130th Ohio General Assembly
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Sub. S. B. No. 173  As Enrolled
(130th General Assembly)
(Substitute Senate Bill Number 173)



AN ACT
To amend sections 4301.171, 4303.184, 4303.208, and 4303.251 of the Revised Code to modify the law governing tasting samples of beer and intoxicating liquor and to allow an F-6 liquor permit to be issued for the same location as an F-8 liquor permit, provided that the two permits are not exercised concurrently.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:

SECTION 1. That sections 4301.171, 4303.184, 4303.208, and 4303.251 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 4301.171. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Broker" and "solicitor" have the same meanings as in rules adopted by the superintendent of liquor control under section 4303.25 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Tasting sample" means a small amount of spirituous liquor that is provided in a serving of not more than a quarter ounce of spirituous liquor and, if provided, not more than one ounce of nonalcoholic mixer to an authorized purchaser and that allows the purchaser to determine, by tasting only, the quality and character of the beverage.

(3) "Trade marketing company" means a company that solicits the purchase of beer and intoxicating liquor and educates the public about beer and intoxicating liquor.

(4) "Trade marketing professional" means an individual who is an employee of, or is under contract with, a trade marketing company and who has successfully completed a training program described in section 4301.253 of the Revised Code.

(B) Notwithstanding section 4301.24 of the Revised Code, an agency store to which a D-8 permit has been issued may allow a trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor to offer for sale tasting samples of spirituous liquor when conducted in accordance with this section. A tasting sample shall not be sold for the purpose of general consumption.

(C) Tasting samples of spirituous liquor may be offered for sale at an agency store by a trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor if all of the following apply:

(1) The tasting samples are sold only in the area of the agency store in which spirituous liquor is sold and that area is open to the public.

(2) The tasting samples are sold only by the trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor.

(3) The spirituous liquor is registered under division (A)(8) of section 4301.10 of the Revised Code.

(4) Not less than five ten business days prior to the sale, the trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor has provided written notice to the division of liquor control of the date and time of the sampling, and of the type and brand of spirituous liquor to be sampled at the agency store.

(D) A sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor is subject to rules adopted by the superintendent of liquor control or the liquor control commission.

(E) An offering for sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor shall be limited to a period of not more than two hours.

(F) For purposes of offering for sale tasting samples of spirituous liquor, an a trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor shall purchase the spirituous liquor from the agency store shall purchase the spirituous liquor at the current retail price. An authorized purchaser shall be charged not less than fifty cents for each tasting sample of spirituous liquor. However, the aggregate amount charged for the sale of tasting samples shall be sufficient to cover the wholesale price of the spirituous liquor being tasted as that price is fixed under division (B)(4) of section 4301.10 of the Revised Code. Of the amount collected from the sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor, the trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor shall reimburse the agency store for the amount of the retail price of the spirituous liquor. When the sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor at an agency store is completed, any bottles of spirituous liquor used to provide tasting samples that are not empty shall be marked as "sample" and removed from the agency store by the trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor, as applicable.

(G) No trade marketing professional, broker, or solicitor shall do any of the following:

(1) Advertise the offering for sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor other than at the agency store where the tasting samples will be offered;

(2) Solicit orders or make sales of tasting samples of spirituous liquor for quantities greater than those specified in division (G)(3) of this section;

(3) Allow any authorized purchaser to consume more than four tasting samples of spirituous liquor per day.

(H) The purchase of a tasting sample of spirituous liquor shall not be contingent upon the purchase of any other product from an agency store.

(I) No employee of an agency store that allows the sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor shall purchase or consume a tasting sample while on duty.

(J) If an employee of an agency store that allows the sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor consumes a tasting sample of spirituous liquor, the employee shall not perform the employee's duties and responsibilities at the agency store on the day the tasting sample is consumed.

(K) No person under twenty-one years of age shall consume a tasting sample of spirituous liquor.

(L) Not more than five ten events at which the sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor are offered shall occur at an agency store in a calendar month provided that:

(1) Not more than two events shall occur in the same day; and

(2) There is not less than one hour between the end of one event and the beginning of the next event.

(M) No trade marketing professional, trade marketing company, broker, solicitor, owner or operator of an agency store, or an agent or employee of the owner or operator shall violate this section or any rules adopted by the superintendent or the commission for the purposes of this section.

Sec. 4303.184.  (A) Subject to division (B) of this section, a D-8 permit may be issued to either of the following:

(1) An agency store;

(2) The holder of a C-1, C-2, or C-2x permit issued to a retail store that has either any of the following characteristics:

(a) The store has at least five thousand five hundred square feet of floor area, and it generates more than sixty per cent of its sales in general merchandise items and food for consumption off the premises where sold.

(b) The store is located in a municipal corporation or township with a population of five thousand or less, has at least four thousand five hundred square feet of floor area, and generates more than sixty per cent of its sales in general merchandise items and food for consumption off the premises where sold.

(c) Wine constitutes at least sixty per cent of the value of the store's inventory.

(B) A D-8 permit may be issued to the holder of a C-1, C-2, or C-2x permit only if the premises of the permit holder are located in a precinct, or at a particular location in a precinct, in which the sale of beer, wine, or mixed beverages is permitted for consumption off the premises where sold. Sales under a D-8 permit are not affected by whether sales for consumption on the premises where sold are permitted in the precinct or at the particular location where the D-8 premises are located.

(C)(1) The holder of a D-8 permit described in division (A)(2) of this section may sell tasting samples of beer, wine, and mixed beverages, but not spirituous liquor, at retail, for consumption on the premises where sold in an amount not to exceed two ounces or another amount designated by rule of the liquor control commission. A tasting sample shall not be sold for general consumption.

