Bill Text - HB1198 (2024)

Relative to liquor stores.

Revision: Dec. 1, 2023, 3:04 p.m.

HB 1198-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2024 SESSION

24-2440

08/02

 

HOUSE BILL 1198-FN

 

AN ACT relative to liquor stores.  

 

SPONSORS: Rep. Horrigan, Straf. 10

 

COMMITTEE: Commerce and Consumer Affairs

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill authorizes the liquor commission to open certain state liquor stores on Sundays or legal holidays.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

24-2440

08/02

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four

 

AN ACT relative to liquor stores.  

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  Sunday and Holiday Openings.  Amend RSA 177:5 to read as follows:

177:5 Sunday and Holiday Openings. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commission may, in its discretion, open for business on any Sunday or legal holiday any state liquor store located on a main route where traffic is heavy[; provided, however, that no state liquor store may be opened for business at any time on Easter or Thanksgiving day, whenever appointed, and Christmas day]. Although full-time employees shall be given the option of working, no such employee shall be required to work on such days. The commission may employ part-time employees, subject to the rules of the director of personnel, to staff stores open on Sundays or holidays. Any full-time employee who works on such days shall be paid 1-1/2 times the employee's regular rate of pay for the actual number of hours worked.

2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

 

LBA

24-2440

11/28/23

 

HB 1198-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT relative to liquor stores.  

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

Estimated State Impact - Increase / (Decrease)

 

FY 2024

FY 2025

FY 2026

FY 2027

Revenue

$0

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Revenue Fund(s)

Liquor Fund

 

Expenditures

$0

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Indeterminable Increase

Funding Source(s)

Liquor Fund

 

Appropriations

$0

$0

$0

$0

Funding Source(s)

None

 

• Does this bill provide sufficient funding to cover estimated expenditures? [X] N/A

• Does this bill authorize new positions to implement this bill? [X] No

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill authorizes the liquor commission to open certain state liquor stores on legal holidays. The Liquor Commission provided the following information and assumptions concerning the fiscal impact of the bill:

 

  • Liquor stores are currently not open on Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas.  This bill provides the Commission the option to open stores on Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

  • It is difficult to estimate the additional sales revenue from opening stores on Thanksgiving and Christmas since stores have not been open on these dates in the past. It is unknown if sales would increase or existing sales would shift away from the days leading up to the holidays.

 

  • If the stores were open on these holidays, there would be additional overhead costs, specifically additional payroll costs to staff the stores.  It is not known if the additional sales would be sufficient to offset the additional costs.

 

  • The Commission states gross sales for a Sunday in March and April 2023 was approximately $1 million.

 

  • Commission employees are paid time and one-half for hours worked on a Sunday.  Based on an average of $20 per hour, the Commission estimated an average cost of $53,010/store for Sunday (These figures were developed for an estimate related to the Easter holiday which is on a Sunday and the costs have increased due to the pay raise provided to state employees).

 

 

The Commission states that sales leading up to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are  robust, but they do not anticipate such sales on these days if stores are open on the holidays.  Though the potential exists that opening on Easter would generate more revenue than the cost to open stores, the Commission is not able to predict the impact on sales if open on Easter.  The Commission concludes it is not able to determine if opening certain stores on legal holidays will generate enough additional revenue to cover the increased costs.

 

It is assumed that any fiscal impact would occur after FY 2024.

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Liquor Commission