LIQUOR LICENSE FOR NORTHWESTERN - S.B. 559 (S-1): FIRST ANALYSIS
sans-serif">Senate Bill 559 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Jason E. Allen
Committee: Local, Urban and State Affairs
RATIONALE
Under the Michigan Liquor Control Code, the Liquor Control Commission may issue a liquor license to specific university or college boards. Liquor may be sold only at regularly scheduled events for on-premises consumption at the schools’ conference centers, which are listed in the Code. Liquor may not be sold to unscheduled patrons or at unscheduled events. It has been suggested that the Commission should be allowed to issue a license to the board of Northwestern Michigan College, located in Traverse City.
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Liquor Control Code to allow the Liquor Control Commission to issue a liquor license to the governing board of Northwestern Michigan College. The license could be used only for the sale of liquor for consumption on the premises of the John T. Parsons and Frank L. Stulen Michigan Technical Education Center, the Gerald and Frances Oleson Center, the Dennos Museum Center, and the Great Lakes Campus Center at the college.
ARGUMENTS
(Please note: The arguments contained in this analysis originate from sources outside the Senate Fiscal Agency. The Senate Fiscal Agency neither supports nor opposes legislation.)
Supporting Argument
Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) often hosts special dinners, conferences, and alumni events at which it would be appropriate to serve liquor. The culinary program at NMC soon will be doubled in size due to increasing enrollment, and includes training in beverage management. Culinary training is offered both at the Great Lakes Culinary Institute, located on NMC’s Great Lakes Campus, and at the Oleson Center, which contains conference rooms and cooking facilities, and provides both NMC and the Traverse area community with a prime location for special events and meetings. Standing at the entrance of the NMC campus, the Dennos Museum Center is a regional hub for arts and culture. The Museum Center contains exhibition galleries, a sculpture court, a “hands-on” Discovery Gallery, and a gallery of Inuit art, as well as the 367-seat Milliken Auditorium, a 32-seat video theater, community rooms, and a museum store. The Parsons-Stulen Michigan Technology Education Center opened its doors in 2001 and is the venue for training and research as well as various technology-related programs of study. There is no known opposition from the community regarding the college’s ability to serve liquor during special events at the specified conference centers.
- Legislative Analyst: Julie Koval
FISCAL IMPACT
These new Class C Conference Center licenses would generate approximately $2,400 in license revenue. This revenue is restricted and would be used to offset the cost of regulating the licensees. The statute provides for 45% of the revenue generated from licenses to be retained by the Commission; 55% of license revenue goes to local governments for liquor enforcement activities.
- Fiscal Analyst: Maria Tyszkiewicz
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.