Opponents of an attempt to expand the potency of alcohol in Alabama won two major victories during the final days of the legislative session, but they may lose an effort to stop another bill that would greatly reduce the population requirement for holding a wet/dry referendum in the state.
The first victory came April 28 with the filibuster of Senate Bill (SB) 132. That bill would define the term “beer” for Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board licensing purposes to include malt beverages with an alcohol content up to 13.9 percent by volume. Current law limits alcohol content of beer and malt or brewed beverages to 6 percent.
Sen. Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, the bill’s sponsor, said the legislation would allow the sale in Alabama of specialty and gourmet beers manufactured domestically and internationally.
The bill was blocked by a filibuster that Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo, initiated.
On April 30, Erwin, a member of Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, also led the filibuster of a bill that would increase the alcohol content of table wine.
That measure — SB 263 — is sponsored by Sen. Steve French, R-Mountain Brook, and calls for increasing the percentage of alcohol in table wines from 14.9 percent to 16.5 percent.
“The issue is clear,” Erwin said. “Alcohol is no friend to the family, so it demands my best efforts to stop it.”
The bills could come up again before the session ends May 15, but Erwin vowed to continue working against passage of these bills.
Joe Godfrey, executive director of Alabama Citizens Action Program, said, “We hope that other senators will join this effort to stop the expansion of the amount of alcohol in a container of beer. Some senators have indicated that they have received phone calls, letters and e-mails from constituents who support this bill. So the Christian community needs to let their voices be heard during these closing days of the 2009 legislative session.”
The alcohol-related legislation — House Bill (HB) 175 — that will likely not be stopped was passed by the House and Senate earlier in the session, vetoed by Gov. Bob Riley April 28 and returned to the House.House members voted to override the veto April 30. At press time, the Senate had not addressed the legislation but was expected to override the veto as well.
HB 175 — sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Martin, D-Clanton, a member of First Baptist Church, Clanton — would allow municipalities with a population of 1,000 or more located in “dry” counties to hold a wet/dry referendum. Blount, Clay and Randolph counties are excluded. Now a population of 7,000 or more is required for such a vote.
The bill was amended twice in the Senate: to increase the population requirement from 500 or more and to allow restaurants currently serving alcohol on Sunday to continue that practice.
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