Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
05/09/2024 05:15 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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Audio | Topic |
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Start | |
HB226 | |
HB189 | |
HB88 | |
HB203 | |
HB146 | |
HB233 | |
HB251 | |
SB146 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= | HB 226 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 189 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 88 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 203 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 146 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | SB 146 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+= | HB 233 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 251 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 189-SALE OF ALCOHOL 5:27:04 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 189(L&C) am "An Act relating to the sale of alcohol; relating to the posting of warning signs for alcoholic beverages; and providing for an effective date." CHAIR BJORKMAN stated the motion to adopt SCS CSHB 189, work order 33-LS0697\U, was pending before the committee; he said he had maintained his objection as there was a need to amend the bill further. 5:27:41 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN removed his objection; found no further objection and SCS CSHB 189 was adopted as the working document. 5:28:00 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited a motion. 5:28:02 PM SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON moved to adopt Amendment 1 (U.2), work order 33-LS0697\U.2, for HB 189. 33-LS0697\U.2 C. Radford 5/9/24 AMENDMENT 1 OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR BJORKMAN TO: SCS CSHB 189(L&C), Draft Version "U" Page 1, line 1, following "alcohol;": Insert "relating to the posting of warning signs for alcoholic beverages;" Page 5, following line 27: Insert a new bill section to read: "* Sec. 11. AS 04.21.065(b) is amended to read: (b) The warning signs required by (a) of this section must be at least 11 inches by 14 inches, and the lettering must be at least one-half inch high and in contrasting colors. The first sign must read, "WARNING: Alcohol use [DRINKING ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES SUCH AS BEER, WINE, WINE COOLERS, AND DISTILLED SPIRITS OR SMOKING CIGARETTES] during pregnancy can cause birth defects. Alcohol use can cause cancer, including breast and colon cancers." The second sign must read, "WARNING: A person who provides alcoholic beverages to a person under 21 years of age, if convicted under AS 04.16.051, could be imprisoned for up to five years and fined up to $50,000." The third sign must read, "WARNING: An unaccompanied person under 21 years of age who enters these premises in violation of law may, under AS 04.16.049(e), be civilly liable for damages of $1,500." The license or permit holder shall display the first and second signs in a manner that would make them conspicuous to a person who will be purchasing or consuming alcoholic beverages or smoking cigarettes on the licensed or designated premises and shall conspicuously display the third sign at each door through which customers enter the licensed premises." Renumber the following bill sections accordingly. Page 5, following line 31: Insert a new bill section to read: "* Sec. 14. Section 11 of this Act takes effect January 1, 2025." Renumber the following bill section accordingly. Page 6, line 1: Delete "This" Insert "Except as provided in sec. 14 of this Act, this" 5:28:10 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion. 5:28:22 PM KONRAD JACKSON, Staff, Senator Jesse Bjorkman, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, said Amendment 1 (U.2), page 1, would restore language which was removed from CSHB 189, version U, and [Amendment 1 (U.2)], page 2, would insert a delayed effective date at the request of Joan Wilson, Director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office (AMCO) to allow additional time for [cancer warning signs]to be printed and distributed to the various vendors in a reasonable time. 5:29:16 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN asked for clarification about the extended effective date. He asked whether it applied only to the section of HB 189 that addressed the [cancer warning] signs. 5:29:25 PM MR. JACKSON affirmed that only the effective date for the signs was changed; the effective date for HB 189 overall was not changed. 5:29:34 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN removed his objection; found no further objection and Amendment 1 (U.2), work order 33-LS0697\U.2 was adopted. 5:29:59 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited a motion. 5:30:02 PM SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON moved to adopt Amendment 2 (U.1), work order 33-LS0697\U.1, to HB 189. 33-LS0697\U.1 C. Radford 5/8/24 AMENDMENT 2 OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR BJORKMAN TO: SCS CSHB 189(L&C), Draft Version "U" Page 4, line 28, following "(1)": Insert "beverage dispensary or beverage dispensary tourism licensee that has a large resort endorsement," Page 5, line 7: Delete ";" Insert "." Page 5, lines 8 - 12: Delete all material. 5:30:11 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion. 5:30:21 PM MR. JACKSON stated Amendment 2 (U.1) corrected a minor drafting error in the rewrite of Title IV. He explained that Title IV dealt with large resorts [who hold alcohol endorsements]. He said current statute prohibits small children from wandering around [on resort premises] without direct adult supervision. He said language was inserted on page four, line 28 which would permit children to be on the premises of large resorts holding alcohol endorsements. He noted the large resort in Girdwood was the only resort that Amendment 2 (U.1) applied to. He said there was also language in the amendment that deleted the attempt on page five of HB 189, which was inadvertently drafted and which would have allowed children 16 years or so of age to be unaccompanied in a bar at a large resort. He said that was never the intention of that CS, so that was deleted [from HB 189], page five, lines eight through twelve. 5:32:01 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN removed his objection; found no further objection and Amendment 2 (U.1) was adopted. 