Several other major changes in alcohol regulations were approved by the Legislature this session, including one that is designed to lure a dinner train business to the area.
The liquor-related measures were mixed into one “mega-bill” signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback.
Under one provision, dinner railway cars can obtain a liquor license. Rep. TerriLois Gregory, R-Baldwin City, said the measure was aimed at luring a Nebraska dinner train business to operate between Baldwin City and Ottawa.
Other provisions of the new law allow:
• Drinking establishments to offer “Happy Hour” specials. Previously, bars could offer special drink prices, but those charges had to last all day.
• Micro-distilleries to sell and serve their products on their premises.
• Liquor stores to offer free tastings of beer, wine and alcohol to their customers.
Comments
blindrabbit 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Why not set-up a dining car(s) restaurant/salon car venue on the siding near the Lawrence Visitors Center in North Lawrence. Plenty of room, could imagine a "neat" kind of place!
QuiviraTrail 11 months, 3 weeks ago
When do these take effect? July 1?
Eride 11 months, 3 weeks ago
May 31st actually.
jafs 11 months, 3 weeks ago
According to Cork and Barrel, the tastings will be legal as of July 1.
littlexav 11 months, 2 weeks ago
July 1. Kansas laws always take effect July 1 after the end of session.
Eride 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Not true. Plenty of bills take effect on dates other than July 1st. Including this one.
Actually this bill became effective on May 31st but Sec. 46 specifies that the "happy-hour" provision doesn't become effective until July 1st. I didn't read through the bill when I posted the above. If you read my comment further down this blog you will see I corrected it to July 1st after reading the bill.
gr 11 months, 3 weeks ago
So, is alcohol safer than a soft drink? I have heard marijuana was.
Liberty275 11 months, 3 weeks ago
That's nice. You probably should appreciate loosening laws regarding alcohol and then allow the people to decide whether they feel safe consuming other products and vote for politicians friendly to their cause.
You shouldn't detract from one liberty to gain another. You don't beat your enemy by attacking your friend.
Want all the liberty, not just the bits you like.
SWGlassPit 11 months, 3 weeks ago
I didn't see anything in the bill about specials... KSA 41-2640 (a) (4) still says happy hour is illegal.
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/statute/041_000_0000_chapter/041_026_0000_article/041_026_0040_section/041_026_0040_k/
Eride 11 months, 3 weeks ago
I haven't had time to look it up myself yet, but the website might not have it updated. A month ago I read a couple of bills being pushed around that removed (a)(4),(5) but I don't know the status of them.
Eride 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Yes, it was removed. The article is correct. It becomes effective on the 31st of May.
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2011_12/measures/hb2689/
Eride 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Sorry my bad, I misread it, actually does go into effect on July 1st.
It is in Sec. 41 of the bill found by visiting the link I posted above.
SWGlassPit 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Ahh, I had the wrong bill, then.
mommatocharlie 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Free samples at a liquor store is not a good idea. Whose bright idea was this?
superswagg56 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Maybe the free samples don't have to be consumed at the Liquor Store.
DillonBarnes 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Care to elaborate why it is a bad idea? I suspect you are making an assumption as to how the samples would work.
tomatogrower 11 months, 2 weeks ago
They give samples at the liquor store at Fort Leavenworth. They usually just feature one kind of drink, and the sample cups are small, not enough to get anyone drunk.
countrygal 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Why do they keep tiptoeing around the liquor laws here in Kansas? When can we buy wine at the grocery store? We are foodies and moving here has been an eyeopener for purchasing wine for meals plus liquor to use in cooking. Love it when they pass liquor in grocery stores, come on Kansas!
lazydazy 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Remember to check out our local Wineries if you like wine.
tomatogrower 11 months, 2 weeks ago
You should have lived here several years ago. You were lucky to find a liquor store at all, especially in small towns. There were two types of drinking establishments. One was the tavern which could only sell 3.2 beer. Of course, you could go to these places when you were 18. The other establishments were private clubs, for those 21 and older. You would get a membership, and they could serve drinks of harder liquor. Some of the clubs only had mixes, and you brought your own bottle. Restaurants couldn't serve liquor at all, except a few who had a 3.2 license. That didn't stop people from drinking or getting drunk. You just had to plan better. I like being able to have a glass of wine with a nice meal out now, so I guess it doesn't bother me that I have to go to separate place to get liquor. Kansas has actually come a long way.
iron_outlaw 11 months, 3 weeks ago
What about getting rid of the silly 3.2% alcohol by volume law for gas stations and grocery stores?
redcoalcarpet 11 months, 2 weeks ago
3.2% beer dates back to the end of the prohibition to appease the prohibitionists so it's probably not going anywhere soon....
Liberty275 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Those all sound cool. I take it liquor stores won't be giving excessive samples. On a side note, any liquor store serving samples of Glenlivet should let us know beforehand so we can get in line early.
somedude20 11 months, 2 weeks ago
"I want booze and mixers and limes to be able to be purchased at the same time"
Try On The Rocks, kid. They have it all and soda
Pastor_Bedtime 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Are there still "dry" counties in KS?
rtwngr 11 months, 3 weeks ago
It's 5 o'clock somewhere.
sassypants 11 months, 2 weeks ago
My guess would be that those samples would be for someone actually trying to decide the brand of something they want to purchase. I would hope that the samples are not for every drunk that walks in the door and just wants a sample cause they don't have the money to purchase, or something in that line of thought.
jafs 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Well, wine tastings usually involve a variety of wines - the stores are hoping to entice people into buying bottles of the wines tasted.
I don't know exactly how the stores would control for the problem you mention.
jhawkinsf 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Just say no.
jafs 11 months, 2 weeks ago
How does a store determine who may buy a bottle of wine vs. somebody who won't do so?
jhawkinsf 11 months, 2 weeks ago
"We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone"
It just takes a little common sense.
jafs 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Sure.
