Kansas ABC director outlines licensing, enforcement updates to Committee on Federal and State Affairs

Debbie Beavers, director of the Kansas Alcoholic Beverage Control division, told the Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Jan. 26 that the agency has focused in the past year on improving customer service, expanding online licensing tools and strengthening enforcement programs.

Beavers said ABC has 41 full-time positions and one part-time enforcement investigator, with vacancies that include an assistant attorney general and an enforcement agent. She described four work units — administration, licensing, enforcement and legal — and said the division has emphasized education for licensees through on-site educational visits, stakeholder meetings and follow-up checks to reduce repeat violations.

The director described a recent technology upgrade that eliminated 17 paper forms, added fillable online fields, enabled electronic submission of amendments (for ownership or location changes) and allowed licensees to view and update license information and to pay gallonage taxes in the same portal. She said 96% of license applications were submitted online in 2025 and that amendment submissions are expected to approach 100% with the new features.

On licensing rules, Beavers told the committee that a House bill spoken in her presentation (reported in the hearing as "house bill 23 76") changed how cereal malt beverage (CMB) stamps are issued — moving toward state issuance while preserving a local license and local revenue — and that ABC intends to pursue a mirror bill in the Senate this session.

Beavers provided activity totals for fiscal year 2025: 3,059 inspections; 401 new-license deliveries and education sessions; 835 other investigations (including backgrounds, complaints and control buys); and underage compliance results reported as 88% compliance on initial liquor checks and 89% on follow-up checks. CMB underage compliance was reported as 90% initially and 91% on follow-up. She said ABC conducted 549 random control buys and 106 follow-up control buys during the year.

On enforcement initiatives, Beavers described continuing programs — a fake-ID task force, Operation Safe Streets and Operation Safe Bars — and announced a newly rolled-out alcohol source investigation program dubbed "Operation Bloodhound," which ABC will use to investigate how underage persons involved in events that result in serious injury or death obtained alcohol.

She also described ABC's role in drug-tax enforcement, saying agents assess drug tax debts, execute tax warrants and secure property; the Division of Taxation handles collections and enforces a $1,000 minimum assessment. Beavers reported ABC completed 53 drug tax assessments in fiscal year 2025.

Beavers provided citation and penalty totals for fiscal year 2025 as stated in her report: she said ABC issued 202 administrative citations and 177 tax citations, collecting $108,200 in administrative fines and $128,625 in tax penalties; for CMB specifically she said ABC issued 69 citations and collected $34,100 in penalties.

She flagged direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping of alcohol as an ongoing national and state challenge: carriers and fulfillment houses report shipments that ABC staff cross-check to identify over-shipments or unlicensed shippers; only wineries with a Kansas special shipping permit may ship directly to Kansas consumers. Beavers said risks include counterfeit or tainted alcohol and underage access, and she noted Kansas' participation in national working groups to address the problem.

Beavers closed by noting ABC surveys licensees twice per quarter; the director said 2025 survey results were 94.5% positive regarding customer service.

The director's presentation included numerical totals and program names as reported to the committee. Questions from committee members that followed touched on THC-infused beverages, shipping nonalcoholic beer to homebound residents, growth of common-consumption areas, and microbrewery licensing minimums; Beavers provided clarifications and offered to follow up on several staff- and records-related questions. The committee took no formal action at the meeting and did not vote on any measures.