(2) The holder of a D-8 permit described in division (A)(1) of this section may allow the sale of tasting samples of spirituous liquor in accordance with section 4301.171 of the Revised Code.

(3) No D-8 permit holder described in division (A)(2) of this section shall allow any authorized purchaser to consume more than four tasting samples of beer, wine, or mixed beverages, or any combination of beer, wine, or mixed beverages, per day.

(D)(1) Notwithstanding sections 4303.11 and 4303.121 of the Revised Code, the holder of a D-8 permit described in division (A)(2) of this section may sell beer that is dispensed from containers that have a capacity equal to or greater than five and one-sixth gallons if all of the following conditions are met:

(a) A product registration fee for the beer has been paid as required in division (A)(8)(b) of section 4301.10 of the Revised Code.

(b) The beer is dispensed only in glass containers whose capacity does not exceed one gallon and not for consumption on the premises where sold.

(c) The containers are sealed, marked, and transported in accordance with division (E) of section 4301.62 of the Revised Code.

(d) The containers have been cleaned immediately before being filled in accordance with rule 4301:1-1-28 of the Administrative Code.

(2) Beer that is sold and dispensed under division (D)(1) of this section is subject to both of the following:

(a) All applicable rules adopted by the liquor control commission, including, but not limited to, rule 4301:1-1-27 and rule 4301:1-1-72 of the Administrative Code;

(b) All applicable federal laws and regulations.

(E) The privileges authorized for the holder of a D-8 permit described in division (A)(2) of this section may only be exercised in conjunction with and during the hours of operation authorized by a C-1, C-2, C-2x, or D-6 permit.

(F) A D-8 permit shall not be transferred to another location.

(G) The fee for the D-8 permit is five hundred dollars.

Sec. 4303.208. (A)(1) The division of liquor control may issue an F-8 permit to a not-for-profit organization that manages, for the benefit of the public and by contract with a political subdivision of this state, publicly owned property to sell beer or intoxicating liquor by the individual drink at specific events conducted on the publicly owned property and appurtenant streets, but only if, and then only at times at which, the sale of beer and intoxicating liquor on the premises is otherwise permitted by law. Additionally, an F-8 permit may be issued only if the publicly owned property is located in a county that has a population of between seven hundred fifty thousand and nine hundred thousand on July 10, 2007.

(2) The premises on which an F-8 permit will be used shall be clearly defined and sufficiently restricted to allow proper supervision of the permit's use by state and local law enforcement officers. Sales under an F-8 permit shall be confined to the same hours permitted to the holder of a D-3 permit.

(3) The fee for an F-8 permit is one thousand seven hundred dollars. An F-8 permit is effective for a period not to exceed nine months as specified in the permit. An F-8 permit is not transferable or renewable. However, the holder of an F-8 permit may apply for a new F-8 permit at any time. An F-8 permit is not effective until any F-8 permit currently held expires. The holder of an F-8 permit shall make sales only at those specific events about which the permit holder has notified in advance the division of liquor control, the department of public safety, and the chief, sheriff, or other principal peace officer of the local law enforcement agencies having jurisdiction over the premises.

(B)(1) An application for the issuance of an F-8 permit is subject to the notice and hearing requirements established in division (A) of section 4303.26 of the Revised Code.

(2) The liquor control commission shall adopt under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code rules necessary to administer this section.

(C) No F-8 permit holder shall sell beer or intoxicating liquor beyond the hours of sale allowed by the permit. This division imposes strict liability on the holder of an F-8 permit and on any officer, agent, or employee of that permit holder.

(D) Nothing in this section prohibits the division from issuing an F-2 or F-6 permit for a specific event not conducted by the holder of an F-8 permit provided that the holder of the F-8 permit certifies to the division that it will not exercise its permit privileges during that specific event.

Sec. 4303.251.  (A) A manufacturer, supplier, broker, or wholesale distributor of beer or intoxicating liquor, or an agent, solicitor, or salesperson who is registered under section 4303.25 of the Revised Code and who represents the manufacturer, supplier, broker, or wholesale distributor of beer or intoxicating liquor, may conduct consumer product instruction, or provide sample servings of the manufacturer's, supplier's, broker's, or wholesale distributor's products, on the premises of a retail permit holder who is authorized to sell the products for on-premises consumption, without the manufacturer, supplier, broker, wholesale distributor, agent, solicitor, or salesperson having to be issued a retail permit under this chapter. The person providing a sample serving shall purchase the beer or intoxicating liquor at the ordinary retail price from the retail permit holder whose premises are involved. The liquor control commission shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section.

(B) A manufacturer, supplier, or broker of beer, wine, or mixed beverages, or an agent, solicitor, or salesperson who is registered under section 4303.25 of the Revised Code and who represents the manufacturer, supplier, or broker of beer, wine, or mixed beverages, may conduct consumer product instruction, or provide sample servings of the manufacturer's, supplier's, or broker's products on the premises of a retail permit holder who holds a D-8 permit and who is authorized to sell the products for off-premises consumption, without the manufacturer, supplier, broker, agent, solicitor, or salesperson having to be issued a retail permit under this chapter. The person providing a sample serving shall purchase the beer, wine, or mixed beverages at the ordinary retail price from the D-8 permit holder and shall limit the amount and frequency of the sample servings to those authorized pursuant to the D-8 permit. The liquor control commission shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section.

Division (B) of this section does not apply to a wholesale distributor.

SECTION 2. That existing sections 4301.171, 4303.184, 4303.208, and 4303.251 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

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