PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Allow Maine Manufacturers To Sell Spirits at Farmers' Markets and To Allow Taste Testings at Farmers' Markets’
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 1 to 3.
Amend the bill in section 5 in subsection 3 by striking out all of paragraph B (page 2, lines 10 to 13 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
 
‘B. Prior to each month during which the licensee wishes to sell or conduct a taste testing at a farmers' market, the licensee shall provide to the bureau a list of the date, time and location of each farmers' market at which the licensee intends to sell or conduct a taste testing and must receive approval from the bureau for that month;’
Amend the bill in section 5 in subsection 3 by striking out all of paragraph F (page 2, lines 23 and 24 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
 
‘F. Taste testing or sampling of wine, spirits and malt liquor is not permitted at the farmers' marketmay be conducted in accordance with section 1367.’
Amend the bill in section 5 in subsection 3 in paragraph G in the last line (page 2, line 26 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "this Title." the following: 'The holder of a small distillery license may provide spirits for sale at a farmers' market in the same manner as permitted under section 1355-A, subsection 5, paragraph G.'
Amend the bill in section 7 in §1367 in subsection 1 in the first line (page 3, line 2 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "section" the following: 'and the applicable bylaws of the farmers' market'
Amend the bill in section 7 in §1367 in subsection 1 in the 3rd line (page 3, line 4 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "farmers' markets" and inserting the following: 'a farmers' market'
Amend the bill in section 7 in §1367 in subsection 1 in the last line (page 3, line 5 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "paragraph A." the following: 'A farmers' market may allow up to 2 dates per month on which a licensee described in this subsection may conduct a taste-testing event.'
Amend the bill in section 7 in §1367 in subsection 2 in paragraph G in the last 2 lines (page 3, lines 22 and 23 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "A licensee is limited to 6 taste-testing events per calendar year at farmers' markets."
Amend the bill in section 7 in §1367 in subsection 2 by inserting after paragraph G the following:
 
‘H. A licensee may provide for taste testing only liquor that is manufactured by the licensee in accordance with section 1355-A.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment strikes the provisions in the bill that permit a manufacturer who takes part in a taste-testing event to also sell the manufacturer's products at that event for off-premises consumption. The bill eliminates the requirement that a manufacturer provide advance notice to the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations that the manufacturer is selling its product at a farmers' market. The amendment maintains that requirement and requires that notice of a taste-testing event also be provided to the bureau. The amendment clarifies that spirits sold by a small distillery at a farmers' market may be sold in the same manner as permitted under current law when a small distillery sells spirits from its manufacturing facility for off-premises consumption. The amendment maintains the authorization in the bill that manufacturers of liquor may conduct a taste testing at farmers' markets. The amendment specifies that the manufacturer must comply with the bylaws of the farmers' market in order to conduct a taste testing and that a farmers' market is limited to 2 taste-testing events per month at which a manufacturer may offer the manufacturer's product for taste testing.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)