Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law Friday that toughens oversight and enforcement of shipping wine into Illinois and transporting alcohol across state lines.
It’s a win for Illinois alcohol wholesalers who lobbied for the passage of Senate Bill 2989, sponsored by state Sen. James Clayborne, D-East Saint Louis. The bill enhances penalties on those illegally shipping or transporting alcohol into the state. It also raises licensing fees across the board for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, and establishes more of an audit process for booze coming into the state.
But the bill had detractors, too, particularly from residents who purchased hard-to-find wine from out-of-state retailers. An online petition calling on Rauner to veto the bill garnered more than 1,500 supporters. Retailers aren’t permitted to ship into Illinois, though some still do, but wineries are allowed to do so if licensed with the state. Now, retailers who take the risk could face felony charges.
Representatives of Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois, a trade group funded by the state’s two largest wholesalers, Breakthru Beverage Group and Southern Wine & Spirits, have said the bill will bring in more revenue that will help the state’s oversight of bootleggers and “bad actors” of e-commerce.
“(The bill) protects the health and safety of Illinois consumers by promoting compliance with state law. It also gives the Illinois Liquor Control Commission the resources it needs to prevent out-of-state suppliers from taking advantage of a loophole that allowed them to direct ship wine into Illinois without paying taxes,” said Karin Lijana Matura, executive director of Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois, in a statement Friday.
Some opponents of the bill argued the opposite. By prohibiting out-of-state retailers from shipping into Illinois, the state is missing out on “millions of dollars” in tax revenue and licensing fees, said Tom Wark, executive director of the National Association of Wine Retailers, in an interview earlier this week.
“(The bill) protects the health and safety of Illinois consumers by promoting compliance with state law.”
Don’t you think your fine legislators have the concern for the Illinois consumers first &
foremost in their priorities?? Do you have any idea how many people around the country
are keeling over & croaking from lethal Carlisle & Bedrock wines?? It must number in
the millions.
Tom
Fortunately, there’s a store just across the WI border where you can rent a PMB and have your wine signed for and held for pickup. Their prices are low and the staff is pretty helpful. If anyone is interested, here’s their website: http://www.ampc.org/store/525/
Forget the 30-40 murders that take place each and every weekend in Chicago…focus on those dangerous out of state retailers. Good to see Illinois has it’s priorities in order
The basic assumption when dealing with politicians is simple. Assume they are ON THE TAKE. Don’t assume they work for the people until proven otherwise.
You left out Colt, Smith & Wesson, Beretta, HK, Glock, etc. along with the various explosives manufacturers/retailers, drug precursor manufacturers/retailers, bulk ammunition and reloading supply manufacturers/retailers.
So let me see if I’m understanding this correctly; IL does not allow out of state retailers to ship alcohol into the state, but does allow in-state retailers to ship out of state? Something about the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution comes to mind.
Hasn’t bothered several states who play that game. Technically, we can only ship to 13 states but any state can ship wine to CA. We can obtain licenses to ship to 4 additional states and the independent republic of Texas if we obtain “physical presence in a wet county” if approved by the voters of that county.
Free enterprise:
free en·ter·prise
noun
an economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control. An oxymoron. A system once used by the United States until large corporations purchased politicians to outlaw free enterprise.