HB4078 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 18358 BMS 26173 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB4078

Introduced 5/11/2021, by Rep. Michael J. Zalewski

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

235 ILCS 5/6-28.5

Amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934. Provides that a retail licensee may provide a single drink of alcoholic liquor at no charge to a customer as part of a publicly advertised promotion to encourage participation in any COVID-19 vaccination program if the customer provides proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, and that the provision is inoperative on and after 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning liquor.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Liquor Control Act of 1934 is amended by changing Section 6-28.5 as follows:

(235 ILCS 5/6-28.5)

Sec. 6-28.5. Permitted happy hours and meal packages, party packages, and entertainment packages.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Dedicated event space" means a room or rooms or other clearly delineated space within a retail licensee's premises that is reserved for the exclusive use of party package invitees during the entirety of a party package. Furniture, stanchions and ropes, or other room dividers may be used to clearly delineate a dedicated event space.

"Meal package" means a food and beverage package, which may or may not include entertainment, where the service of alcoholic liquor is an accompaniment to the food, including, but not limited to, a meal, tour, tasting, or any combination thereof for a fixed price by a retail licensee or any other licensee operating within a sports facility, restaurant, winery, brewery, or distillery.

"Party package" means a private party, function, or event for a specific social or business occasion, either arranged by invitation or reservation for a defined number of individuals, that is not open to the general public and where attendees are served both food and alcohol for a fixed price in a dedicated event space.

(b) A retail licensee may:

(1) offer free food or entertainment at any time;

(2) include drinks of alcoholic liquor as part of a meal package;

(3) sell or offer for sale a party package only if the retail licensee:

(A) offers food in the dedicated event space;

(B) limits the party package to no more than 3 hours;

(C) distributes wristbands, lanyards, shirts, or any other such wearable items to identify party package attendees so the attendees may be granted access to the dedicated event space; and

(D) excludes individuals not participating in the party package from the dedicated event space;

(4) include drinks of alcoholic liquor as part of a hotel package;

(5) negotiate drinks of alcoholic liquor as part of a hotel package;

(6) provide room service to persons renting rooms at a hotel;

(7) sell pitchers (or the equivalent, including, but not limited to, buckets of bottled beer), carafes, or bottles of alcoholic liquor which are customarily sold in such manner, or sell bottles of spirits;

(8) advertise events permitted under this Section;

(9) include drinks of alcoholic liquor as part of an entertainment package where the licensee is separately licensed by a municipal ordinance that (A) restricts dates of operation to dates during which there is an event at an adjacent stadium, (B) restricts hours of serving alcoholic liquor to 2 hours before the event and one hour after the event, (C) restricts alcoholic liquor sales to beer and wine, (D) requires tickets for admission to the establishment, and (E) prohibits sale of admission tickets on the day of an event and permits the sale of admission tickets for single events only; and

(10) discount any drink of alcoholic liquor during a specified time period only if:

(A) the price of the drink of alcoholic liquor is not changed during the time that it is discounted;

(B) the period of time during which any drink of alcoholic liquor is discounted does not exceed 4 hours per day and 15 hours per week; however, this period of time is not required to be consecutive and may be divided by the licensee in any manner;

(C) the drink of alcoholic liquor is not discounted between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and the licensed premises' closing hour; and

(D) notice of the discount of the drink of alcoholic liquor during a specified time is posted on the licensed premises or on the licensee's publicly available website at least 7 days prior to the specified time; and .

(11) provide a single drink of alcoholic liquor at no charge to a customer as part of a publicly advertised promotion to encourage participation in any COVID-19 vaccination program if the customer provides proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine; this paragraph is inoperative on and after 6 months after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly.

(c) A violation of this Section shall be grounds for suspension or revocation of the retailer's license as provided by this Act. The State Commission may not enforce any trade practice policy or other rule that was not adopted in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

(d) All licensees affected by this Section must also comply with Sections 6-16, 6-21, and 6-27.1 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 99-46, eff. 7-15-15; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.