Latest news with #21stAmendment
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass. Senate passes dramatic liquor license overhaul. Will the House pass it?
The Massachusetts Senate has approved 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 it still has to clear the state's House of Representatives, where its fate is far from assured. The majority-Democrat chamber tucked the language, sponsored by Sen. Jacob Oliveira, D-Hampden/Hampshire/Worcester, into the $61.4 billion budget plan for the new fiscal year that starts July 1. The Senate has spent this week racing through hundreds of amendments to the fiscal blueprint. By the time the dust settled on Thursday night, upper chamber lawmakers had added $81.1 million to the spending plan, according to State House News Service. Later that same day, the chamber voted 38-2 to approve the entire document and send it to the House, setting the stage for the inevitable negotiations to reconcile the differences between the two chambers' spending proposals. Read More: Mass. Senate eyes dramatic liquor license overhaul, but long road remains As it's currently written, Oliveira's 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 told reporters Wednesday. 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 earlier this week 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. One key lawmaker, however, was set to throw up a roadblock. 'In our community, liquor licenses can be great or they can be problematic, and for me to give my community's voice away would be political recklessness on my behalf,' said House Majority Leader Michael Moran, a Democrat from Brighton, told The Boston Globe. Last year, Moran negotiated a bill that gave Boston hundreds of additional liquor licenses, the newspaper reported. 'My residents, the people that I represent, deserve a voice in that process,' Moran, D-18th Suffolk, told the Globe. 'and I have no intention of giving up their voice.' Trump Commerce boss gets put on blast with 'no pain' tariff claim 'Unlawful and unwarranted': Harvard opens 2nd lawsuit against the Trump admin MASS.-ive Impact: What Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' means to you | John L. Micek 'Deeply scary': Legal experts reel over Trump's 'brazen act' against Harvard Travel alert: State Dept. issues terrorism warning at European destination Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mass. Senate eyes dramatic liquor license overhaul, but long road remains
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.
Boston Globe
22-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Today in History: March 22, The Beatles release their first album
Advertisement In 1894, ice hockey's first Stanley Cup championship game was played, in which the Montreal Hockey Club defeated the Ottawa Hockey Club, 3-1. In 1933, during the Prohibition Era, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which allowed the sale of beer and wine with an alcohol content of 3.2 percent. (Prohibition would be fully repealed nine months later with the ratification of the 21st Amendment.) In 1941, the Grand Coulee hydroelectric dam in Washington state officially went into operation. It remains the largest capacity power station in the United States. In 1945, the Arab League was formed with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt. In 1963, The Beatles' debut album, 'Please Please Me,' was released in the United Kingdom on the Parlophone record label. In 1972, in the Eisenstadt vs. Baird decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that unmarried people had the same right to possess and use contraception as did married people. In 1978, Karl Wallenda, the 73-year-old patriarch of 'The Flying Wallendas' high-wire act, fell to his death while attempting to walk a cable strung between two hotel towers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1993, Intel Corp. unveiled the original Pentium computer chip. In 2019, former President Jimmy Carter became the longest-living chief executive in American history. At 94 years and 172 days, he exceeded the lifespan of the late former President George H.W. Bush. (Carter would die at age 100 in December 2024.) Advertisement In 2021, 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder, Colo. (The shooter, Ahmad Alissa, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in September 2024.)
