Alabamians should be able to soon order cases of their favorite alcoholic beverages legally delivered to their homes as a home alcohol delivery bill has been sent to the governor’s desk.
Tuesday, the Alabama Senate voted to concur with changes made to the home delivery bill on Thursday by the Alabama House of Representatives. The bipartisan legislation will allow businesses to purchase a license from the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to deliver beer, wine and hard liquor to Alabama residents.
Senate Bill 126 is sponsored by state Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia, and was carried on the floor of the Alabama House by Rep. Gil Isbell, R-Gadsden, who had introduced the House version of the bill.
The bill was amended in the House to allow brewpubs and distilleries that are authorized to serve on-site to make home deliveries. They would be limited to the amount of alcohol that they are authorized to sell on site.
The ABC Board will license companies to deliver within the state of Alabama. Businesses would be limited to delivering no more than 75 miles from the business, and they cannot cross state lines. Isbell said that the deliveries would be limited to up to five cases of beer and up to 12 bottles of wine.
Opponents expressed fears that the legislation could lead to the increase of alcoholism in Alabama.
Applicants will have to pay $100 to apply for an alcohol delivery license and $200 a year to maintain their license.
Drivers cannot deliver alcohol to a home if no one is there, to anyone under 21 years of age or to persons who are obviously already intoxicated. The driver will have to take that alcohol back to the business from which it came.
The alcohol customers must provide the driver with a copy of their driver’s license, which will be scanned in for the company records. There will be no deliveries to dry counties, though drivers may drive through a dry county.
Waggoner and Isbel have been working to pass this legislation for the last three years.
SB126 is now on Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk, and she can either sign the bill into law or veto it and send it back to the Legislature.
Wednesday will the 20th legislative day of the 2021 Legislative Session. The Alabama Constitution of 1901 limits the Legislature’s regular session to just 30 legislative days in a 105-calendar-day period.
