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Several laws are now in effect that impact the sale, possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages.
HB 269 - increases the criminal penalties for the sale of alcohol in dry areas. Before the enactment of HB 269, a bootlegger (an offender selling alcohol in a dry area) was only ticketed and subject to a minimal fine. Since there were no additional penalties for committing the crime multiple times, a bootlegger may have considered the penalty an insignificant fee and continued the profitable offense of bootlegging.
HB 269 amends the Alcoholic Beverage Code to make it a class B misdemeanor (up to 180 days in jail and/or a maximum fine of $2,000) for a person in a dry area to sell, distill, import, warehouse or take orders for alcohol with the intent to sell. If a defendant is shown to have been convicted two or more times, the next offense is a state-jail felony (180 days to two years in a state jail and an optional fine of up to $10,000.)
HB 688 - The possession or consumption of alcohol or the sale of alcohol near a public school has long been illegal. HB 688 extends limitations on the possession, consumption, and sale of alcohol to include areas near private and parochial schools.
HB 1806 - A person applying for a permit or license for liquor sales submitted to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) has been required to post a sign on the premises noting the pending request to the TABC for a liquor permit or license. However, new requests may have gone unnoticed if the property had not been used for a long period of time or if there was no pedestrian traffic where the sign was posted. HB 1806 requires a person who applies for a permit or license with the TABC to give written notice of the application to the surrounding residential properties within 300 feet of the property line of the property for which the license or permit is sought.
HB 2331 - Increases the time that a retail license or permit could be canceled or suspended for selling alcohol to minors from 60 days to 90 days. For a second offense, a license or permit can be canceled or suspended for up to six months.
January 2002 is School Board Recognition Month, with a goal of building awareness of the crucial role an elected board of trustees plays in our communities and schools. Show your school board members you appreciate their dedication and hard work. They are extraordinary people who voluntarily tackle the enormous job of governing school districts. Their actions and decisions affect the present and future lives of our children.
State Representative Ron Clark
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768-2910
(903) 893-9426 * (512) 463-0474
(512) 475-3767 (fax)
ron.clark@house.state.tx.us
http://www.grayson.edu/district62/RonClark.html
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