BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 780
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
780 (Williams) - As Amended April 8, 2015
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|Policy |Governmental Organization |Vote:|20 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill amends a provision in the Alcoholic Beverage Control
Act that authorizes the dissemination of information regarding
retail availability of alcoholic products to remove the
requirement that the dissemination be in response to a direct
inquiry from a consumer, and broadens the provision to include
both on-sale and off-sale retailers.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Minor and absorbable enforcement costs to the Department of
AB 780
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Alcoholic Beverage Control.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, this bill provides small
distillers, brewers, and wineries with an additional tool to
promote their businesses. The author believes social media is
an important form of free communication, and should not be
subject to the traditional notion of advertising as a "gift"
under the current tied-house rules. This bill eliminates the
requirement that the names, addresses, telephone numbers,
email addresses, or web information of two or more retailers
only be provided in response to a direct inquiry from a
consumer.
2)Related Legislation. AB 973 (Gray) of this legislative
session merges two provisions in the Alcoholic Beverage
Control Act that authorize the dissemination of information
regarding retail availability of alcoholic products, one which
pertains to on-sale retailers and one which pertains to
off-sale retailers. This bill modifies the same code section,
is intended to achieve many of the same policy aims, and could
easily be incorporated into that bill. The Committee may wish
to consider whether the Legislature requires two different
vehicles to make this minor code change.
Analysis Prepared by:Joel Tashjian / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
AB 780
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