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An Act To Promote Responsible Sales of Alcoholic Beverages
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 28-A MRSA §706,  as amended by PL 2005, c. 38, §1, is further amended to read:
§ 706. Identification cards; mandatory training
 
1. Acceptable identification.   A licensee may refuse to serve liquor to any person who fails to display upon request an identification card issued under Title 29-A, section 1410, or a motor vehicle operator's license bearing the photograph of the operator and issued under Title 29-A, chapter 11.
 
2. Age requirement for identification.   A licensee or licensee's employee or agent may not sell, furnish, give or deliver liquor or imitation liquor to a person under 27 years of age unless the licensee or licensee's employee or agent verifies the person is not a minor by means of reliable photographic identification containing that person's date of birth.
 
3.  Signs indicating requirement for identification.     A licensee shall display at least one sign in a prominent location visible to patrons of the licensed establishment that reads as follows:
 
4.  Mandatory training.     An employee of a licensee who, as a part of the employee's employment is required to verify that a person is not a minor in accordance with this section, is required to successfully complete an approved training course as provided in section 2519 within 30 days of becoming an employee.
Sec. 2. 28-A MRSA §2519, sub-§3, ¶E  is enacted to read:
 
E.  The availability of online computer training and refresher courses.
Sec. 3. Report. No later than February 15, 2010, the Commissioner of Public Safety or the commissioner's designee shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs with recommendations for graduated penalties for violations of the requirement that licensees require identification from a person prior to selling or serving that person alcoholic beverages.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires that any person who sells or serves alcoholic beverages to any person must verify that person's age through photo identification. It also requires that licensees post a sign regarding that requirement in a prominent location visible to patrons of the establishment. The bill requires any person hired by a licensee who will sell or serve alcoholic beverages to successfully complete seller server training within 30 days of employment. The bill adds to the approval criteria for training courses that refresher courses be available and that training be available online. Finally, this bill requires the Commissioner of Public Safety to recommend graduated penalties for failure to comply with the identification requirement proposed in this bill.