[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6118915,"mediaKeyId","2715510-132b98f7ad4d9ef775a7023b317f35d6","parentId",2715510,"title","Committee approves narrow exemption to let certain private clubs buy directly from small breweries","audioSeconds",788,"startMs",51000,"endMs",839000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2715510-132b98f7ad4d9ef775a7023b317f35d6&start=51&end=839","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2715510-132b98f7ad4d9ef775a7023b317f35d6/thumbnail_51000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6118915/Arkansas/Committee-approves-narrow-exemption-to-let-certain-private-clubs-buy-directly-from-small-breweries","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118915-731f3874647ed1cdce8b1ea4ea81e18b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150185&Signature=AoXzTSMW5sIjj3KwRkK7cdPczXBC3wDoOacwrPSkZyaIGcvPXzGAB7ycQ9vEGwrkzFwQNFqtC6KThXD4hLhme-7~t18my4F4LNWymgQbUudedIaU9Zt1jpQ9osHl1dVqoIZ7tCSjqyZiikEjqx0I5oao97oJiO~zKXJ2tvMruJ6j5TGywERTOTY6sgi7bxpZTBIt-QrxvCQjbdumQt93K5rRRps4N3~1iDD4QIttfiaOrq2P0cjEMRbQ1ESTIi-ccn1uEO1D-dQNvujq8SgzCdhwMOOAXqtM1agravxkwJnc-YhhMMUemN-~Vu5AbP3bFXWeJQAN9gHw6brMlnOLFw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Arkansas Legislature","date","2025-03-20T00:00:00Z","article","Representative Aaron Pilkington, sponsor and a member of the Arkansas House, asked the House Rules Committee to give House Bill 14‑45 a due‑pass recommendation. The bill would allow certain private clubs to purchase beer directly from holders of a small brewery permit if the club is in an entertainment district of an adjacent county and enters an exclusive agreement to sell only that brewery’s product.

“Essentially, this is a constituent driven bill,” Representative Aaron Pilkington said, describing a farm‑to‑table restaurant tied to a local farm, Preston Rose, that wants to sell beer brewed in Arkansas at a reasonable price as part of a downtown Clarksville renovation project. Pilkington said the measure is narrowly tailored to preserve the state’s three‑tier alcohol system while creating a limited path for a small producer to reach customers.

The bill drew committee questions about whether the legislation was written to help a single business and whether existing law already allows direct delivery. “So we’re writing state law to impact a single business,” the committee chair said during questioning. Pilkington replied that the bill currently applies to one known permit holder but could apply in future similar circumstances and that there is no existing administrative route through the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) division for the business to get the outcome it needs.

An ABC representative told the committee the agency was unaware of any longstanding allowance that would permit the direct deliveries at issue and asked for clarification on the question. Robbie Vogel, who identified himself as a dealer in Arkansas, told the committee that in this case the beer is brewed in a wet county and the intended customers are in a dry county, which he said explains part of the complication.

The bill requires a private club in an entertainment district of an adjacent county to agree to sell only the small brewery’s product (forgoing other brands) in order for the brewery to sell directly to that club. Pilkington said the limitation—adjacent county, entertainment district, private club, and exclusivity—was intentional to avoid broader disruption to the three‑tier system.

After questions and discussion, the committee voted by voice vote to give HB 14‑45 a due pass recommendation. The committee record shows the motion carried by voice vote; a roll call with counts was not recorded in the transcript.

If enacted, the bill would create a narrow statutory path for direct sales from a small brewery permit holder to a private club meeting the bill’s conditions. Committee members noted the measure addresses a concrete business case now and could apply to similar future situations that meet the narrow criteria.

Votes at a glance: The committee moved and approved a due‑pass recommendation by voice vote; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","HOUSE RULES March 20, 2025 12:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Representative Aaron Pilkington, sponsor and a member of the Arkansas House, asked the House Rules Committee to give House Bill 14‑45 a due‑pass recommendation.","taxTitle","HOUSE RULES, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas","taxId",25430,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6118905,"Sponsor withdraws school vaping bill after lengthy debate over fines and parental liability",1220,1476000,2696000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2715510-132b98f7ad4d9ef775a7023b317f35d6&start=1476&end=2696","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2715510-132b98f7ad4d9ef775a7023b317f35d6/thumbnail_1476000.jpg","/articles/6118905/Arkansas/Sponsor-withdraws-school-vaping-bill-after-lengthy-debate-over-fines-and-parental-liability","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118905-e8c3319e1f84e03f72cb1d79cebe1c77/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150185&Signature=VYhBpVruHmZkBOhUQ6V9YKUL-Z9jmkXw9JZSFvoc~XfqIiDFzfkiKhJ45R6b2qL3hDAfePrjCdmkbLq-A-fojl~G4ksxKVP0HErnQaZ8TvfTUFddiId1ETyLTt9QvLa8hMXAvnn18417GZvfKsrvfBh61-WZiUvjwgXI-zhZaVWn25WgdqPzBp1nlOM7ISv08lQZRZtKeDNEXTjeOiyG43~XmwG1X18Db8rHXizJDQB2vsoBgFzilCrQ73adVXt~uNESfU0ENM9tXhhEhuEO02Na2I9gflhKP-CXwFDd2THVTKDdJbuZCNnZVV4QCiqdXf7g77D9B3qDd-EciBOzXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Aaron Pilkington returned to the committee to present an amendment to legislation aimed at curbing vaping on school campuses. The amendment reduced proposed penalties and replaced criminal penalties with civil fines, which the sponsor said were intended to give parents “skin in the game” and increase parental engagement to curb student vaping.

