Revision: March 20, 2024, 4:50 p.m.
Rep. Hunt, Ches. 14
March 6, 2024
2024-0998h
05/06
Amendment to HB 1018
Amend the bill by replacing section 6 with the following:
6 Liquor Manufacturer License. Amend RSA 178:6, III-a to read as follows:
III-a. Each liquor manufacturer [distilling] licensed to distill less than 1,000 cases of liquor per year may sell at retail at its facility for off-premises consumption any of its liquor. Each retail sale shall be limited to one 9-liter case or less per sale. No liquor manufacturer [distilling] licensed to distill less than 1,000 cases of liquor per year shall sell more than 12 9-liter cases of liquor to any one customer in any calendar year.
Amend the bill by inserting after section 6 the following and renumbering the original section 7 to read as 8:
7 On-Premises Cigar, Beverage, and Liquor Licenses. Amend RSA 178:20-a to read as follows:
178:20-a On-Premises Cigar, Beverage, and Liquor Licenses.
I. The commission may issue a license to a person who operates a cigar bar as defined in this section and who holds a tobacco retailers license under RSA 178:19-a in any town which has voted to accept the provisions of RSA 663:5, I(b), (c), and (d). The license shall entitle the licensee to serve beverages containing at least 1/2 percent and not more than 6 percent alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit by the glass or other suitable container and by the bottle with the cork or cap removed; specialty beer in any suitable container; liquor containing more than 6 percent alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, by the glass or other suitable container; and wines, by the glass, by the bottle with the cork or cap removed; or other suitable container, under rules adopted by the commission.
II. In this section, "cigar bar" means a business that:
(a) Generates 60 percent or more of its quarterly gross revenue from the sale of cigar-related and hookah products, which is limited to cigars, humidors, cigar cutters, cigar cases, lighters, [and] ashtrays, hookah pipes, shisha tobacco, hookah accessories, and hookah pipe sessions or rentals for on-site use. Revenue from keno, mail order and Internet sales, as well as revenue generated from other tobacco sales in store, including cigarettes and loose tobacco sales, shall not be used to determine whether an establishment satisfies the definition of a cigar bar.
(b) Has a humidor or offers hookah pipes for on-site use on the premises.
(c) Does not allow any person under the age of 21 on the premises unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or adult spouse.
(d) Does not allow cigarette smoking or sale of food on the premises.
III. No beverage or liquor shall be consumed on the premises except that which is sold by the licensee.
IV. All applicants for employment at a cigar bar shall be presented with a written notice that states that working in a cigar bar has serious and permanent negative health effects, including, but not limited to, an increased risk of cancer and heart disease, and that no level of exposure to second-hand smoke is safe.
V. Establishments selling hookah products shall adhere to operating hours restrictions in RSA 179:17, II(b).
VI. The fee for an on-premises cigar, beverage, and liquor license shall be as determined in RSA 178:29, I.
2024-0998h
AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill makes changes to the laws relative to on-premise and off-premise liquor licenses, including the regulation of certain on-premises licensees which sell hookah products.