Senate rejects bill to allow direct-to-consumer wine shipments, 25-21

The Mississippi Senate on deadline day debated and then rejected legislation to allow direct shipment of wine to state residents, a bill proponents said would let manufacturers ship products not carried in local package stores.

Senator Mark England, sponsor of the bill, told colleagues, “This is a bill that allows a direct shipment of wine to consumers in Mississippi,” and described requirements in his amendment that would limit direct shippers to wine manufacturers, require a state permit, require 21-and-older signature delivery and quarterly reporting to the Department of Revenue.

The bill drew extended floor debate over who would qualify to ship, how many cases a resident could receive annually, and whether the policy would harm local package stores. England said the strike-all amendment set a 12-case annual limit per address and required shippers to collect a Mississippi excise tax of 15.5 percent and remit information to the Department of Revenue. “One thing to point out is these wines never have to go through our ABC warehouses,” England said, arguing the state would gain direct revenue rather than losing it through out-of-state transactions.

Senators pressed the sponsor on enforcement, impacts in dry counties, and whether the changes would let out-of-state retailers circumvent state controls. Senator Michelle asked whether the bill would address instances where a winery ships a bottle without verifying a buyer’s age; England replied the bill requires verification and tax remittance. Several members said they were concerned about how the measure would affect local retailers and whether it was too permissive.

Senator Parker offered an amendment to limit direct-ship eligibility to products contracted through Mississippi distributors or wholesalers; that amendment failed on the floor. The Senate later adopted several other technical and penalty-related amendments proposed by colleagues but remained divided.

Motions and votes: the Senate approved the committee substitute and subsequent floor amendments but rejected final passage. The final roll call returned 25 yes, 21 no — the measure failed.

The debate combined regulatory detail — permitting, recordkeeping and tax collection — with concerns about impacts on brick-and-mortar package stores and enforcement in dry counties. Supporters said the cost of shipping and storage would discourage bypassing local stores; opponents warned the change would alter long-standing distribution rules and could hurt small local businesses.

The bill’s defeat leaves the current requirement that wine sales pass through state distribution channels in place; proponents signaled they may continue work in future sessions or seek a narrower proposal.

Votes at a glance: Motion to adopt committee substitute — adopted; motion to adopt sponsor’s strike-all amendment — adopted; floor amendment to narrow direct-ship contracting to Mississippi distributors — failed; final passage — failed, roll call 25 yes, 21 no.

Ending: With the measure rejected, senators moved on to other late-day items. Proponents and opponents both said they expected additional conversations before the next session about how to balance consumer access, tax collection and protections for local package stores.