GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — State lawmakers are hard at work, revamping some of the current Alcohol Beverage Control rules on the books, by introducing House Bills 536 and 971.
"Our ABC laws in North Carolina are very outdated. Some of the laws on the books today have been around since prohibition," said Representative Jon Hardister, "What we’re trying to do is update the laws and bring them into the 21st-century, and allow free enterprise to thrive. We could do that while still regulating ABC, because we know that alcohol is a dangerous product."
Representative Hardister explains that HB 971, the Modern Licensure Model for Alcohol Control, would privatize ABC stores. Currently, in our state, these liquor stores are government-owned and controlled.
"What this would do is turn them over to private companies, based on a licensing system, where they would have to pay a fee and they would have to pay taxes, much of that revenue would be remitted back to the local government," Hardister said.
Right now, there's an online push to #FreeTheSpirits - where voters can send an email to their representative, showing support for the bill.
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House Bill 536, the ABC Omnibus Regulatory Reform, updates various alcohol laws, such as allowing ABC stores to open on Sunday, and for ABC stores to hold distilled spirit tasting.
Hardister explains, this bill also covers the issue of pets in breweries.
"It would allow taprooms to decide whether or not they wanted to allow pets inside. That was a big deal, I know to Guilford County," he said, "It’s really a loophole in the law - it’s not really defined. So, what we’re doing is defining a taproom as a place that does not have a restaurant, they serve adult beverages, but there’s no food prepared on site. If that’s the case, then the businesses can decide whether or not they want to allow pets inside."
Representative Hardister, who co-sponsors both pieces of legislation says, this move to loosen liquor laws doesn't mean lawmakers are neglecting safety measures.
"ABC is a dangerous product. You’re dealing with alcohol and we get that. That’s why we have safety measures in place," he said, "But you can separate the safety side, from the business side, and allow companies to thrive and create jobs, pay taxes, and bring our ABC laws into the 21st-century."
WFMY News 2 reached out to our state chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the Christian Action League of North Carolina - we're still waiting to hear back.