The measure, hammered out in secret the past five years largely between Republican lawmakers and the multi-billion dollar alcohol industry, is moving quickly through the GOP-controlled Legislature. It was introduced on Friday and was scheduled for a public hearing on Tuesday. The Legislature is expected to pass it in two weeks.Most of the changes would not be noticeable to average alcohol consumers in the state, those who worked closely on the bill said.
The fact that all tiers of the industry are welcoming greater enforcement “sends a very powerful message” about the need for more clarity, Stenger said. The three-tiered system was designed to prevent monopolies so the same entity could not produce and sell alcohol at the wholesale and retail levels. But the system has been criticized for years for not keeping up with changes in the industry, including the explosion of smaller craft breweries, the popularity of wedding barns and other innovations.
The proposal addresses issues that have become a “daily pain in the butt for retailers,” said Brandon Scholz, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers Association.Perhaps the biggest change is creating a new division within the state Department of Revenue to regulate and oversee regulating the alcohol industry and enforcing the law. One of the loudest targets of criticism under the current system was the lack of a dedicated state office to interpret and enforce regulations.