House committee advances bill to bar new hard‑liquor licenses after grocery expansions

The House Business and Labor Committee advanced Senate Bill 33, which would bar future issuance of new hard‑liquor licenses, after an hours‑long hearing that featured divided testimony from independent liquor‑store owners, grocery and retail trade groups, distillers and craft producers.

Supporters said the measure is aimed at reversing market changes they say followed Proposition 125 in 2022 and at protecting small, family‑owned liquor retailers and Colorado craft producers. "The laws that we have passed through this building have been truly detrimental to our small business owners, especially a small liquor store," Representative Weinberg told the committee during opening remarks.

The bill's backers told the panel that Colorado's 2016 compromise allowing grocery stores a phased expansion of beer and wine sales was meant to give independent stores time to adjust, but that later ballot changes and grocery chain actions destroyed the guarantees small stores were said to have relied on. Josh Robinson, owner of Argonaut Wine and Liquor, told lawmakers his store lost about 35% of revenue since the change and that independent stores were closing at a historic rate. Bruce Dierking, owner of Hazel's in Boulder, said the bill would not strip licenses already issued but would halt further expansion.

Retail and big‑box proponents and trade groups testified in opposition, arguing the bill would roll back choices voters made and penalize consumers. Ray Rivera, director of Coloradans for Consumer Choice, said in testimony that the measure "undermines the will of the voters" and that large retailers have invested millions in buyouts and compliance. Ainsley Gillerano of the Distilled Spirits Council and representatives of retail and grocery trade associations warned that SB 33 would reduce market access for spirits producers and could concentrate sales in a few national brands.

Committee members heard detail and anecdote from both sides: small retailers described lost foot traffic, lower SKUs for local producers and layoffs; grocery and retail witnesses highlighted buyouts and investments, and said chains provide convenience and safety measures. Distillers, vintners and craft distributors told the panel that independent retailers are the primary channel for many Colorado producers, and that supermarket shelving tends to favor mass‑market national brands.

At the meeting's conclusion sponsors asked that SB 33 be sent to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation. The committee voted to advance the bill; the roll call shows the motion passed unanimously during that session.

What happens next: SB 33 will go to the Appropriations Committee where lawmakers will weigh budgetary and implementation impacts, and sponsors indicated they expect additional stakeholder negotiations.

Votes at a glance

- Committee motion: Move SB 33 to the Committee on Appropriations with a favorable recommendation. Outcome: passed unanimously (committee tally announced in the hearing).