Senate Bill 24 drew testimony from the bill sponsor, hospitality educators and the New Hampshire Liquor Commission on a proposal to allow supervised tasting in wine-education courses for students aged 18 to 20 at state colleges and universities.

Sponsor Sen. Dan Innes said SB 24 would permit “wine education, including tasting, for students aged 18 to 20 in institutions of higher learning” and emphasized safeguards: “The bill requires extensive supervision of students and requires that students sip and spit in a wine education course. They may not swallow the wine that they taste.” He also said the New Hampshire Liquor Commission would provide an alcohol training program for enrolled students.

Industry witnesses said the bill is intended to improve hospitality training and workforce readiness. Mike Summers of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association told the committee the courses have been tried before and there is clear industry demand; Representative Timothy Horkin (Durham) said the hospitality management program at UNH is “one of the crown jewels” and that course access would strengthen those programs.

Mark Armaganian, chief of enforcement and licensing at the New Hampshire Liquor Commission, told the committee the Commission has worked with higher‑education venues and supports creating “book markers” and oversight for a safe program. He said the Commission is “neutral” on the bill in committee but described the department’s involvement in training and enforcement and urged careful implementation. “We’re not seeing the negative data throughout the country,” Armaganian said of similar programs elsewhere, adding that the Commission has developed enforcement and training practices to reduce risk.

Committee members questioned whether statutory exemptions for possession and intoxication were needed for an academic setting; one senator asked why an exemption from intoxication statutes was required if students will sip and spit. The sponsor responded that strict supervision and procedural safeguards (including buckets for expectoration) keep students from becoming intoxicated and that institutions follow protocols to avoid alcohol misuse.

No formal committee vote on SB 24 was recorded in the hearing transcript; the committee closed the hearing after public and agency testimony. The transcript records multiple supporting speakers and agency participation; the Liquor Commission emphasized oversight and training as part of any implementation.