The committee approved an amendment that expands conditions under which the Department of Revenue and Taxation's Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) board may approve additional nontransferable on-sale general licenses for hotels and retail businesses that meet high investment and employment thresholds.

Senator Saint Augustine, sponsor of the amendment, said the change would help new or expanding large retail projects that invest heavily and create hundreds of local jobs. The amendment allows a nontransferable on-sale general license for a retail business that has invested at least $5,000,000 in new construction and will employ 150 or more people, subject to ABC board procedures including public hearings and community impact assessments.

Opponents, including Senator Parish and Senator Terlahi, objected that the amendment is a substantive policy change that had not had a new public hearing in its current form and that it affects island-wide alcohol licensing policy. "To me, this is a policy that needs to have its public hearing," Parish said, citing concerns about increasing alcohol access and the breadth of the change. The chair initially ruled the amendment out of order, but the committee overruled that decision and adopted the amendment after further debate.

Supporters said the provision had been included in a prior budget and that local ABC board staff had indicated the amendment responds to an expiring provision and to current investment proposals. After the committee overruled the chair's procedural ruling, the amendment passed.

What happens next: The amendment becomes part of the pending budget bill; proponents said the ABC board will follow statutory notice and public hearing requirements before issuing any license under the new criteria. Opponents said they may seek separate hearings or future clarification because the change modifies longstanding licensing rules.