The two bills, SF 2153 and SF 1737 will be active during the 2020 legislative session
State Senator Housley (R, St. Marys Point), is making a push to “modernize the state’s liquor laws” (Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus). The move comes after Heineken USA and Constellation Brands stated they will no longer be producing 3.2% beer, as Minnesota is the last state to have such restrictions.
Housley, the author of bill SF 2153, is proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution by adding a section to article XIII; authorizing food retailers to sell wine and beer. This amendment would “allow grocery stores, convenience stores, and other food retailers to sell wine and beer in a manner prescribed by law” (Section 1). This amendment would be on the 2020 ballot, allowing voters to vote directly on the amendment (called a referendum).
Along with bill SF 2153, Housley is also proposing a modification to SF 1737, dubbed as “Save the Growler”, which removes the following line from the bill: “brewer that brews more than 20,000 barrels of its own brands of malt liquor annually”. By removing that line in the bill, it would allow for breweries to continually make growlers, instead of having to cease production after producing 20,000 barrels of malt liquor.
Housley also started an online petition, which as of December 10th, 2019, has 12,389 signatures.
Source(s):
https://www.mnsenaterepublicans.com/housley-renews-call-modernize-minnesota-liquor-laws/
Petition information: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-growler-in-minnesota-sign-now-and-show-your-support
Read the bills here:
SF 1737: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=SF1737&b=senate&y=2019&ssn=0
SF 2153: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF2153&ssn=0&y=2019
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