Archive for the ‘H.R. 5034’ Category
The beer and wine wholesalers supporting H.R. 5034, a bill now in the House of Representatives that, if passed, would pave the way for direct shipping rights to be taken away and give wholesalers free reign to push through any number of discriminatory state laws that favor their business, have been relatively quiet in the news media about their attempt to take control of the alcohol distribution and sales industry via federal legislation. However, careful searches on the Internet do…
Over the course of the past month or so I've been involved in helping generate opposition to H.R 5034, a bill promoted by alcohol wholesalers that paves the way for states to pass discriminatory legislation that would harm wineries, retailers and consumer access to wine. My involvement has been on behalf of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association, an organization of wine retailers, wine clubs and auction houses across the country that work to open more states for retailer to consumer…
In 2010, when the efficient and robust interstate movement of goods has become so central to the economy of the United States and to the profitability of nearly every industry, should states be given constitutional protection for laws that intend to restrict interstate commerce? Put another way and with H.R 5034 in mind, should Congress insert itself into an inter-industry disagreement over the meaning of a changing marketplace for wine by giving proponents of state-based discrimination the tools to eviscerate…
The saying goes, "You dance with the one that brung ya." Applied to politics, this generally means an elected official supports the causes of those that supported him. These days, "support" means campaign contributions. But I'm not convinced that the specter of an elected official doing the bidding of his contributors is the most insidious thing about the the ethical moshpit that is the current system of campaign finance, nor do I think campaign contributions equate to support for the…
The movement to oppose H.R. 5034 has another tool in its shed: HTTP://WWW.STOPHR5034.ORG The new website is dedicated to educating those who oppose this wholesaler-created bill that will severely endanger direct shipping rights for retailers, wineries and consumers as well as put nearly all discriminatory state alcohol regulations outside the orbit of Constitutional principles. Created and maintained by the Specialty Wine Retailers Association, StopHR5034.Org gives opponents of the bill the option to: 1. Sign Up for Alerts and Updates on…
