They are even forbidden to ship wine home from wineries which they visit in Maryland or other states. Maryland's wineries are even barred from shipping to Marylanders.

SB 616 would permit direct shipment of wine to consumers by Maryland wineries and others. Licensed shippers must pay a yearly license fee, as well as Maryland excise and sales taxes. The bill requires wine shipments to be clearly marked as containing alcohol and prohibits persons under 21 from receiving direct-shipped wine. According to a report by the Federal Trade Commission in 2003, a survey of eleven states with direct wine shipment found "no evidence suggesting direct shipping increases underage access," a statement consistent with sworn testimony from state alcohol regulators.

"Opponents of a free market in wine claim that it will increase underage drinking," said Senator Raskin, "but this is silly."

Testifying in support of the bill on Friday are the Maryland Office of the Comptroller, Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws, Maryland Wineries Association, Wine Institute, the CATO Institute, and Wine Enthusiast.

Please send requests to join the sign-on letter to Scott Ehlers. Please include your full contact information as well.

We are also looking for supporting organizations, businesses, and consumers to testify at the hearing before the Senate Health, Education, and Environmental Affairs Committee on March 7, 1pm. Please contact Scott if you are interested in testifying.

The members of the Alcoholic Beverages Subcommittee who need to hear from you and your friends and family are:

Mary Ann Love (Dist. 32, Anne Arundel Co.), Chair (410) 841-3233, (301) 858-3233

Aisha N. Braveboy (Dist. 25, Prince George's Co.)
Richard K. Impallaria (Dist. 7, Baltimore, Harford Cos.),
Sally Y. Jameson (Dist. 28, Charles Co.)
James J. King (Dist. 33A, Anne Arundel Co.)
Carolyn J. Krysiak (Dist. 46, Baltimore City)
James N. Mathias, Jr. (Dist. 38B, Wicomico, Worcester Cos.)
Joseph J. "Sonny" Minnick (Dist. 6, Baltimore Co.)
Donna Stifler (Dist. 35A, Harford Co.)

Today the direct shipping legislation was endorsed by the Baltimore Sun ("Special Delivery," Feb. 20, 2008).

Yesterday we received coverage in:

The Washington Post ("Bill Allows Shipment of Wine To, From State," p. B6) and
The Baltimore Sun ("Wine Shipping Bill Gets House Hearing").

We also got covered by ABC-2 (WMAR) in Baltimore and the DCist blog.

Yesterday I was also on WBAL's Shari Elliker Show for over a half-an-hour to discuss the direct shipping legislation and why grocery stores in Maryland can't sell beer and wine.

A hearing has been scheduled for the House version of the wine direct shipping bill, HB 1260. The House Economic Matters Committee (House Office Building, Room 231) will begin the hearing on Monday, February 18, at 1pm. Please note that this is President's Day, so many constituents will have the day off to come up to the legislature to show their support for the bill.

Testimony, Supporters Needed to Pack the Hearing

This committee is hostile to our efforts and we need as many people as possible to pack the hearing room. We need consumers to testify or just be in the audience showing their support. If your delegate is on this committee, or if you know anyone whose delegate is on this committee, please write them today in support of HB 1260.

You can find out who your elected officials are here.

The easiest way to contact your delegates is through the Free the Grapes! website.

The members of the House Economic Matters Committee are:

* Dereck Davis (Dist. 25) -- Chair
* David Rudolph (Dist. 34B) -- Vice-Chair
* Aisha Braveboy (Dist. 25)
* Emmett Burns, Jr. (Dist. 10)
* Brian Feldman (Dist. 15)
* Jeannie Haddaway (Dist. 37B; co-sponsor)
* Hattie Harrison (Dist. 45)
* C. Sue Hecht (Dist. 3A)
* Richard Impallaria (Dist. 7)
* Sally Jameson (Dist. 28)
* James King (Dist. 33A)
* Ruth Kirk (Dist. 44)
* Carolyn Krysiak (Dist. 46)
* Mary Ann Love (Dist. 32)
* Roger Manno (Dist. 19)
* James Mathias, Jr. (Dist. 38B)
* Brian McHale (Dist. 46)
* Warren Miller (Dist. 9A)
* Joseph "Sonny" Minnick (Dist. 6)
* Donna Stifler (Dist. 35A)
* Herman Taylor, Jr. (Dist. 14; co-sponsor)
* Michael Vaughn (Dist. 24)
* Mary Roe Walkup (Dist. 36)

A factsheet on the bill is here.

If you are interested in testifying at the hearing, please email me with the subject of the email, "Testify."

More details on events scheduled around the hearing will follow in the coming days.

A wine direct shipping bill is going to be introduced this week in the Maryland General Assembly. Now we need Marylanders to take action!

Please take a few minutes to contact your state Senator and Delegates. Ask them to co-sponsor Sen. Jamie Raskin's and Del. Tom Hucker's wine direct shipping bill. This legislation will allow Marylanders to receive fine wines direct-mailed from Maryland wineries, out-of-state wineries, and retailers like wine.com. Find out who your elected officials are and how to contact them here.

