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

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.