Mass. Senate eyes dramatic liquor license overhaul, but long road remains

Yahoo

21-05-2025

The Massachusetts Senate was set to vote Wednesday on a proposal that could dramatically overhaul the way the state awards liquor licenses — a coveted and pricey document that's make-or-break for restaurants and bars.
But even if it passes, it still has to survive negotiations with the state's House of Representatives.
The chamber was set to tuck the language, sponsored by Sen. Jacob Oliveira, D-Hampden/Hampshire/Worcester, into the $61.3 billion budget plan for the new fiscal year that starts July 1.
The majority-Democrat chamber has been racing through hundreds of amendments to the new spending blueprint, with a vote on the entire document expected soon.
As it's currently written, the amendment would give more power to the state's Alcohol Beverage Control Commission to approve petitions for licenses, an authority that now rests with the Legislature and the governor, the Pioneer Valley lawmaker told reporters on Wednesday morning.
'Our current process was born out of the process of the repeal of prohibition with the 21st Amendment nearly 100 years ago,' he said.
'Certainly, our economy has changed since then. We have vibrant suburban communities and urban communities that have developed over time,' he continued. 'And the process for granting additional liquor licenses can be cumbersome to our cities and towns, requiring them to come to the Legislature, file the legislation, and then bring it to the governor.'
If the language survives joint House and Senate negotiations — and that's a big if — the change would 'empower our 351 cities and towns, as well as provide some flexibility to our businesses,' Oliveira said Wednesday.
'With this uncertainty at the federal level, we need to provide that flexibility to our cities, our towns, and to our small businesses. And that's what this amendment is designed to do,' he said.
And because this is Massachusetts, the vote came with some of the traditional rivalry between the state House and Senate, both controlled by Democrats.
Last week, because of a dust-up over inter-chamber rules, Oliveira was barred from testifying remotely on behalf of his bill.
The Western Massachusetts lawmaker just laughed when he was asked Wednesday whether the amendment he was offering was the same as the proposal that hit a parliamentary wall.
'Boy, you have a good memory,' he said with a laugh. 'Yes, it is the same bill I tried to testify on last week, and I'm glad to see that my voice is being heard now.'
Oliveira declined to speculate on whether the proposal would make it all the way across the goal line and be part of the budget that eventually lands on Gov. Maura Healey's desk.
'I'm confident that the Senate will act on it today and that we will move it forward. And if we're successful through conference, that's wonderful,' he said.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairperson Aaron Michlewitz, D-3rd Suffolk, who could have a big say on whether the language survives budget negotiations, told MassLive that he had not seen Oliveira's proposal and could not comment on its specifics.
'We did a piece in our budget that included allowing cities to [do] upgrades for beer and wine to full alcohol, without having to come back to the legislative process, as long as ... those would no longer be transferable. It seems like this sounds different than that. So ... I'd have to see,' he said.
Critics have long complained that the state's current process shuts out minority-owned restaurants and the state's poorer communities.
Earlier this year, Boston's licensing board awarded new liquor licenses to 37 bars, restaurants and other establishments.
They were among the first to win one of 225 new liquor licenses approved for the city by the Legislature and signed by Healey last year.
It represented the largest increase in Boston's liquor license stock since the end of Prohibition over 90 years ago, according to the city.
Worcester councilor deposits large donation haul after confronting police at ICE raid
Trump ally Elon Musk stepping back from political spending: 'I think I've done enough'
Trump's meeting with South African president spirals into false claims
Defense Department accepts Boeing 747 from Qatar for Trump's use
'Now is the time': Harvard calls for donations amid wave of federal cuts
Read the original article on MassLive.