HB 1621-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2024 SESSION

24-2491

08/10

HOUSE BILL 1621-FN

AN ACT requiring the liquor commission to distribute certain information in liquor stores.

SPONSORS: Rep. Turer, Rock. 6; Rep. M. Smith, Straf. 10; Rep. Haskins, Rock. 11; Rep. Schapiro, Ches. 16; Rep. McCarter, Belk. 8; Rep. Preece, Hills. 17; Rep. Beaulieu, Hills. 19; Sen. Prentiss, Dist 5; Sen. Watters, Dist 4

COMMITTEE: Commerce and Consumer Affairs

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ANALYSIS

This bill requires the liquor commission to produce and distribute information about alcohol use disorder at liquor stores.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

24-2491

08/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four

AN ACT requiring the liquor commission to distribute certain information in liquor stores.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1  New Paragraph; Advertising; Alcohol Use Disorder; Posters and Brochures.  Amend RSA 175:4 by inserting after paragraph IV the following new paragraph:

V.  The commission shall prepare, in conjunction with the bureau of drug and alcohol services, a brochure to be handed out with each liquor purchase and a poster which contains information related to considering and identifying signs of alcohol use disorder and accessing resources available for persons who may have concerns about alcohol use disorder through the bureau of drug and alcohol services system of care access points or an equivalent.  Such posters shall be posted and available to the public in all state liquor stores.  The content developed under this paragraph may also be re-formatted and distributed by the liquor commission via any other print, signage, and/or electronic means, and to any other group of recipients, that the commission may deem appropriate.

2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBA

24-2491

12/10/23

HB 1621-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT requiring the liquor commission to distribute certain information in liquor stores.

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

METHODOLOGY:

This bill requires the Liquor Commission to produce and distribute information about problem drinking at liquor stores.  The Commission made the following assumptions concerning the fiscal impact of the bill:

• The bill requires the Commission, in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services, to develop and distribute a brochure and a poster with the required information.

• The bill requires the brochure to be distributed with each purchase of liquor at a liquor commission outlet.  While not specified, the Commission assumes the requirement would also apply to purchases of wine.  The bill is silent on whether the requirement would also apply to sales to licensees.

• The Commission had 10.8 million individual transactions at 65 outlet locations in FY 2022  and 10.7 million in FY 2023.  This included wine sales.

• The bill requires a poster to be displayed in each liquor outlet.  In addition to the receiving a brochure, any person shall be furnished a poster upon request.  This open ended requirement makes it difficult to anticipate the number of posters needed.

• The requirement to print, transport, and display the materials would result in  significant drain on fiscal resources and on outlet employees, especially during holidays and seasonal increases in business.

• Materials would be stored in Concord and distributed to stores as requested by store managers.

The Commission provided the following cost information:

• An initial order of 2,000 12"x18" posters would cost approximately $800 if supplied by the Department of Administrative Services, Bureau of Graphic Services.

• Based on annual transaction history, the Commission would order 11 million brochures at a cost of $200,000 in each of the first two years and evaluate demand in future years based on inventory not dispensed.

• The bill does not provide an appropriation.  The expense would have to be absorbed within the current budget and could impact other budgeted initiatives.

The Department of Health and Human Services assumes the Liquor Commission would be responsible for the cost of the brochures and posters and the Department would consult on content for accuracy and evidence-based expertise using existing staffing resources within its normal program operations.

It is assumed that any fiscal impact would occur after FY 2024.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

New Hampshire Liquor Commission and Department of Health and Human Services