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Beer Week kicks off in Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO - Beer Week kicks off Friday night around the Bay Area, and breweries all around are ready. Local breweries are ready to serve up a pint, but are also keeping an eye on global politics. Beer Week is an opportunity for beer lovers to get a taste of some of the best brews the Bay Area has to offer. 21st Amendment Brewery is hosting a brews and bites night, bringing together two things people seem to love: beer and food. "Go to the San Francisco Beer Week website, and it's the entire Bay Area," said Shaun O'Sullivan from 21st Amendment. "All the way from Santa Rosa, I think down to Santa Cruz and out towards Sacramento and East Bay…At our production brewery in San Leandro we have the kick-off event for the East Bay." While beer may be fun for consumers, it's also big business. O'Sullivan said when 21st Amendment started nearly 25 years ago, there was room to grow. "Craft beer has gotten huge. Back when we first started in 2000, there were seven or eight breweries in San Francisco and I think at the peak in the last few years it was up to 45 or 50," said O'Sullivan. Eddie Gobbo from Harmonic Brewing said the San Francisco Bay Area Beer Week is an opportunity for people to try the product local brewers have been perfecting. "The high care that we put into the making of our beer and running tap rooms in a community-focused way, it is different than big beer and we're proud of it," said Gobbo. While brewers are asking people to think locally, brewers are thinking globally. Geopolitics threatens to increase canning costs with the Trump administration placing tariffs on aluminum. "You know this is a passion industry, we're donating a lot of time for something we love," said Gobbo. "So, when we get hit with additional costs it really hurts us and makes the business much harder to sustain." Brewers may also face increased costs associated with raw ingredients. At 21st Amendment Brewery, they sometimes rely on ingredients from Canada. The difficulty for many smaller breweries will be finding that balance point where they can purchase what they need, and not have to raise prices to the point where customers balk. "Customers will only pay so much for a glass of beer," said Gobbo. "So, you find yourself kind of in a conundrum where you can't charge too much more, but your costs are going up. So, that puts a strain on the breweries." Organizers say the winter months can be a little lean for breweries, so they're encouraging those of legal drinking age to take part, find a local brewery and hoist a pint. While it is called Beer Week, this week actually has 10 days of activities at breweries around the Bay Area starting Friday through next Sunday.
Express Tribune
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
CB apprised of past case of military trial
ISLAMABAD: The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that the trial of an accused in the 2009 General Headquarters (GHQ) attack case had been conducted in a military court, even before the enactment of the 21st Constitutional Amendment. A seven-member bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard the intra-court appeals against the Supreme Court's decision that declared the military trial of civilians involved in the May 9 incidents as null and void. During the hearing, Khawaja Haris, the lawyer for the defence ministry, completed his arguments and then lawyer for former chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja, one of the petitioners in case, advanced his arguments. At the outset, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail told the court his remarks during a hearing on Wednesday about "not accepting" the decision had created some confusion, adding that he wanted to clarify that he did not mention judges, but meant some individuals. Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi wondered whether crimes committed during violent nationwide riots on May 9, 2023, were more serious than terrorist incidents. Justice Rizvi remarked that the Mehran base and Kamra base attacks were mentioned in the 21st Amendment. "Where was the trial of those who attacked GHQ (General Headquarters)?" he asked. "Two Orion aircraft worth billions of rupees were destroyed [in the Mehran base attack]; is the crime of May 9 more serious than these incidents?" Advocate Haris said that all perpetrators of the Mehran base attack were killed. "So after they died was there no investigation as to who they were, where they came from and how they came? Was the file of the Mehran base attack closed after the terrorists were killed?" Justice Rizvi asked. Advocate Haris replied saying an investigation must have been conducted. "The case of the GHQ attack happened in military courts and took place before the 21st Amendment." Justice Rizvi remarked that the amendments were made based on these attacks and asked: "What happened to the accused in the attack on Kamra base? When did they have a trial?" Advocate Haris said he would inform the court after taking instructions and completed his arguments. Justice Rizvi said that the decision on the 21st Amendment had mentioned 16,000 different attacks from 2002 till the enactment of the amendment, in which personnel posted at sensitive places were martyred. Were all such incidents tried in military courts or in anti-terrorism courts, he asked. Haris replied that the trial of the GHQ attack case was held in military court. He added that all the terrorists who attacked Mehran Air Base were killed on the spot; therefore, there was no need for a military trial there. Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman, and the lawyer for the Balochistan government adopted the arguments presented by the defence ministry's lawyer. After that Khawaja Ahmed Hussain, the lawyer for former chief justice Jawad S Khawaja began his arguments.
