Second Regular Session Sixty-seventh General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. 10-0527.01 Christy Chase HOUSE BILL 10-1279 HOUSE SPONSORSHIP McFadyen, Balmer, Casso, Pommer SENATE SPONSORSHIP Williams, House Committees Senate Committees Business Affairs and Labor A BILL FOR AN ACT Concerning the ownership of a license to sell alcohol beverages at retail, and, in connection therewith, allowing a grocery store to apply to transfer ownership and change location of a retail liquor store license and to convert the retail liquor store license to a liquor-licensed drugstore license. Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.) On or after January 1, 2011, the bill allows a grocery store to apply to the state and local licensing authorities, as part of a single application, to transfer ownership and change the location of a licensed retail liquor store and to convert the retail liquor store license to a liquor-licensed drugstore license, thereby allowing the grocery store, if the application is approved, to sell malt, vinous, and spirituous liquors. Assuming all other requirements for the transfer and conversion are satisfied, the application is permitted only if: The subject retail liquor store and the grocery store are within the jurisdiction of the same local licensing authority; The grocery store will not be located within 1,000 feet of another licensed retail liquor store within the same local licensing authority's jurisdiction; and The grocery store provides evidence that its revenues from food sales during the prior 12 months have been at least 51% of its total revenues. In making its determination on the application, the local licensing authority may consider the reasonable requirements of the neighborhood. A grocery store business would be allowed to obtain multiple liquor-licensed drugstore licenses. A grocery store would have to pay an application fee to both the state licensing authority and the local licensing authority and, if the application is granted, would be subject to the same annual licensing fees that liquor-licensed drugstores are required to pay. A liquor-licensed drugstore, including a grocery store that obtains a liquor-licensed drugstore license, would not be permitted to conduct tastings on the licensed premises. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. 12-47-103 (16) and (37.5), Colorado Revised Statutes, are amended, and the said 12-47-103 is further amended BY THE ADDITION OF THE FOLLOWING NEW SUBSECTIONS, to read: 12-47-103. Definitions. As used in this article and article 46 of this title, unless the context otherwise requires: (9.5) "Grocery store" means an establishment that: (a) Generates at least fifty-one percent of its total revenues from the sale of packaged or fresh food products, such as fresh produce, meat, fish, dairy products, bakery items, dry goods, and other edible groceries, and household products, such as toiletries and cleaning products; and (b) Operates a pharmacy on site. (9.7) "Grocery store business" means a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, or other business entity that owns and operates one or more grocery stores. (16) "Liquor-licensed drugstore" means: (a) Any drugstore licensed by the state board of pharmacy that has also applied for and has been granted a license by the state licensing authority to sell malt, vinous, and spirituous liquors in original sealed containers for consumption off the premises; or (b) A grocery store that has acquired a retail liquor store license and converted the retail liquor license to a liquor-licensed drugstore license in accordance with sections 12-47-407 (6) and 12-47-408 (6) and is authorized under that license to sell malt, vinous, and spirituous liquors in original sealed containers for consumption off the premises. (37.5) "Tastings" means the sampling of malt, vinous, or spiritous liquors that may occur on the premises of a retail liquor store licensee or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee by adult patrons of the licensee pursuant to the provisions of section 12-47-301 (10). SECTION 2. 12-47-301 (10) (b), (10) (c) (I), (10) (d), and (10) (e), Colorado Revised Statutes, are amended to read: 12-47-301. Licensing in general. (10) (b) A retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee who wishes to conduct tastings may submit an application or application renewal to the local licensing authority. The local licensing authority may reject the application if the applicant fails to establish that he or she is able to conduct tastings without violating the provisions of this section or creating a public safety risk to the neighborhood. A local licensing authority may establish its own application procedure and may charge a reasonable application fee. (c) Tastings shall be subject to the following limitations: (I) Tastings shall be conducted only: (A) By a person who has completed a server training program that meets the standards established by the liquor enforcement division in the department of revenue and who is either a retail liquor store licensee or a liquor-licensed drugstore licensee, or an employee of a licensee; and only (B) On a licensee's licensed premises. (d) A violation of a limitation specified in this subsection (10) or of section 12-47-801 by a retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee, whether by his or her the retail liquor store's employees, agents, or otherwise, shall be the responsibility of the retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee who is conducting the tasting. (e) A retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee conducting a tasting shall be subject to the same revocation, suspension, and enforcement provisions as otherwise apply to the licensee. SECTION 3. 