Support OLCC Legislation

Support legislation that will expand Oregon Liquor Control Commission ability to address problem liquor establishments.

The House of Representatives will be voting on HB – 3201-1A on Tuesday May 5th, 2009.

WHAT IS HB 3201-A?
This bill provides the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) with the ability to impose restrictions on a liquor license if an establishment is deemed to be having serious or persistent problems. This new tool will enable communities, the OLCC and establishments to work together to gain control of issues before they get out of hand.

WHY DO WE NEED HB 3201-A?
Currently, state laws allow for a history of “serious and persistent” problems at a liquor establishment to be used as grounds for suspension or cancellation of a liquor license. The specific definition associated with “serious and persistent,” however, has only been vaguely defined. When a serious incident occurs at a liquor serving establishment, such as a shooting, stabbing, or sexual assault, often no administrative action is taken. Similarly, when a bar has persistent problems involving livability that do not result in serious harm, no administrative action can address them. The bar for “serious and persistent” has been set too high.

A small minority of problem liquor establishments demand a disproportionate amount of local and state resources to respond to these issues. Such cases can have a significant negative impact on immediate neighbors, and the business community at large. Such cases, although few, need to be addressed in a more timely manner.

HB 3201-A puts a new tool in the OLCC’s enforcement toolbox by giving the agency the ability to place RESTRICTIONS on a liquor license as necessary in addressing a serious OR persistent problem. In practice, this will enable communities and the OLCC greater ability to work hand-in-hand with problem establishments to address an issue before it gets out of hand; resulting in an even greater burden to the surrounding communities, and eventually resulting in license cancellation.

The City of Portland recognizes liquor establishments as inherently welcoming to the public, as well as having the potential to greatly enrich the neighborhoods they serve. The City feels this change is essential to addressing problem locations more quickly to lessen the harm to their patrons and communities and the businesses themselves.

You may view the bill by clicking on this link:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measpdf/hb3200.dir/hb3201.a.pdf

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
HB 3201-A has moved out of the House Business and Labor Committee and will be coming before the House of Representatives for a floor vote on May 5th. What can you do?

Call or email your legislator! Contact your elected Representative and let them know that you care about HB 3201-A and want to see it pass. If you choose to email your state Representative, please copy Matt Jaffe from the City’s Office of Government Relations at matthew.jaffe@ci.portlandor.us. Don’t know who your state Representative is or need their contact information? You can find all of that here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

Thank Legislators for their support! HB 3201-A is sponsored by Representative Kotek, Representative Esquivel, and Representative Shields. Please take a moment to thank these legislators for their support of HB 3201-A. Contact information for these legislators may be found on the legislative website at: http://www.leg.state.or.us/house/

If you have any questions or would like a sample letter of support and/or a one-page summary of the bill, please call or email Matt Jaffe in the Office of Government Relations. His email address is matthew.jaffe@ci.portlandor.us and phone number is (503) 823-8450. Additionally, please send Matt a copy of any e-mail and/or support letters you send to legislators. Thank you!

Theresa Marchetti
Liquor Licensing Specialist – ONI
1221 SW 4th Ave Ste 110
Portland OR 97204
503-823-3092

- Posted by Ron Walters