, but what's to say that some two bit sheriff in the boonies somewhere might decide to do so at some point... congratulations, you are a felon.

Homebrewdad, perhaps this is an ironic way to put it, but you're preaching to the choir my friend.

Of the two, I would rather see the homebrew legalization for sure.

Looks as if there is still a chance that we get both, though.

Who knows?

Oh, I know.

At any rate, I'll contact Senators tomorrow. Emails are no problem, but phone calls, you say? Okie dokey.

Yeah, I want both to pass. It's painful waiting all year for this to come back up.

Here's the latest:


HB354 to legalize Homebrewing in Alabama was reported favorably out of the Senate Committee on Job Creation and Economic Development this afternoon! The next step forward is the Senate Floor for a full vote. Time in the 2012 Legislative Session is running very short, though, and it is up to all of us to not only convince our senators to vote in favor of the bill, but to also first get them to put it on the Senate's agenda ASAP!

The Senate will meet Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and then only one more day afterward, before the 2012 Legislative Session ends. If they do not vote on HB354 before then, Homebrewing Legalization will die again this year. The sense of urgency is very real!

What can you do to help? Call your Senator's office and leave a message with his or her assistant politely asking the Senator to pass HB354 to legalize Homebrewing this session. Email may work, but given the time constraints we are under, a phone call during business hours is the safest way to ensure your voice is heard in time. Our opposition has already started their phone calls, and we must overwhelm their numbers, so ask your friends to help, too!

To find your Senator's contact information, the Free The Hops web page, http://freethehops.org/legislative/ , is a handy tool to use.

Getting through the Senate is the last step before our bill will go to the Governor for his signature. Advancing through the second house's committee is farther than a Homebrewing bill has ever made it in Alabama. Let's keep the momentum going!

Thank you for your support.
http://www.alahomebrewing.org/

It isn't on the calendar for today, maybe tomorrow.

Just so you're all aware, this is the opposition to the homebrew bill:
http://www.alcap.com/Legislative Issues

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.

Click to expand...

What a load of crap.

I hope you all are able to win and make homebrewing legal in your state.

Viva la resistance

wow.. a well written "what about the children" argument coupled with a slippery slope argument. Weak.

Pathetic...

ALCAP or no ALCAP if the bill sees the senate floor it should pass.

This logic is so flawed, it is basically the cheese-food of logic. It is logik with a k.

I particularly like how they put in the part about churchgoing citizens. And yep! there we have a mention of "young people"... a term used almost as often as "children" in rhetoric.

Yet another group of Americans exercising their right to limit the rights of others. I wish them the worst.

I just made a call to my representative, Del Marsh, President Pro Tempore of the senate. I don't think we'd have to worry about him voting against it, but ALCAP, "Alabama's Moral Compass" in their words, inspired me.

Some years ago, Del and I attended the same church. Our pastor got me into home brewing!

My senator is all for HB354.

You guys need to get some Tea Party folks into this. (Please note that I do NOT endorse the Tea Party as an overall group or movement.) They are perfect for this. Government trying to interfere in non-harmful aspects of an individuals private life. This is the kind of thing that they jump on and which they use to get people kicked out of office.

My Senator is also in favor, but I called again just to reiterate support!

Unfortunately my Senator is Shadrack McGill . I've sent him an email and called but I think he's anti-alcohol.

According to freethehops.org, my senator (Gerald Allen) is also anti-alcohol, and will almost certainly vote no on the homebrewing bill. I had emailed him twice before, but freethehops happens to have a yahoo email listed for him as opposed to the state email address I had, so I sent one to it moments ago.

I'm about to call, as well, though I doubt it does any good.


Both of my reps suck.

Our local rep. in Astoria was also one of those crusaders who thought his personal feelings trumped those of his constituents. I am not going to name the issue, for obvious reasons, but he was against a motion that something like 85% of his constituents were rabidly for. He got so much mail, so many people like myself telling him that they would vote for the opposing party for the very first time, that the guy retired.

Sic semper stupidasses

About the governor:

From Wikipedia: He is an active member of First Baptist Church Tuscaloosa where he serves as a Deacon and Sunday School Teacher. At FBC Tuscaloosa, he has been the Chairman of the Board of Deacons four times...

His voting record in the house looks pretty bad:
http://votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/15896/robert-bentley

From Free the Hops facebook page:

Response from Patricia Todd about SB294:

"As you know I am a loyal supporter of all the beer/wine legislation and continue to do so.

My vote on Tuesday was part of the minorities flexing some political muscle. The beer wholesalers made a sizable campaign donation to the republican PAC and we were protesting that contribution. I fully support the bill and will work hard for its passage today!"