Please help stop HB 2537

The Bad News:
I want to thank all of you who took a few moments to call and send emails voicing your opposition to the laws to limit and or stop wine shipping.
Although we were able to briefly postpone this, Senator Carona, Whitmire and other Senators voted for the changes and moved it out of committee.  These changes would end our ability to ship wine to you!

Click Here  

to download the bill as it was substituted and passed out of committee.

 

– Please contact your state senator’s capitol office immediately, tell them to vote no on HB 2537 and ask them NOT to suspend the three day constitutional rule for HB 2537.  To find out who your state senator is please click the following link: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx

 

– Please also contact the Lieutenant Governor’s office at 512-463-0001 with the same message as above.  PLEASE MAKE BOTH CALLS.

 

– Please Forward this email to anyone who drinks wine!

Contact your State Senator

and the Texas Lieutenant Governor

HB 2537 passed out of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee on Tuesday, May 14 as substituted by Senator John Carona.  As suspected, the substitute included language requiring wineries to produce or bottle 51% of the wine they ship.  It also requires wineries to maintain complete records of each sale and delivery of wine shipped for at least five years from the date of the sale.

The reasons for our opposition to the committee substitute are:

  • It protects the distribution tier rather than solving a public health safety and welfare issue for the citizens of Texas.
  • It harms existing businesses that are operating within the law.
  • It takes away winery operating rights when no public health, safety or welfare issue exists.  This is a bad precedent.
  • It hinders revenue growth for Texas wineries.
  • It places undue reporting burdens on Texas wineries.