HOUSE BILL No. 4565

 

March 11, 2009, Introduced by Rep. Meadows and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

 

     A bill to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled

 

"Michigan liquor control code of 1998,"

 

(MCL 436.1101 to 436.2303) by adding section 1029.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1029. (1) A retailer selling beer in a keg shall do all

 

of the following:

 

     (a) Attach an identification tag on the keg before or at the

 

time of the sale of the beer.

 

     (b) Require the purchaser of the beer to complete and sign a

 

receipt supplied by the commission under subsection (2) after

 

presentation of a driver license or state of Michigan

 

identification card. If the purchaser of the beer does not possess

 

a driver license or state of Michigan identification card, the

 

retailer shall not sell beer in a keg to the customer.

 


     (c) Refuse to accept the return of the keg and refuse to

 

return the keg deposit if the identification tag is not attached

 

when returned.

 

     (d) Retain a deposit as authorized by law.

 

     (2) Upon request, the commission shall supply to retailers the

 

receipt described in subsection (1) for use in the sale of beer by

 

the keg. The receipt shall contain at least a place for the printed

 

name, address, telephone number of the purchaser of the beer, and

 

the beer keg tag number. The purchaser of the beer shall sign the

 

receipt. The retailer shall not sell beer in a keg unless the

 

receipt is completed and accompanied by the signature of the

 

purchaser. A notice shall be printed on the receipt in boldfaced

 

type the same size as the type used on other parts of the receipt.

 

The commission shall provide a sign to the retailer stating all of

 

the following:

 

     (a) That the retailer will not accept return of the keg and

 

will not return the keg deposit to the purchaser of the beer if the

 

tag is not attached to the keg upon its return.

 

     (b) That the individual signing the receipt does so with the

 

understanding that he or she agrees not to damage the keg and not

 

to remove or alter the attached tag.

 

     (c) That the individual signing the receipt does so with the

 

understanding that he or she is subject to liability for serving

 

the beer to any minor.

 

     (3) The commission shall make identification tags available to

 

retailers selling beer in a keg. The identification tags shall be

 

of such size and materials as to make the identification tags

 


easily removable for the purpose of the cleaning and the reusing of

 

the keg by the owner of the keg. Upon request, the commission shall

 

distribute and make available the tags in numbered lots to

 

retailers selling beer in a keg.

 

     (4) Retailers selling beer in a keg shall retain a copy of the

 

receipt described in subsection (1) for not less than 30 days and

 

shall make those copies available for inspection by the commission

 

and law enforcement agencies.

 

     (5) Notwithstanding section 909, a person violating this

 

section under the following circumstances is subject to the

 

applicable sanctions:

 

     (a) A retailer who has failed to apply an identification tag

 

on a keg, failed to complete the receipt provided by the

 

commission, or failed to obtain the purchaser's signature on the

 

receipt is liable for an administrative fine of not more than

 

$500.00.

 

     (b) A person who is not a retailer or a wholesaler licensed by

 

the commission who has possessed a keg that does not have attached

 

to it an identification tag or who has provided false information

 

in the purchase of beer in a keg, or both, is guilty of a

 

misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 93 days or

 

a fine of not more than $500.00, or both.

 

     (6) This section requires the attaching of a tag to a beer keg

 

sold at retail for use by a member of the general public and does

 

not require a retailer or licensee to attach a tag to a keg that is

 

being used for on-premise consumption only, being stored, or being

 

transported.

 


     (7) This section does not prohibit a commission agent or a law

 

enforcement agent from returning an untagged keg and receiving the

 

keg deposit.

 

     (8) A local unit of government shall not enact an ordinance

 

that conflicts with this section. It is the intent of the

 

legislature that this section preempt any ordinance enacted in

 

contravention of this section. The remedies in this section are

 

cumulative, and the bringing of a criminal action does not prohibit

 

the bringing of a civil or administrative action as provided by

 

law.

 

     (9) As used in this section, "keg" means any brewery-sealed

 

individual container having liquid capacity of 6 gallons or more.