Wine Legislation
Beer Legislation
Grocery Store Sales
Sunday Sales
Only in Maryland....
Upcoming Events
Join the Fight

July 1 is the day that many of Maryland's recently passed beer and wine laws take effect, so we thought we better tell you what you have to look forward to. Unfortunately, a number of good bills didn't get passed this year, so we'll go ahead and give you the bad news about those bills too. Here goes....

Re: Positions and Comments on Alcoholic Beverage Bills Before the Committee on March 13, 2007

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Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws (MBBWL), incorporated in Hyattsville, Maryland, advocates for beer and wine laws that: 1) benefit consumers; 2) promote competition; 3) protect the environment; and 4) support Maryland's brewers and wineries.

Our top priorities are allowing consumers to buy beer and wine in grocery stores, and allowing consumers to receive wine directly from wineries, retailers, and through online retailers like wine.com.

Approximately 900 Marylanders have joined our mailing list because they want to modernize our state’s alcohol laws and they want the legislature to consider consumer interests when crafting our state’s alcohol policies.

Summary
We are taking the following positions and making the following comments about the alcoholic beverage bills before you today:

SB 425 — Wineries – Special Events Permits – Farmers’ Markets
Position: Strongly Support

SB 473 — Alcoholic Beverages – Class A Light Wine Licenses – Residency Requirement
Position: Strongly Support

SB 507 — Baltimore County – Alcoholic Beverages – Wine Tasting
Position: Strongly Support

SB 958 — Frederick County – Alcoholic Beverages – Tables and Chairs at Wineries
Position: Strongly Support, with Amendments

SB 998 — Baltimore County – Alcoholic Beverages – Multiple License Holdings
Position: Strongly Support

Senate Companion to HB 614 — Montgomery County - Alcoholic Beverages - Direct
Sales by Holders of Class 6 Limited Wine Wholesaler's Licenses or Nonresident Winery Permits MC 703-07
Position: Strongly Support

Tim Carman and the Washington City Paper have done us all a public service by exposing the byzantine government-run alcohol distribution system that exists in Montgomery County (“Pain in the Glass,” 2/9). Finally a bright light has been shone on a broken system that results in higher prices and worse selection for wine consumers, lost time and money for small business owners, and less economic development for the county as a whole. While Citronelle’s Mark Slater wonders “why the citizens of the county even let that stuff go on,” the fact is that most citizens don’t have the time or gumption to figure out why wine prices are higher at restaurants in Montgomery County, why there aren’t more wine shops, and why they have to drive across the county to find a county-run liquor store. This, in addition to the fact that they can’t buy beer and wine at the grocery store or order wine online from finewine.com. What many consumers do know is that it’s easier and cheaper to buy beer and wine in Virginia and the District, so they do. There is a consumer movement afoot, however, to change all of this—to bring Maryland’s beer and wine laws into the 21st century. If we have it our way, fine wines in Montgomery County won’t cost any more than they do in the District, wine and beer will be sold a few aisles down from the steak and seafood at the grocery store, and we’ll be able to get fine wines shipped direct to our doorsteps from wineries around the world. To paraphrase Citronelle’s Mark Slater, we citizens aren’t going to let these stupid laws go on any more.

Scott Ehlers
Executive Director
Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws
Hyattsville, Md.

Re: Positions and Comments on Alcoholic Beverage Bills Before the Committee on February 1, 2007

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Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws (MBBWL), incorporated in Hyattsville, Maryland, advocates for beer and wine laws that: 1) benefit consumers; 2) promote competition; 3) protect the environment; and 4) support Maryland's brewers and wineries.

MBBWL represents all Marylanders — consumers, retailers, producers, distributors, and just regular folks — who share our values.

Our top priorities are allowing consumers to buy beer and wine in grocery stores, and to order wine through the mail from Maryland wineries, Maryland retailers, and through online retailers like wine.com.

Summary
We are taking the following positions, and making the following comments, about the alcoholic beverage bills before you today:

PG 304-07 — Class B-DD (Development District) License
Position: Support, with amendments

PG 305-07 — Licenses – Exercise of Off-Sale Privileges
Position: Neutral

PG 307-07 — Unlawful Drinking and Open Containers
Position: Oppose

PG 312-07 — Licenses – Waterfront Entertainment Complex
Position: Support, with amendments

PG 313-07 — Licenses – Advisory Commission to Study Luxury Type Restaurants
Position: Support, with amendments

PG 314-07 — Licenses – Woodmore Towne Center at Glenarden and the Greenbelt Station Town Center
Position: Support, with amendments

PG 318-07 — License Transfers – Gas Stations
Position: Neutral

2006 Election Wrap-Up
Wine News
Beer News
Great Gift Idea
Join the Fight
Upcoming Events

Happy Holidays from Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws! In our final issue of 2006 we discuss Peter Franchot's victory in the Comptroller's race and why that's good for us; Maryland wineries' banner year in 2006; and how you can help Marylanders for Better Beer and Wine Laws bring you fine wine in the mail in 2007.