What's happening
This bill amends tax and alcoholic beverage control laws to include mead and mead producers in certain wine and alcohol regulations.
Why it matters
Expands business opportunities for mead producers. by giving them access to the same tax exemptions and tasting event privileges currently available to wine, beer, cider, and liquor producers, potentially fostering growth in New York’s mead industry.
Allows for combined farm manufacturer licenses. that now include farm meaderies, enabling producers to operate multiple related alcohol-making businesses under a single license, which can lower administrative barriers and encourage product diversification.
Provides equal treatment for mead at tastings and events. , allowing mead and mead products to be offered in the same way as wine, beer, and cider, which can increase consumer exposure and support agritourism.
Promotes agricultural development and diversification. by recognizing mead (a honey-based product) in state law, which could benefit local beekeepers and support broader agricultural sustainability efforts.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Tax Mead Like Wine
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Signed chap.198
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading cal.155
- Substituted for A3635
- Referred to economic development
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.17
- Referred to rules
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Tax Mead Like Other Alcohol
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Robin Schimminger
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1263
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2019
Introduced by Sen. METZGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the tax law and the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to mead
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 420 of the tax law, as amended by chapter 29 of the laws of 1939, is amended to read as follows:
6. "Wines" mean and include wine (both still and sparkling and when fortified by the addition of alcohol or spirits), mead as defined in section three of the alcoholic beverage control law, fruit juice containing one-half of one per centum or more of alcohol by volume and all other beverages containing alcohol manufactured or produced by the fermentation of the natural sugar contents of fruits or other agricultural products containing sugar, provided the foregoing contain not more than twenty-four per centum of alcohol by volume, but shall not mean or include cider containing three and two-tenths per centum, or less, of alcohol by volume.
§ 2. Paragraph 33 of subdivision (a) of section 1115 of the tax law, as amended by chapter 418 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
(33) Wine or wine product, beer or beer product, cider or cider product, liquor or liquor product, mead or mead product, and the kegs, cans, bottles, growlers, corks, caps, and labels used to package such alcoholic product, furnished by the official agent of a farm winery, winery, brewery, farm brewery, cider producer, farm cidery, distillery, farm distillery, mead producer, farm meadery, wholesaler, or importer at a [wine, beer, cider or liquor] tasting held in accordance with the alcoholic beverage control law to a customer or prospective customer who consumes such wine, beer, cider [or], liquor or mead at such tasting.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07021-01-9
S. 1263 2
§ 3. Subdivision 4 of section 61-a of the alcoholic beverage control law, as added by chapter 297 of the laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows:
4. A combined farm manufacturer's license may combine two or more of the following licenses: farm meadery; farm brewery; micro-brewery; farm cidery; farm winery; micro-distillery; micro-rectifier; and farm distillery. Provided, however, that the licensed premises for a combined farm manufacturer's license that includes a farm winery license must be located on a farm.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as chapter 522 of the laws of 2018 takes effect.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the tax law and the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to mead
Purpose
This is a chapter amendment that makes changes to provisions of L.2018, c.522, to make conforming changes to the alcohol beverage control law.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the chapter amendment amends section 420 of the tax law to amend the definition of wine to include mead products.
Section 2 of the chapter amendment amends section 1115 of the tax law which sets the rules on taxing sales at tastings to ensure mead and meaderies are treated consistently with other alcohol products and producers.
Section 3 of the chapter amendment section 61-a of the alcohol beverage control law to include meadery licenses into the combined farm manufac- turer license.
Section 4 of the chapter amendment establishes an effective date.
Existing law
The new article 3 of the alcoholic beverage control (ABC) law governs provisions related to the manufacturing and distribution of mead and braggot in New York. Section 420 of the tax law includes the definition of products for purposes of the imposition of taxes on alcoholic products. Section 1115 of the tax law governs which products are exempted from the sales tax. Section 61-a of the alcoholic beverage control law governs the procedures for obtaining a combined craft manufacturers license.
Justification
Concerns were raised by the Executive that conforming changes to the alcohol beverage control law were necessary to ensure that farm meader- ies and mead products would be treated similarly to other farm alcohol products.
Legislative history
Chapter amendment to Chapter 522 of the Laws of 2018. S.8560-A which passed the Senate on June 14, 2018 and A.11113 which passed the Assembly in June 20 of 2018.
Fiscal implications
Undetermined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2018, amending the alcoholic beverage control law relating to the production and control of mead, as proposed in legisla- tive bills number S. 8560-A and A. 11113, takes effect.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.