HOUSE BILL No. 4147

 

February 4, 2009, Introduced by Rep. Hansen and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled

 

"Michigan liquor control code of 1998,"

 

by amending section 537 (MCL 436.1537), as amended by 2008 PA 218.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 537. (1) The following classes of vendors may sell

 

alcoholic liquors at retail as provided in this section:

 

     (a) Taverns where beer and wine may be sold for consumption on

 

the premises only.

 

     (b) Class C license where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and

 

spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises.

 

     (c) Clubs where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits

 

may be sold for consumption on the premises only to bona fide

 

members where consumption is limited to these members and their

 


bona fide guests, who have attained the age of 21 years.

 

     (d) Direct shippers where wine may be sold and shipped

 

directly to the consumer.

 

     (e) Hotels of class A where beer and wine may be sold for

 

consumption on the premises and in the rooms of bona fide

 

registered guests. Hotels of class B where beer, wine, mixed spirit

 

drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises and

 

in the rooms of bona fide registered guests.

 

     (f) Specially designated merchants, where beer and wine may be

 

sold for consumption off the premises only.

 

     (g) Specially designated distributors where spirits and mixed

 

spirit drink may be sold for consumption off the premises only.

 

     (h) Special licenses where beer and wine or beer, wine, mixed

 

spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the

 

premises only.

 

     (i) Dining cars or other railroad or Pullman cars, watercraft,

 

or aircraft, where alcoholic liquor may be sold for consumption on

 

the premises only, subject to rules promulgated by the commission.

 

     (j) Brewpubs where beer manufactured on the premises by the

 

licensee may be sold for consumption on or off the premises by any

 

of the following licensees:

 

     (i) Class C.

 

     (ii) Tavern.

 

     (iii) Class A hotel.

 

     (iv) Class B hotel.

 

     (k) Micro brewers and brewers selling less than 200,000

 

barrels of beer per year where beer produced by the micro brewer or

 


brewer may be sold to a consumer for consumption on or off the

 

brewery premises.

 

     (l) Class G-1 license where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and

 

spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises only to members

 

required to pay an annual membership fee and consumption is limited

 

to these members and their bona fide guests.

 

     (m) Class G-2 license where beer and wine may be sold for

 

consumption on the premises only to members required to pay an

 

annual membership fee and consumption is limited to these members

 

and their bona fide guests.

 

     (n) Motorsports event license where beer and wine may be sold

 

for consumption on the premises during sanctioned motorsports

 

events only.

 

     (o) Wine maker where wine may be sold by direct shipment, at

 

retail on the licensed premises, and as provided for in subsections

 

(2) and (3).

 

     (p) Small distiller selling not more than 60,000 gallons of

 

spirits manufactured by that licensee to the consumer at retail for

 

consumption on or off the licensed premises in the manner provided

 

for in section 534.

 

     (q) Farmers market licenses where wine may be sampled and sold

 

at a farmers market for consumption off the licensed premises.

 

     (2) A wine maker may sell wine made by that wine maker in a

 

restaurant for consumption on or off the premises if the restaurant

 

is owned by the wine maker or operated by another person under an

 

agreement approved by the commission and located on the premises

 

where the wine maker is licensed.

 


     (3) A wine maker, with the prior written approval of the

 

commission, may conduct wine tastings of wines made by that wine

 

maker and may sell the wine made by that wine maker for consumption

 

off the premises at a location other than the premises where the

 

wine maker is licensed to manufacture wine, under the following

 

conditions:

 

     (a) The premises upon which the wine tasting occurs conforms

 

to local and state sanitation requirements.

 

     (b) Payment of a $100.00 fee per location is made to the

 

commission.

 

     (c) The wine tasting locations shall be considered licensed

 

premises.

 

     (d) Wine tasting does not take place between the hours of 2

 

a.m. and 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday, or between 2 a.m. and 12

 

noon on Sunday.

 

     (e) The premises and the licensee comply with and are subject

 

to all applicable rules promulgated by the commission.

 

     (4) The commission may issue farmers market licenses for wine

 

makers for the purposes of allowing wine tasting and the sale of

 

wine produced, by that wine maker, at a farmers market, for

 

consumption off the licensed premises. The commission shall charge

 

a license fee of $25.00 per day, for up to 20 nonconsecutive days

 

per calendar year. Section 503 does not apply to the application or

 

issuance of a license under this subsection.

 

     (5) In issuing a farmers market license under this section,

 

the commission shall require the following:

 

     (a) That the wine tasting and sales be limited to an area

 


under the control of the wine maker.

 

     (b) That the applicant demonstrate in a manner acceptable to

 

the commission that the local police agency has approved the

 

proposed licensed activity.

 

     (6) As used in this section, "farmers market" means a group of

 

farmers who assemble at a defined community-sponsored or

 

municipally-sponsored location for the purpose of selling, directly

 

to consumers, produce produced by those farmers.