Feb. 26, 2015
HARRISBURG – In one of his first major votes in the state House, Rep. Tedd Nesbit (R-Mercer/Butler) today supported legislation to remove the state from the sale of alcohol in Pennsylvania.
“Today’s vote is a step in the right direction to remove state control from the sale of wine and spirits,” Nesbit said. “The Commonwealth should not be in the business of both regulating and selling alcohol, which is an inherent conflict of interest, and this legislation puts the sale of this product in the hands of those who do business best – the private sector.”
House Bill 466 seeks to remove state control from both the wholesale and retail sales of alcohol, thereby removing the monopoly that has existed since the end of Prohibition in 1933.
Under the legislation, the private sector would take control of the sales of wine and spirits through licenses, and state stores would gradually close. It is estimated that this switch to the private market would reap close to $1 billion in revenue, to be enhanced by renewable license fees, continuation of current alcohol taxes and recaptured sales in neighboring states.
The legislation focuses on helping small businesses that want to enter the market, while strengthening enforcement to ensure that alcohol laws are strictly adhered to and assisting current state store employees with new opportunities.
To view Nesbit’s video comments,
click on this link.
The legislation now moves to the state Senate for its consideration.
Representative Tedd Nesbit
8th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Keaton
(717) 705-2094
jkeaton@pahousegop.com
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