PASS S-3038 / A-4630 ASAP!!!

Craft breweries in New Jersey need your help immediately!!! The NJ Division of Alcohol Beverage Control (NJABC) is poised to reimpose harmful craft brewery license restrictions on July 1st with the renewal of each brewery’s annual state-issued license. These restrictions will continue to jeopardize the livelihood of each of these small businesses, as well as the future of craft beer in the Garden State. With this deadline looming, and alcohol regulators pointing to existing state craft brewery laws as the reason for these restrictions, legislation needs to be advanced by the Legislature and signed by the Governor this spring to avoid a rash of brewery closures this summer. To fix these restrictions, the Guild is asking you to support Senate Bill 3038 / Assembly Bill 4630 (S-3038/A-4630).

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The potential of brewery closures statewide is real. With some breweries’ revenues down as much as 40% over the last year directly due to these restrictions, another year under these arbitrary limits would spell doom for many craft breweries. Beyond the breweries themselves, several local communities and other businesses which benefit from having one or more breweries in their town will be impacted economically. Local charities and non-profits which regularly leverage the appeal and fundraising prowess of state craft breweries will see the money raised from brewery-related events drastically diminished. Residents around New Jersey, including brewery employees, their families, and the fans of local craft beer who live in every legislative district in the state, will immediately feel the severe negative impacts of inaction if legislation is not passed in the next six weeks.

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Overall, S-3038/A-4630 will give breweries a set of specific rights and privileges which mirror those allowed for our competitors in border states where their respective craft beer industries have flourished, not been hampered, because of their states’ craft beer laws. This legislation has been crafted with both the immediate and long-term needs of New Jersey’s industry in mind, allowing it to recover from the impacts of state-imposed restrictions in the near term, while giving it the space and opportunities to grow in years to come. With the continuation of restrictions for craft breweries on the horizon this July, time is of the essence. Now is the time to support S-3038/A-4630 to fix our state’s craft brewery laws. Put S-3038/A-4630 On Tap and Pass It ASAP!!!