12-47-303 (1) (c) and (2), Colorado Revised Statutes, are amended to read: 12-47-303. Transfer of ownership and temporary permits. (1) (c) (I) Except as provided in subparagraph (II) of this paragraph (c), for any other transfer of ownership, application shall be made to the state and local licensing authorities on forms prepared and furnished by the state licensing authority. In determining whether to permit a transfer of ownership, the licensing authorities shall consider only the requirements of section 12-47-307 and 1 CCR 203-2, rule 47-302, entitled "Changing, Altering, or Modifying Licensed Premises", or any analogous successor rule. The local licensing authority may cause a hearing on the application for transfer of ownership to be held. No hearing provided for by this paragraph (c) shall be held by the local licensing authority until a notice of hearing has been conspicuously posted on the licensed premises for a period of ten days and notice of the hearing has been provided to the applicant at least ten days prior to the hearing. Any transfer of ownership hearing by the state licensing authority shall be pursuant to section 12-47-305 (2). (II) A license conversion as provided for in sections 12-47-407 (6) and 12-47-408 (6) includes a transfer of ownership, a change of location, and a change in class of license in a single transaction, and the grocery store applicant need not apply separately for a transfer of ownership under this section. The grocery store applying for a license conversion pursuant to sections 12-47-407 (6) and 12-47-408 (6) is not eligible for a temporary permit pursuant to this section. The local licensing authority may consider the reasonable requirements of the neighborhood pursuant to section 12-47-312 when making a determination on the change in class of license from a retail liquor store license to a liquor-licensed drugstore license. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this article to the contrary, a local licensing authority shall have discretionary authority to issue a temporary permit to a transferee of any retail class of alcohol beverage license issued by the local licensing authority pursuant to this article or article 46 of this title; except that a local licensing authority shall not issue a temporary permit to a grocery store that has acquired ownership of a licensed retail liquor store in accordance with sections 12-47-407 (6) and 12-47-408 (6). Such temporary permit shall authorize a transferee to continue selling such alcohol beverages as permitted under the permanent license during the period in which an application to transfer the ownership of the license is pending. SECTION 4. 12-47-312 (2) (a), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended to read: 12-47-312. Results of investigation - decision of authorities. (2) (a) Before entering any decision approving or denying the application, the local licensing authority shall consider, except where this article specifically provides otherwise, the facts and evidence adduced as a result of its investigation, as well as any other facts, the reasonable requirements of the neighborhood for the type of license for which application has been made, the desires of the adult inhabitants, the number, type, and availability of alcohol beverage outlets located in or near the neighborhood under consideration, and any other pertinent matters affecting the qualifications of the applicant for the conduct of the type of business proposed; except that the reasonable requirements of the neighborhood shall not be considered in the issuance of a club liquor license. The reasonable requirements of the neighborhood may, but are not required to, be considered in the conversion or transfer of a liquor-licensed drugstore license to a retail liquor store license or the conversion or transfer of a retail liquor store license to a liquor-licensed drugstore in accordance with sections 12-47-407 (6) and 12-47-408 (6). SECTION 5. 12-47-407, Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SUBSECTION to read: 12-47-407. Retail liquor store license. (6) A grocery store may apply to the state and local licensing authorities, as part of a single application, for a license conversion from a retail liquor store to a liquor-licensed drugstore as provided in section 12-47-408 (6). SECTION 6. 12-47-408 (1) and (4), Colorado Revised Statutes, are amended, and the said 12-47-408 is further amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SUBSECTION, to read: 12-47-408. Liquor-licensed drugstore license. (1) A liquor-licensed drugstore license shall be issued to persons selling malt, vinous, and spirituous liquors in sealed containers not to be consumed at the place where sold. Nothing in this subsection (1) shall prohibit a liquor-licensed drugstore licensee from allowing tastings to be conducted on his or her licensed premises if an authorization for the tastings has been granted pursuant to section 12-47-301. (4) (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection (4), it is unlawful for any owner, part owner, shareholder, or person interested directly or indirectly in a liquor-licensed drugstore to conduct, own either in whole or in part, or be directly or indirectly interested in any other business licensed pursuant to this article. except that such (b) (I) A person that has an interest in a liquor-licensed drugstore, as described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (4), may have an interest in: (A) An arts license; or (B) An airline public transportation system license granted under