With only a few business days remaining in this year's Colorado
legislative session, extra time is hard to come by. Representative Liane
McFadyen from Pueblo is brief and to-the-point.
"Mr. Chairman, we don't have enough votes to pass this bill. I move that
we layover the bill until, uh, July 9."
And with that recommendation from the bill's sponsor, the Colorado House
Finance Committee today unanimously approves the layover of House Bill
1279 until July 9. The legislature will, of course, be long gone on July
9.
Which means that HB 1279 is dead, and with time to spare. In a rare
example of legislative efficiency, the entire committee hearing about HB
1279 lasts no more than three minutes.
The proposed bill would have granted grocery stores with pharmacies the
right (via a complicated buyout transaction with two adjacent liquor store
owners) to sell full-strength beer, wine and spirits in their stores.
Grocers, naturally, loved the idea. Alcohol is popular with customers, and
very profitable among the 45,000 items typically sold in grocery stores.
Opposed to the bill were liquor store owners, craft
brewers, distillers, wine producers and distributors who saw the special
interests of one business being championed by government at their expense.
While HB 1279 would have been a boon for grocers, in the process it would
have shuttered about 600 liquor stores around the state.
Kevin DeLange, of Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora, had shown up expecting to
testify against the bill. Craft brewers in Colorado enjoy a unique
regulatory environment that fosters their small businesses. Brewers fear
the loss of the one-on-one relationships with liquor store owners that has
allowed them to thrive, and the difficulty, if not impossibility, of
getting their products on grocery store shelves and thereby limiting
access to market.
Although he didn’t testify today, “We’ll be back talking about this soon,”
Kevin said. Everyone seemed to agree.
Larry Hudson, of Safeway Stores, was irritated if resigned. “The
legislature has said ‘no’ the last four years. Maybe now we let the people
decide.” He referred to ballot initiatives that have been proposed for the
November elections that would put the matter into the hands of voters
instead of the legislature.
That doesn’t make Buffie McFadyen happy. “The legislative process makes it
easier to revise, rework and amend issues to make them better.” She agreed
that Colorado liquor code is complex, and not something that fits well
into a ballot initiative.
“Things that get poorly written often get on the ballot,” she said, as she
dashed off to another committee meeting, trying to make the most of the
next few days. They will be her last ones as a Colorado legislator, as she
says she's not going to run again.
“I’m done,” said McFadyen.
The push to sell liquor in Colorado grocery and convenience stores,
however, lives on.
You can find additional coverage and commentary from the Denver Post here.
