Senate committee approves permit allowing alcohol sales on excursion trains

Sen. Lance Eads presented legislation to establish a retail permit for excursion trains that would let operators sell and serve alcoholic beverages while the train is located within territory that authorizes alcohol sales. "This bill is a bill to establish a retail permit for an excursion train," Eads said, citing an example excursion service in Springdale.

The bill would limit service to times when the train is in counties that permit alcoholic-beverage sales, and would bar on-board sale where the train passes through a dry jurisdiction. "The permit holder is authorized to sell and serve alcoholic beverages only when the excursion train is located in a territory that has authorized to sell alcoholic beverages," Eads said.

Dorely Chandler, director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control division, told the committee that server-age requirements and overservice rules already applicable to on-premises locations would apply to a permitted excursion train. "The laws regarding servers, age, service... and over serving would all be applicable to any of our permitted on premise locations. So it would be applying to the excursion train," Chandler said.

Committee members pressed for operational details. Senators asked whether the permit applied to private rentals of a train and whether permit fees were in line with other ABC permits; Eads and Chandler said the permit applies only when the operator sells alcohol and that the $200 fee was comparable to other permits. Chandler added that, as a permitted location, the train operator would not allow outside alcohol: "All alcoholic beverage products would be under the control of the permitted location under the permittee."

With no public testimony recorded, the committee voted to advance the measure. The motion to pass was moved in the record by Sen. Johnson and seconded by Sen. Flippo, and the chair announced the bill "carries."