Yesterday I blogged about the Budget Reform and Accountability Commission’s recommendations regarding North Carolina’s ABC system. That wasn’t the only group looking at ABC reform proposals yesterday, however.
A legislative committee created to craft ABC reform legislation also met yesterday and came up withsome similar, although watered down, recommendations.
Lawmakers on Wednesday stripped out some of the toughest measures from a package of new laws governing the state’s liquor store system.
“We gutted it,” said Sen. Dan Clodfelter, a Charlotte Democrat who was critical of the changes. He cast the lone “no” vote on the legislation approved by a special committee focused on the Alcoholic Beverage Control system.
The committee cut a requirement that members of local ABC boards must follow the state ethics law, even though a primary task assigned to the group was to craft a bill establishing statewide ethical standards.
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The committee instead voted to put county boards of commissioners and city councils in charge of fixing the problems.
The committee also sliced out a measure that would empower the state ABC Commission to take steps to improve an unprofitable or minimally profitable liquor store.
As for privatizing liquor sales in North Carolina, Civitas Institute polling suggests that voters are pretty evenly split on the idea.
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