Because alcoholics never buy alcohol at liquor stores.
jhawkinsf 11 months, 2 weeks ago
The "we reserve the right ..." signs are specifically in bars and liquor stores. They can choose who gets a taste and who doesn't. As far as I can recall, alcoholics aren't a protected class. Neither are bums. Neither are many groups. They can't discriminate based on race, religion, ethnicity, etc. But they can discriminate based on "I just didn't like the way he presented himself". Heck, they can give tastes to people who were blue shirts and not to people who wear red shirts.
jafs 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Ok.
I was referring to the "common sense" part of your post.
Fossick 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Here's how wineries generally do it: A tasting costs $5, you taste* a given number of wines (Keltoi Winery, where I tasted last weekend, offers 7). For that $5, you get to keep your glass, which coincidentally has the winery's logo on it. It's just win all around.
Others will give you the $5 off your first bottle. Wineries that let you taste as much of whatever you want for free are getting rarer. No one who makes or sells wines would get very far giving multiple free samples to anyone who walks in the door.
jafs 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Could be.
When we went to a winery, the tasting was free - we did buy a couple of bottles of wine afterwards.
I agree that it's a risk to give free samples - we'll see how the local wine stores do their tastings.
Scattered 11 months, 2 weeks ago
I so agree with mommatocharlie. With so much abuse of alcohol, why do anything to make it more available???
To those who think I am nuts...I lost both of my grandfathers to drunk drivers. I am not some nutty teetotaler. I agree with my 85-year-old mother: legalize marijuana and make alochol illegal. (and no, she has NO personal experience with either one!)
bd 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Awesome! Anyone up for a liquor store crawl??? LOL!
kansanjayhawk 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Rep Gregory went against her conservative supporters to sponsor this law-maybe she can get the liquor store owners to walk the district on her behalf! It will not be some who oppose more liquor availability in Kansas.
jafs 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Sure.
We should just re-institute Prohibition, right?
Do you know that the tendency to idealize the past and wish to return to that idealized past is a large part of fascist ideology?
Pastor_Bedtime 11 months, 2 weeks ago
KJH, your nanny state is eroding before your very eyes! Whatever will you do when others don't conform to your individual code of "ethics"?
Termcd4 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Hey, can we just get some sandwiches and drinks down at the train park? The train is already there!
pace 11 months, 2 weeks ago
In interest of full disclosure, I would vote temperance if it wasn't for the historical proof that temperance laws was the biggest boost to organized crime in the history of the US.
I once attended a wine tasting course, as part of professional requirements. I was the only one to spit into the bucket. I did learn to cook with booze through that course. Flavor is important and it varies. I think tastings at booze places is just fine. I think the owners will only want people to taste, I don't think they want to get people drunk for free.
Solomon 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Too bad they wouldn't change the law restricting the number of establishments a licensee can have. That means no liquor sales in grocery stores, Costco, Sam's Club, etc.
QuiviraTrail 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Liquor by the drink is banned in 19 counties but if you join a private club or are a guest, you can still get a glass of spirits.
tbaker 11 months, 2 weeks ago
But you still cannot buy a lime and tonic water at the liquor store - you have to go to the grocery store, which incidently cannot sell the gin.
Liberty275 11 months, 2 weeks ago
It's a backwards prohibition to make people shop a different stores because too many nosy people want to make it harder for you to make a gin and tonic.
My wife's parents drinks those. I tried one then just had plain gin instead until we passed out (or at least I passed out). I'm lucky enough to have the cool in laws.
jafs 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Great!
Drinking until you pass out.
Sounds like such fun.
derekhein 11 months, 2 weeks ago
The section of the law that applies to temporary permits went into effect on May 31. The remainder of the law is effective upon publication in the statute book (July 1). Often when several bills are bundled together, there are different effective dates for different provisions of the law. Reading the last line of the bill does not tell you when the entire bill goes into effect. The temporary permit law was written to take effect on May 31, I believe, so that it would be valid for the Wichita River Festival. Hope this helps.
RadioFreeKansas 11 months, 2 weeks ago
Everything is just fine in the land of the Christian Koch Libertarians also known as Brownbackistan. There are some undefined areas of this Big Booze Bill now quickly becoming law of the land.
Qualify the carrot and club factors of "limited government" in the Big Booze Bill:
First time DUI now a felony (is this part of the SoS Kobach vote suppression strategy)?
First time DUI now mandates the "blow pipe" hook-up on those convicted who need driving to and from work to live?
How many companies sell and maintain the "blow pipes" in Kansas and would the $2000 plus yearly fee be tax deductible, since most Kansans with any money will no longer be paying taxes?
Does this have anything to do with the new prison being built at a former religious retreat?
Clarify the Koch cockroach capitalist factor i. e. "economic freedom" aspects of the Big Booze Bill:
Will the state-regulated liquor stores be able to as Gov. Sam likes to say, "push the accelerator to the floor" and hand out unlimited 2oz. shots of liquor too?
Will pregnant women unable to find a drug store with the morning after pill, or an abortion clinic, be allowed to booze it up free of charge at the liquor stores too? And as a side bar question in this "economic freedom" subset: Why not licensed brothels?
Will the 3.2% cowboy kool-aid dispensers now be able to run their own corn mash whiskey stills in the back alongside their oil drum meat smokers? How about the proliferation of Big Booze Trucks complete with smoking stills at the Hutchinson State Fair, or possibly at the Douglas County 4-H fairgrounds?
And finally in the Koch Libertarian matrix of Brownbackistan, will any federal regulations in conflict with the Big Booze Bill be enforced by Kansas law enforcement officials?
Just asking ....
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