this article; or in (C) A financial institution referred to in section 12-47-308 (4); or (D) Other liquor-licensed drugstore licenses obtained pursuant to subsection (6) of this section. (II) A grocery store business may obtain an unlimited number of liquor-licensed drugstore licenses in the manner provided in subsection (6) of this section. (6) (a) A grocery store may apply to the state and local licensing authorities, as part of a single application, for a transfer of ownership of a licensed retail liquor store, a change of location of the retail liquor store, and a change in class of license from a retail liquor store license to a liquor-licensed drugstore license. A grocery store may apply for such transfer and conversion only if all of the following jurisdiction, distance, and food sales requirements are met: (I) The retail liquor store that is the subject of the transfer of ownership is located within the same local licensing authority jurisdiction as the grocery store making the application. (II) Upon transfer and conversion of the retail liquor store license to a liquor-licensed drugstore license, the grocery store that has obtained the liquor-licensed drugstore license will not be located within one thousand feet of another retail liquor store licensee that is within the same local licensing authority jurisdiction as the grocery store, as determined by a radius measurement that begins at the principal doorway of the grocery store and ends at the principal doorway of the retail liquor store. (III) At the time of application, the grocery store provides evidence to the state and local licensing authorities that its food sales revenues during the prior twelve months have been at least fifty-one percent of the grocery store's total revenues. (b) In making its determination on the transfer of ownership, change of location, and conversion of class of license application, the local licensing authority may consider the reasonable requirements of the neighborhood and the desires of the adult inhabitants in accordance with section 12-47-312. SECTION 7. 12-47-501 (2) (a), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SUBPARAGRAPH to read: 12-47-501. State fees. (2) (a) The state licensing authority shall establish fees for processing the following types of applications, notices, or reports required to be submitted to the state licensing authority: (XV) Applications for transfer of ownership, change of location, and conversion of class of license pursuant to sections 12-47-407 (6) and 12-47-408 (6). SECTION 8. 12-47-505 (4) (a), Colorado Revised Statutes, is amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SUBPARAGRAPH to read: 12-47-505. Local license fees. (4) (a) Each application for a license provided for in this article and article 46 of this title filed with a local licensing authority shall be accompanied by an application fee in an amount determined by the local licensing authority to cover actual and necessary expenses, subject to the following limitations: (V) For a transfer of ownership, change of location, and conversion of class of license pursuant to sections 12-47-407 (6) and 12-47-408 (6), not to exceed five thousand dollars. SECTION 9. 12-47-901 (1) (h) (III), (5) (i) (II), (5) (k) (II), and (7) (b), Colorado Revised Statutes, are amended to read: 12-47-901. Unlawful acts - exceptions. (1) Except as provided in section 18-13-122, C.R.S., it is unlawful for any person: (h) (III) Notwithstanding subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (h), it shall not be unlawful for adult patrons of a retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee to consume malt, vinous, or spirituous liquors on the licensed premises when the consumption is conducted within the limitations of the licensee's license and is part of a tasting if authorization for the tasting has been granted pursuant to section 12-47-301. (5) It is unlawful for any person licensed to sell at retail pursuant to this article: (i) (II) Notwithstanding subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (i), it shall not be unlawful for a retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee to allow tastings to be conducted on his or her licensed premises if authorization for the tastings has been granted pursuant to section 12-47-301. (k) (II) Notwithstanding subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (k), it shall is not be unlawful for a retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee to allow tastings to be conducted on his or her the licensed premises if authorization for the tastings has been granted pursuant to section 12-47-301. (7) (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this subsection (7), it shall is not be unlawful for a retail liquor store or liquor-licensed drugstore licensee to allow tastings to be conducted on his or her licensed premises if authorization for the tastings has been granted pursuant section 12-47-301. SECTION 10. Act subject to petition - effective date - applicability. (1) This act shall take effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August 11, 2010, if adjournment sine die is on May 12, 2010); except that, if a referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act within such period, then the act, item, section, or part shall not take effect unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in November 2010 and shall take effect on the date of the official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor. (2) The provisions of this act shall apply to applications to transfer ownership, change location, and convert a class of license submitted by grocery stores on or after January 1, 2011.