WARREN – The Michigan Food and Beverage Association, along with its sister association the Michigan Business and Professional Association, commends the Michigan legislature and Governor Rick Snyder on the passage and signing of Senate Bill 5, a measure that creates a new liquor permit allowing the sale and delivery of beer, wine and spirits for off-premise consumption at private events.
?By establishing a new permit category, the state is making it much easier for those who organize private events to have all of their off-premise catering needs, including liquor and spirits, fulfilled by one source,? said Edward Deeb, president of both Associations.
?At the same time, this new law simplifies the process for companies that provide off-premise catering services and creates a new annual revenue source for the Liquor Control Commission,? Deeb said.
?Right now, anyone organizing an event at a private location must handle all the arrangements for liquor and spirits separately from the catering arrangements since caterers are not licensed to sell liquor and spirits,? said Jennifer Kluge, Executive Vice President and COO of the Associations. ?This new provision will streamline the process and add the same legal drinking safeguards already in place for on-premise liquor licensees like restaurants, bars and liquor retailers.?
?This new law is just one more example of how state government is able to help both businesses and consumers by passing common sense measures that respond to the needs of both sides of the issue,? said Deeb.
The Associations, whose large membership includes more than 20,000 small businesses, employing over 160,000 individual employees, supported the bill on its way through both the State House and Senate.
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