Testa Introduces Legislation to Loosen Brewery Rules

TRENTON – Sen. Michael Testa (R-1) introduced a bill to loosen rules on breweries August 8.
“I believe that brewers building a business in our state deserve to have more say in how they run their operations because the term ‘free enterprise’ applies to them as well,” Testa stated in a press release.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues and with legislators across the aisle to ending these bureaucratic obstacles and fix a dysfunctional system,” he continued.
The legislation authorizes the holder of a limited brewery license to engage in an unlimited number of on-premises special events, up to 18 off-premises special events per year pursuant to a permit and eliminates the requirement that the license holder provide a tour to a consumer prior to serving alcoholic beverages for consumption on the licensed premises.
The bill also establishes a winery-brewery sublicense that would permit wineries to produce malt alcoholic beverages for retail sale to consumers for consumption off the licensed premises and establishes a farm brewery license that would allow a new licensee to also produce and sell those same alcoholic beverages.
“Recent regulatory changes interfere with local-based brew pubs to attract customers and make money, and this bill would remove some of the new restrictions. Trenton should be helping small business, not crushing them with unreasonable rules,” stated Sen. Steven Oroho (R-24), a cosponsor of the bill.
Testa spoke out in opposition to the July 1 special ruling issued from the NJ Division of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC). Testa called the ABC decision “disastrous and destructive.” The legislation introduced August 9 is a direct response to that ruling.
“Brewers invest a lot in trying to operate in New Jersey and I believe that we should make the process easier and allow for these entrepreneurs to innovate and experiment to find success in our free enterprise system,” stated Testa. “The famous sign on the bridge reads ‘Trenton Makes, the World Takes.’ We should ensure that our brewers have the ability to produce their product and prosper in that same spirit.”