5:32:33 PM SENATOR DUNBAR spoke in favor of HB 189. He noted that it was crucial to employers facing workforce shortages. He also said it was incredibly important that young people, eighteen, nineteen, twenty years old, had access to employment opportunities. He noted that young people in this country are expected to be adults at 18 and we should not further restrict their employment opportunities. 5:33:21 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN opened public testimony on HB 189. 5:33:43 PM LEE ELLIS, President, Brewers Guild of Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of HB 189. He expressed appreciation for the inclusion of manufacturers [of alcohol products in HB 189]. He emphasized the importance of recruiting new employees, including college students, and highlighted the benefits of internships for students studying food sciences. He said HB 189 would allow younger college students, under 21, to work in various roles without handling alcohol, which is beneficial for staffing and family-owned breweries. He also mentioned collaborating with the University of Alaska to develop a brewing education program, which would be possible with the bill's passage. He stressed the brewing industry's commitment to responsible alcohol consumption and the educational opportunities for younger workers. 5:36:36 PM NOELLE LOCONTE, representing self, Madison, Wisconsin, testified in support of the cancer warning sign provisions of HB 189. She emphasized the low awareness nationwide of alcohol as a carcinogen, with only 30 percent of the U.S. population understanding this link and she said physicians' awareness was not much better. She advocated for increased awareness to help people make informed choices [about their alcohol consumption]. DR. LOCONTE listed seven cancers associated with alcohol consumption: head and neck, breast, liver, colorectal, esophageal, gastric, and pancreatic cancer. She highlighted the need for public education on this topic. 5:38:00 PM TIFFANY HALL, President and CEO, Recover Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of the cancer warning sign provisions of HB 189. She said Recover Alaska was a statewide organization focused on reducing excessive alcohol use and its associated harms. She highlighted the significance of cancer as the leading cause of death in Alaska and alcohol as the third leading modifiable cause. She emphasized that alcohol was related to nine out of the top ten causes of death in the state. MS. HALL said there was no question that alcohol causes cancer. and there was no credible authority that disputed that. Even so, she said, it was largely unknown. She said knowledge was power. Public awareness was critical. She said Recover Alaska believed the [alcohol cancer risk] warning signs would be reaching a very relevant group. She thanked the committee for hearing HB 189 and expressed appreciation for the very clean language and the work of the Alcohol Marijuana Control Office (AMCO). 5:39:37 PM THOMAS GREMILLION, Director, Food Policy, Consumer Federation of America (CFA), Washington, D.C, testified in support of HB 189. He said the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) was a nonprofit organization established in 1968 to advance the consumer interest in research, education and advocacy. He explained that, for decades, CFA advocated to bring alcohol labeling into alignment with other beverages and food with respect to things like calories, ingredients and allergens. They also advocated for updates to health warning statements on alcoholic beverages to include alcohol cancer warnings. He said alcohol cancer warnings are a powerful public policy tool, precisely because alcohol cancer risk represents a significant health burden, killing over 20,000 Americans a year, dying from alcohol attributable cancers. He emphasized previous testimony that public awareness of [alcohol cancer risk] is very low and noted that 10 percent of the population thought alcohol reduced cancer risk, at least in the form of wine, and, he said, that's not true. MR. GREMILLION said CFA supported federal alcohol labeling reform and state laws to require point of sale cancer warnings for alcohol. He referred to a paper on their website entitled: State and Local Public Policy Options for Raising Awareness of Alcohol Cancer Risk. He said it listed an extensive bibliography of academic research articles that support provisions like the one in HB 189. He said point of sale warning signs do have a record of success. He pointed out that warning signs on the dangers of drinking while pregnant, which were adopted in Alaska and nearly half of the other states in the union in the 1990s, are associated with a significantly reduced rate of fetal alcohol syndrome. He emphasized that while it may seem like no one is paying attention to these warning signs, they do get the message out, and slowly change the public mindset over time. 5:42:23 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN closed public testimony on HB 189. 5:42:40 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN solicited the will of the committee. 5:42:45 PM SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON moved to report SCS CSHB 189, work order 33-LS0697\U, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). 5:43:04 PM CHAIR BJORKMAN found no objection and SCS CSHB 189(L&C) was reported from the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.
Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
---|---|---|
HB88 Draft Proposed Amendment ver S.1.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 88 |
SB146 Draft Proposed CS ver U.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
SB 146 |
SB146 Public Testimony-Jack Heesch 04.22.24.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
SB 146 |
HB251 U.A.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 251 |
HB251 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 251 |
HB251 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 251 |
HB251 Fiscal Note DEC-EH 01.26.24.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 251 |
HB146 Draft Proposed CS ver U.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 146 |
HB146 Fiscal Note DPS-FLS 01.11.24.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 146 |
HB189 Draft Proposed Amendment U.2.pdf |
SL&C 5/9/2024 5:15:00 PM |
HB 189 |