Senate backs repeal of DABC bottle stickers, sponsor cites barcode enforcement and near-$1M savings

The Senate took up First Substitute Senate Bill 106 on March 5, 2009, a measure aimed at modernizing enforcement for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (DABC) by eliminating the current statutory requirement that the DABC place a paper sticker on every bottle it distributes.

Sponsor's case: Senator McCoy explained and demonstrated the point on the floor: modern barcodes and electronic scanning currently record every case and bottle in DABC’s inventory, making manual stickers redundant and expensive. McCoy told the chamber that roughly 24 million stickers are applied annually and estimated stickering costs at about $950,000 a year.

Support and floor reaction: Senators including Valentine and Jones praised the cost-saving intent and the move to rely on barcode technology for traceability and enforcement. Concerns about enforcement robustness were discussed; sponsors said federal adulteration and tampering statutes and barcode scanning would continue to allow enforcement actions.

Procedural posture and fiscal note: The sponsor cited a fiscal note showing near-$1 million in recurring savings; the substitute passed and was placed on the third-reading calendar (vote recorded as 25–0, 4 absent when moved). The bill will be considered for final passage on third reading.

Why it matters: The policy change is largely administrative but has a measurable fiscal effect and shifts enforcement from a physical sticker to an electronic-traceability model; the DABC and licensees will need to adjust compliance practices if statutory sticker requirements are removed.

Ending: With the Senate’s substitute approved, the House will next receive the measure; agencies and enforcement personnel should prepare for a transition from manual stickering to barcode-based tracking if the law changes.