Well today is the last day. If hb 349 (the high abv on tap bill) is going to pass it has to be voted on by tonight at midnight. There is one problem standing in the bill's way. It's not on the Senates calender for today. At least as noon yesterday.I sent emails to Rep. Oda the main sponsor of the bill, and to Senator Greiner the Senate sponsor. I asked if they knew of the status of HB 349. Rep. Oda was kind enough to respond by saying "Be patient".
Now I don't know if that means "it's on the calendar" or "maybe next year". So I'll leave it up to y'all.
But the info I have as of this morning leads me to believe the bill died in the Senate.
I would be very happy to be proven wrong. I'd also like to thank Rep. Oda for taking the time to respond. I know it's very busy on the hill right now. Cross your fingers.
Also-also. Congrats go out to Utah beer lover/devotee Douglas and his wife who had a baby boy yesterday. Milk Stouts all around. Cheers!
23 comments:
The way it looks like to me, based upon the Utah Legislature's status page for the bill, is that the Senate passed the original compromise bill on the 9th. It then went to the House where they amended it (with technical amendments, I think) and passed it yesterday. So now it goes back to the Senate to see if they'll pass it with the amendments. I don't think anything that was amended is that significant. If they reject the amendments, though, that's not good. (Click the "Bill Status/Votes" link on the page I linked for the details on where it's at. Make sure to refresh the page, as sometimes it doesn't do so automatically after changes are made.)
Those guys will be there 'til midnight tonight, so there's a decent chance they'll get to it, especially since it's such a high-profile bill. But, of course, don't count your chickens...yadda yadda yadda.
Carlos, I'm not the most savvy individual when it comes to legalese. But is this the same bill?
Did they combine hb 349 into Sb 187?
If so I can't find it.
Milk stouts! Very cute!
Hb349 and Sb187 are different bills. 187 changes the rules on private clubs and 349 is the heavy beer on draft bill. There are provisions in Sb187 to merge the two IF both bills pass. Sb187 is pretty much a done deal. Hb 349, on the other hand, was introduced in the Senate on March 4th and nothing has happened since then. Not looking good.
Ooops..I totally read your post wrong. I read "187" instead of "349". My bad :) I have to remember not to post so early in the morning again...
You're right...349 is just sittin' there doin' nothing. :(
Thanks Mikey. Lets hope this bill passes.
On the ACTUAL subject of this post:
Well, it made it to the 2nd Reading Calendar: http://le.utah.gov/~2009/htmdoc/hbillhtm/HB0349.htm. Let's keep prayin'!
Utah Senate just posted to Twitter:
Back on the floor. Just passed Valentine's Alcohol Amendments. #utpol
And just heard on KCPW that the bill now goes back to house and is unlikely to pass.
No word on SB 349.
SB/HB...you know what I mean :)
calanan: I'm confused. First, we're talking about SB187 again, right? (Just want to make sure after my first mistake.)
Back to the House and not likely to pass? I thought it already passed the House after they amended it.
It is listed on the website as a "passed bill," awaiting only the governor's signature: http://le.utah.gov/asp/passedbills/passedbills.asp
Let me know if I have anything wrong. Today has not been a good one for showing off my "intellect".
SB 187 has passed and is going to the Gov. for signing. (private clubs)
Now we are concentrating on HB 349.
High ABV beers on draft. This one will defiantly go down to the wire.
Things are looking better. Hb349 has made the reading calender, which is normally the step right before a vote. The clock is ticking pretty loudly however. I do know they will sometimes package a bunch of bills together for a single vote at the end of the session. Seems that would be our best bet.
Sorry to confuse both the SB/HB and the status of either bill. Regarding the latter, it was something I heard reported on KCPW and it's very likely that I misheard. I did ask UtahSenate (via Twitter) for clarification earlier but haven't heard anything yet.
*fingers crossed for 349*
UPDATE--Mar 12, 2009, 8:21 PM MDT
House Bill 349 (H.B. 349, Heavy Beer Amendments) was just introduced to the Senate for a vote, but a motion to "cycle the bill" was proposed (i.e., to postpone the vote, I think). This motion to cycle was immediately voted on, and the motion carried, so we're still waiting. At this point, I'm not savvy enough to know if they'll get back to it. Anyone know if there might be a master plan for getting this bill passed?
I'm watching this all twitterpated wondering if The Bayou really needs a patio and how many draft beers we could fit in a patio sized walk in cooler.
Hmmm...
Talk about counting chickens to early though...
Mark
I'm optimistic that this will pass. Currently it's set on the calendar for debate and/or amendment. See http://www.le.state.ut.us/asp/ownerdesc/ownerdesc.asp?own=S2ND&bill=HB0349
It's currently 19th on the calendar. Keep fingers crossed.
And, I think a patio sized walk-in cooler at the Bayou would be a beautiful thing for Beer-loving Utahans.
Mark I love your patio. I'd love it even more if it was brimming with kegs!
If I didn't have to be up at 4am I'd stay up and catch the final results. If anyone is following this 'till the end of the session please post it up. We could use a little good news in the morning. Cross your fingers!
Hey Mark,
Don't get rid of the patio, patios are awesome. Just rotate a few heavy beers around at a time, and stock less local 3.2 beers to make room. Or maybe just make the patio a little smaller. :)
Circling a bill is putting a hold on the bill. Could be good, could be bad. I've noticed every bill on the reading list has been circled. Leaves me wondering if they are going to package them all for a single vote. On the other hand some times circling a bill is a death sentence, especially with not much time left on the clock. Everybody keep your fingers crossed.
Mark-screw the patio! Rather have Stone IPA on draft than the sun shining in my eyes.
Anything new? Mark, the patio is great, but I'm all for whatever leads to new beer. If I have to drink in the damn cooler I will:)
No dice. Didn't make it up for a vote. Just wasn't a high enough priority (surprise surprise).
So this is a bit off-topic, but, it's mid-March and the Senate is wrapping it up for 2009. What do our Senators do for the rest of the year? Seriously, I don't know. They get paid pretty well, right?
On topic: love the patio, but maybe we could move patio seating to the roof with stairway access over the incoming cooler unit. It's too bad the rules make you store your pallets of special-order beers on premise.
Also, don't sell less local beer.
It's 2 hours old now but the latest comment I received from UtahSenate on Twitter was:
utahsenate: @calanan That bill stopped on the senate equivalent of third base. 2 hours to make it Home or it's dead until next year.
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