BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1014
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 4, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

            AB 1014 (Fletcher and Chesbro) - As Introduced:  February 18, 
                                        2011 

          Policy Committee:                              HealthVote:18 - 0 


          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill exempts facilities used for the purposes of beer 
          tasting from the definition of a food facility subject to the 
          California Retail Food Code (CRFC), if beer and prepackaged 
          non-hazardous beverages are the only beverages offered for sale 
          for onsite consumption and crackers or pretzels are the only 
          food served.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          There are no significant costs associated with this legislation. 


           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . This bill aligns craft breweries with wineries by 
            exempting beer tasting rooms from the definition of "food 
            facility" for purposes of restaurant health and safety 
            requirements. Under current law, serving beer or wine 
            represents a "food" trigger for enforcement purposes.  
            However, wineries are currently exempt from the "food 
            facility" definition because they do not serve food.  Under 
            this bill, beer tasting rooms would be given a similar 
            exemption as long as the only food served to patrons is 
            crackers and pretzels. 

           2)Prior Legislation  .  AB 1778 (Areias; Chapter 1065, Statutes of 
            1985) establishes the current exemption for wine tasting rooms 
            from laws affecting food facilities.  









                                                                  AB 1014
                                                                  Page  2

            SB 241 (Runner; Chapter 571, Statutes of 2009) revised the 
            exemption for wine tasting rooms from regulation as food 
            facilities to clarify that it applies regardless of whether 
            there is a charge for the wine tasting.



           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081