Liquor Enforcement Bill No Longer Stalled

Jay Barrett/KMXT

There has been some movement in the State Legislature on House Bill 125, which seeks to move the Alcohol Beverage Control Board out of the Department of Public Safety and into the Department of Commerce, where all other licenses in the state are issued and regulated. The bill, which languished in the House Finance Committee last session, moved on to the House Rules Committee last Friday.

Members of Kodiak CHARR, the Cabaret, Hotel, Restaurant and Retailer’s Association, have been active in lobbying for the move for several years, as has the Alaska CHARR main office in Anchorage. Dale Fox is the executive director, who flew to Juneau last week to lobby and testify.

— (HB125-1 37 sec "Well, I’m feeling pretty confident … is a rational move.")

Fox says since the ABC Board was moved out of the Department of Revenue and into Public Safety by Governor Frank Murkowski, the relationship between enforcers and licensees has changed:

— (HB125-2 30 sec "The issue is one of culture … we’re looking for the latter culture.")

Shirley Gifford is the director of the Alcohol Beverage Control Board and a retired Soldotna police chief. She said in an interview the last time this issue came up that the enforcement of Title Four, the law under which alcohol licenses are governed, is just different.

— (HB125-3 37 sec "It’s different than a hair dresser … Department of Public Safety.")

Fox counters that moving the ABC Board to Commerce would not change the enforcement requirements:

— (HB125-4 30 sec "The enforcement will stay the same … that’ll get their attention.")

Anchorage Representative Mike Hawker introduced House Bill 125. The State Legislature has less than two months to go before it adjourns. If the bill is not passed by both the House and Senate by then, it will die and the process will have to start all over again next January.

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