S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
1900
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
February 9, 2009
___________
Introduced by Sen. KLEIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Develop-
mental Disabilities
AN ACT to amend the alcoholic beverage control law and the tax law, in
relation to mandatory license suspensions for repeat violations of the
sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of twenty-one
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 65 of the alcoholic beverage
control law, as amended by chapter 481 of the laws of 1999, is amended
to read as follows:
6. In any proceeding pursuant to section one hundred eighteen of this
chapter to revoke, cancel or suspend a license to sell alcoholic bever-
ages at retail, in which proceeding it is alleged that a person violated
subdivision one of this section, it shall be an affirmative defense that
at the time of such violation such person who committed such alleged
violation held a valid certificate of completion or renewal from an
entity authorized to give and administer an alcohol training awareness
program pursuant to subdivision twelve of section seventeen of this
chapter. Such licensee shall have diligently implemented and complied
with all of the provisions of the approved training program. In such
proceeding to revoke, cancel or suspend a license pursuant to section
one hundred eighteen of this chapter, the licensee must prove each
element of such affirmative defense by a preponderance of the credible
evidence. Evidence of [three] TWO unlawful sales of alcoholic beverages
by any employee of a licensee to persons under twenty-one years of age,
within a two year period, shall be considered by the authority in deter-
mining whether the licensee had diligently implemented such an approved
program. Such affirmative defense shall not preclude the recovery of the
penal sum of a bond as provided in sections one hundred twelve and one
hundred eighteen of this chapter. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING THE
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05268-01-9
S. 1900 2
AUTHORITY SHALL SUSPEND FOR SIX MONTHS THE LICENSE OF ANY LICENSEE WHO
HAS ACCUMULATED THREE OR MORE POINTS PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED
EIGHTEEN OF THIS CHAPTER AND SHALL REVOKE THE LICENSE OF ANY LICENSEE
WHO HAS VIOLATED SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION FOUR OR MORE TIMES
WITHIN A THREE YEAR PERIOD.
S 2. Subdivision 1 of section 118 of the alcoholic beverage control
law is amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
(C) FOUR OR MORE VIOLATIONS OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION SIXTY-FIVE
OF THIS CHAPTER WITH RESPECT TO THE SALE, DELIVERY OR GIVING OF ALCOHOL-
IC BEVERAGES TO A PERSON UNDER TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE WITHIN A THREE
YEAR PERIOD.
S 3. Section 118 of the alcoholic beverage control law is amended by
adding a new subdivision 4 to read as follows:
4. (A) IF THE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE DETERMINES AFTER A HEARING
CONDUCTED PURSUANT TO SECTION ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN OF THIS CHAPTER, THAT
THE LICENSEE VIOLATED SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION SIXTY-FIVE OF THIS
CHAPTER WITH RESPECT TO PROHIBITED SALE, DELIVERY OR GIVING OF ALCOHOL
TO A PERSON UNDER TWENTY-ONE YEARS OF AGE, HE OR SHE, SHALL, IN ADDITION
TO IMPOSING ANY OTHER PENALTY REQUIRED OR PERMITTED PURSUANT TO THIS
CHAPTER, ASSIGN TWO POINTS TO THE LICENSEE'S RECORD WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL
WHO COMMITTED THE VIOLATION DID NOT HOLD A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION
FROM AN ALCOHOL TRAINING AWARENESS PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO
SUBDIVISION TWELVE OF SECTION SEVENTEEN OF THIS CHAPTER AND ONE POINT
WHERE THE LICENSEE DEMONSTRATES THAT THE PERSON WHO COMMITTED THE
VIOLATION HELD A CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION FROM AN ALCOHOL TRAINING
AWARENESS PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWELVE OF SECTION
SEVENTEEN OF THIS CHAPTER.
(B) IF A LICENSEE ACCUMULATES THREE OR MORE POINTS PURSUANT TO THIS
SECTION, THE ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE SHALL, IN ADDITION TO IMPOSING ANY
OTHER PENALTY REQUIRED OR PERMITTED UNDER THIS CHAPTER, SUSPEND SUCH
LICENSE OR PERMIT FOR A PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS. THE THREE POINTS SERVING
AS A BASIS FOR A SUSPENSION SHALL BE ERASED UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE
SIX MONTH PENALTY. IF, DURING THE PERIOD OF SUSPENSION OF A LICENSE A
LICENSEE CONTINUES TO OPERATE PURSUANT TO THE SUSPENDED LICENSE SUCH
VIOLATION SHALL RESULT IN THE REVOCATION OF SAID LICENSE OR PERMIT.
(C) POINTS ASSIGNED TO A LICENSEE'S RECORD SHALL BE ASSESSED FOR A
PERIOD OF THIRTY-SIX MONTHS BEGINNING ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH
FOLLOWING THE ASSIGNMENT OF POINTS.
S 4. Section 1607 of the tax law is amended by adding a new subdivi-
sion i to read as follows:
I. A VIOLATION OF SUBDIVISION ONE OF SECTION SIXTY-FIVE OF THE ALCO-
HOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AS PROVIDED IN THIS SUBDIVISION:
1. A LICENSE SHALL BE SUSPENDED FOR A PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS UPON
NOTIFICATION TO THE DIVISION BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE LIQUOR AUTHOR-
ITY OR HIS OR HER DESIGNEE OF A LOTTERY SALES AGENT'S ACCUMULATION OF
THREE OR MORE POINTS PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FOUR OF SECTION ONE HUNDRED
EIGHTEEN OF THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW.
2. A LICENSE SHALL BE REVOKED FOR ONE YEAR UPON NOTIFICATION TO THE
DIVISION BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE LIQUOR AUTHORITY OR HIS OR HER
DESIGNEE OF A LOTTERY SALES AGENT'S FOURTH VIOLATION OF SUBDIVISION ONE
OF SECTION SIXTY-FIVE OF THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW WITHIN A
THREE YEAR PERIOD.
S 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
have become law.