Committee considers third‑party alcohol delivery license after mother links deliveries to daughter’s death

The Minnesota Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee heard testimony Feb. 18 on Senate File 864, a bill that would create a third‑party delivery license for off‑sale liquor and require age verification, training and liability insurance for third‑party alcohol delivery services.

Senator Putnam, the bill’s author, told the committee, “This bill is complex, both practically and morally.” He said the measure aims to bring consistency and legal clarity to a delivery marketplace now dominated by platforms such as Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats, which the attorney general’s office has signaled are acting like retailers because receipts and charges are processed through the delivery platforms.

Wendy Manuel of Northfield, Minn., testified about her daughter Jacqueline’s death. Manuel said, “My…