A California state bill that would make direct to consumer (DtC) shipping of distilled spirits permanent was recently pulled from the committee agenda for further review, according to the California Artisanal Distillers Guild.
The California senate Governmental Organization committee met recently on what was scheduled to be a hearing to include testimony for SB 620, the broad coalition DtC shipping bill introduced by Senator Ben Allen (D). In his opening remarks Senate chairman Bill Dodd (D) announced that the author had pulled the bill from the committee agenda. Dodd thanked Sen. Allen for taking on the DtC shipping issue calling it “very important.” Dodd said he is committed to continue working on the issue and called for “both sides” to craft language to lessen concerns by opposition over the bill. Dodd added he would convene an informal hearing before January of 2022 to discuss the issue further.
This announcement effectively makes SB 620 a two year bill, similar to how SB 220, the CADG and Sen. Nancy Skinner bill, was couched for the year.
On behalf of its members, ACSA recently unveiled a DtC campaign which includes a collection of resources for state distilling guilds and distilleries to advocate for DtC changes. It also includes a postcard to send to legislators, model guidelines necessary for elements of a model DtC bill, talking points and FAQs about DtC. Click here to access the assets.