Pilkington told the committee the amendment reduced prior penalties and removed criminal provisions so violations would be civil penalties. He said school administrators had asked for tools to address the issue, and that the sponsor intended fines to encourage parental involvement.

Committee members raised multiple concerns during extended discussion. Questions focused on whether fines should be assessed to parents, whether fines could create undue hardship for low‑income or single‑parent families, and whether a monetary penalty against a parent would actually change student behavior. Representative Moore asked whether a $250 penalty for a third offense was excessive given Arkansas’s median household income; Pilkington replied that he believed a $250 third‑offense fine was warranted. Other members warned the policy could be gamed by students or impose unfair burdens on families trying to manage difficult behavior.

Several members suggested making the monetary penalty permissive rather than mandatory or routing the bill through a different committee; Representative McKenzie urged a permissive approach to ensure administrators had options. After a lengthy debate, Representative Pilkington agreed to withdraw the bill from the committee’s consideration. The chair announced the bill would be pulled and the committee adjourned.

No committee vote on the amended bill was recorded; the sponsor chose to withdraw the measure rather than pursue a committee recommendation.

","Representative Aaron Pilkington presented an amended bill to address vaping on school grounds by creating a possession prohibition and monetary penalties. Committee members raised concerns about fairness, enforcement, and impacts on low‑income families; after extended questioning the sponsor agreed to pull the bill from consideration.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6118910,"Committee advances bill to create wine direct‑shipper license and regulate direct shipments to Arkansas residents",605,855000,1460000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2715510-132b98f7ad4d9ef775a7023b317f35d6&start=855&end=1460","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2715510-132b98f7ad4d9ef775a7023b317f35d6/thumbnail_855000.jpg","/articles/6118910/Arkansas/Committee-advances-bill-to-create-wine-directshipper-license-and-regulate-direct-shipments-to-Arkansas-residents","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6118910-48c56617ca1da282137296f6e93fdfb9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150185&Signature=iYeiTYmi-787mg3NcmybcURftN7RoqdsC~c9rW7BIsar~FTH4ObTig0sDwPeoQgDDRqFZqIVHQK1oHr91iNis5u~snMgjWUzMgFFBg2HatIQ7HvoIz4tu-9cHFIAkE-LT6kvjMMVkz0nejOhSNq3irh~Hc-ZSfJR6P38WA4vd5PXsh8TYUj0hqQ3Ub4dVL89gTgYG6N80BiWEs2Cbef8c32nKDppOff5GVr6RGtPfi3ZrdLDpc9I3Y22oxLVdvPTSq5OCT2Zs6v4gOFflRNjr2jzNtIx4SIqIUmlvChSraJXKga-8L9DXtpNaClXjmRW9GDeeWljppgbKFM~cXXYQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Bridal McKenzie presented House Bill 14‑76 to the House Rules Committee, saying the bill would modernize Arkansas’s direct‑shipment law by creating a wine direct‑shipper license and a regulatory framework for wineries and suppliers to ship wine directly to Arkansas consumers.

“This creates a wine direct shipper license,” Representative Bridal McKenzie said, explaining the licensing and reporting requirements and the fee structure. McKenzie told the committee the bill sets fees at $50 for initial registration and $25 for annual renewal, requires a signature by someone age 21 or older on delivery, and prohibits shipments into dry counties. The bill also requires direct shippers to collect applicable sales and excise taxes and to report annual shipping volumes to the ABC division.

McKenzie said the bill replaces an older registration system and is intended to bring Arkansas into alignment with most other states. “Arkansas is one of three states that remain in the union that don’t allow for any direct shipment of wine,” McKenzie said, arguing the measure would expand consumer access while preserving tax collection and underage‑sales safeguards.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about delivery verification, what wines would be eligible, and whether the bill had drawn opposition from wholesalers, retailers and wineries. McKenzie said the bill includes a brand registry intended to protect brands already handled under distribution agreements and that the measure is aimed principally at small producers and niche wines rather than mass‑market labels.

Robbie Vogel, who identified himself as the founder of Arkansas Wine and Spirits Wholesale, testified in support and thanked McKenzie for meeting stakeholders and producing what he called a “good compromise.” The committee adopted an amendment offered during the hearing; the sponsor explained the amendment was intended to address industry concerns raised during stakeholder meetings.

After discussion, the committee approved the bill as amended by voice vote and gave it a due‑pass recommendation. Committee members said the bill balances expanding consumer access with tax and compliance safeguards, and includes limits intended to prevent large‑scale direct shipments from undermining in‑state distribution.

Votes at a glance: Committee adopted an amendment by voice vote and then approved HB 14‑76 as amended by voice vote; the transcript records the actions as passed but does not list a roll‑call tally.

","House Bill 14‑76 would establish a wine direct‑shipper license, set modest fees, require tax and excise collection, limit quantities, and bar shipments into dry counties; the House Rules Committee gave the bill a due‑pass recommendation as amended.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves narrow exemption to let certain private clubs buy directly from small breweries

Sponsor withdraws school vaping bill after lengthy debate over fines and parental liability

Committee advances bill to create wine direct‑shipper license and regulate direct shipments to Arkansas residents