StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/42062
ment for us to offer in-store kiosks with new product infor- mation, drink recipes, and social responsibility messages. The ISLD partnered with Pernod Ricard on a statewide television campaign promoting social respon- sibility and the prevention of underage drinking. Thanks to David Jackson at PR! The ISLD continues to refine our focus on respon- sibly delivering the highest level of customer service to the people of Idaho. Iowa Stephen Larson Administrator, Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division Spring may be the sea- son of change and new birth, but at the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division the entire year has been filled with changes and new things. New customers, laws, technologies and records have been keeping the IABD staff very busy. New Customers During the 2011 session of the Iowa General Assembly, the legislature, authorized the issuance of class "E" liquor licenses to businesses where gasoline is sold. A class "E" license allows commercial establishments to sell spirits for off-premises consumption in original, unopened containers. Prior to this legislation, gas sta- tions were required to have a separate, enclosed room with its own cash register in order to obtain a license to sell spirits. An independent and higher fee schedule was established as well. Over 100 convenience stores and gas stations have already been licensed and the IABD expects a total of 200 new licensees within the first year. New Records The IABD closed out Fiscal Year 2011 by setting two new major records. The agency sold over $220 million in spirits, breaking the previous year's record by over $10 mil- lion. In addition to revenue from spirits profits, funds gen- erated by excise taxes on wine and beer, license fees and civil penalties translated into a general fund transfer of over $106 million for the first time in a single fiscal year. The majority of this money will be used as general funding to be appropriated by the legislature for a variety of state pro- grams. Additional funds are earmarked for substance abuse, city and county programs. The remaining funds will be used for Iowa native wine and beer promotion. New Laws The 2011 Iowa legislative session made many 16 changes that impact the IABD and liquor licensees. A new law clearly defines how and when a licensed retail- er can deliver alcoholic beverages to customers. Unopened containers of alcohol for personal use may be delivered seven days a week, until 10:00 PM. Both the individual making the delivery and the person receiving the product must be at least 21 years old. Proof of the recipient's identity and age, as well as their signature, are a condition of delivery. The IABD has been mandated to implement a statewide alcohol compliance employee training pro- gram. The online training will inform participants about state and federal laws regarding the sale of alcoholic bev- erages. Participants must pass a final test to receive a certificate of completion. To encourage retailers to require their employees to enroll in the training, law- makers included an affirmative defense incentive, which may be used once in a four-year period to avoid civil prosecution if a sale-to-minor violation occurs in their establishment. The legislature modified the definition of high alcohol content beer to prohibit the addition of caffeine and other stimulants, effectively banning high-proof alcoholic energy drinks in Iowa. Wine manufacturers may now enter into alternating proprietorship arrange- ments, subject to federal approval and the provisions of Iowa law. Additionally, lawmakers removed the exception to open records laws from IABD's sales data. As I mentioned above, the legislature also removed some restrictions from convenience stores selling spirits and set a fee structure for these licensees. Additional leg- islation made the code easier to understand by removing obsolete provisions and consolidating definitions into one section. New Technology The IABD is developing mobile tags to direct users to supplemental and related content on IowaABD.com. Tags are scanned by smart phone users to access mobile content. These will be used as a quick way to access essential information like pricing and delivery schedules when customers are on the go. Also new this summer is Robocom, a warehouse management system. In the very near future, we will have full implementation of the system and licensees will begin to see the benefits. The system will enable cus- tomers to place regular and special orders through a web-based store, create order templates and view monthly specials, which will allow businesses greater control in inventory, customer choice and savings. Conclusion This past year has brought many changes to the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division and the alcohol industry in the state. The staff has been very busy with new customers, new laws, new technology and setting new records. We are looking forward to many more new things to come in 2012. StateWays s www.stateways.com s September/October 2011