[MKOB] Fwd: Free The Hops 2010 Legislative Agenda

[Larry Hartzog]

> I am proud of my Homies. Give em hell Bama !
>
>
>> F.Y.I.
>> Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
>>
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Free The Hops 2010 Legislative Agenda
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Dear J,
>>
>> Supporters of Free The Hops:
>>
>> We told you we weren't going to stop with ABV.  While that was the  
>> original cause that inspired the formation of our organization,  
>> there are too many ridiculous beer laws on the books in this state  
>> that must be changed to bring us up to date with many other states  
>> where beer culture flourishes.
>>
>> After collecting a tremendous amount of input on both the  
>> priorities of our supporters and on the political realities of  
>> 2010, and after extensive consideration and discussion, the FTH  
>> Board of Directors has decided our organization should pursue a  
>> combined agenda of Brewery and Brewpub reform next year.
>>
>> This was a very difficult decision because a plurality (though not  
>> quite a majority) of you voted for "container limit" as your top  
>> priority among the remaining laws FTH intends to address.  And we  
>> all desperately want to get that limit raised as soon as possible  
>> because of the huge number of great beers that are only available  
>> in bottles larger than 16 oz.  Some breweries will continue to  
>> refuse to distribute in this state as long as that restriction  
>> remains on the books.
>>
>> But the extensive research we did prior to making this decision led  
>> us to the conclusion that a bill addressing the container limit  
>> would have essentially no chance to pass in 2010.  The number one  
>> reason for that is it will be an election year.  Every single state  
>> legislator (except a couple who intend to retire) will be running  
>> for reelection next year.  And though we all know how baseless  
>> drunk-driving-related fears are when applied to the types of  
>> products FTH focuses on, no campaigning legislator is going to want  
>> to open himself up to possible criticisms of that nature.
>>
>> In contrast, a bill addressing restrictions on breweries and  
>> brewpubs would not expand the availability, portability, or  
>> strength of beer in any way.  Its only effect would be to help  
>> Alabama small businesses -- something that will be far easier for  
>> legislators to support in an election year.
>>
>> A bill designed to make it easier to open and more profitable to  
>> operate a brewery or brewpub in Alabama is a noble endeavor that  
>> will make more locally brewed beers available to the residents of  
>> Alabama.  We have a chance to provide a huge boost to the Alabama  
>> brewing industry, which is entirely owned and operated by our  
>> friends and neighbors.  And once we succeed in these reforms, many  
>> more of your friends and neighbors will find the numbers add up for  
>> them to start a local brewery.  This bill could be a tremendous  
>> step towards advancing beer culture in our state.
>>
>> This is a pretty complicated issue, so we don't yet have all the  
>> specifics for you.  It will take some time to draft a bill and once  
>> complete, that bill will be far more complex than our ABV bill.
>>
>> We can say that some of our objectives include legalizing tastings  
>> and some manner of sales by breweries directly to consumers, and we  
>> would like to see the hurdles to opening a brewpub significantly  
>> reduced as well as allowing brewpubs to participate in special  
>> events off-premises.  There are many ways these objectives could be  
>> met, and the exact approach that will prove most feasible will be  
>> determined through further discussions with businesses who will be  
>> affected by the changes: breweries, brewpubs, and beer wholesalers.
>>
>> But don't let the complexity of this issue fool you; the end result  
>> will be more and better beer available in Alabama.  And more  
>> importantly, it will be local beer.  The end result be a thriving,  
>> growing local brewing industry that Alabamians can be proud of.  We  
>> hope your support of our bill next year will be just as dedicated  
>> as it was when you helped us pass our ABV bill earlier this year.   
>> We'll need your emails, letters, and phone calls just as much in  
>> our next effort as we have in the past.
>>
>> Thank you for your support.
>>
>> Danner Kline, Founder
>> Free The Hops
>>
>> Quick Links...
>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> Free The Hops
>> The HOPS Community
>> Join or Renew Your Membership
>> FTH Blog
>> Forward email
>>
>> This email was sent to jmazz at knology.net by danner at freethehops.org.
>> Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with  
>> SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
>> Email Marketing by
>>
>> Free The Hops | PO Box 660068 | Vestavia Hills | AL | 35266
>>
>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.swampgas.com/pipermail/mkob-announce/attachments/20091030/1cf221e1/attachment.htm