NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8477

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Aug 15, 2025	referred to rules

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9079
Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: Alcoholic Beverage Control Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §§64, 64-a, 64-b, 64-c & 64-d, ABC L

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to the provision of on-premises alcohol consumption licenses; provides such licenses may be provided if the owner or administrator of a school, church, or other place of worship affirmatively provides support for the issuance of such license and such license would have been denied only for the proximity to such buildings.

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8477

SPONSOR: STEC
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation to the
provision of on-premises alcohol consumption licenses

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation would permit the State Liquor Authority to grant
on-premises licenses within 200 feet of a house of worship or school if
the applicant is not located within New York City and if the application
has the express support of the operators of the house of worship or
school.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 - Amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of section 64 of the
alcoholic beverage control law to permit the State Liquor Authority to
grant on-premises licenses within 200 feet of a house of worship or
school if the applicant is not located within New York City and if the

application has the express support of the operators of the house of
worship or school

Section 2 - Amends subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of
section 14 64-a of the alcoholic beverage control law to permit the
State Liquor Authority to grant on-premises licenses within 200 feet of
a house of worship or school if the applicant is not located within New
York City and if the application has the express support of the opera-
tors of the house of worship or school

Section 3 - Amends subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of
section 26 64-b of the alcoholic beverage control law to permit the
State Liquor Authority to grant on-premises licenses within 200 feet of
a house of worship or school if the applicant is not located within New
York City and if the application has the express support of the opera-
tors of the house of worship or school

Section 4 - Amends subparagraph (i) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 11
of section 11 64-c of the alcoholic beverage control law to permit the
State Liquor Authority to grant on-premises licenses within 200 feet of
a house of worship or school if the applicant is not located within New
York City and if the application has the express support of the opera-
tors of the house of worship or school

Section 5 - Amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 8 of section 64-d of the
alcoholic 24 beverage control law to permit the State Liquor Authority
to grant on-premises licenses within 200 feet of a house of worship or
school if the applicant is not located within New York City and if the
application has the express support of the operators of the house of
worship or school

Section 6 - Provides effective date

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The state's Alcohol Beverage Control Law is notoriously outdated. This
is especially true regarding its strict limits on distance a potential
business must be from a house of worship or school - commonly referred
to as the "200-foot rule."

It has resulted in near-constant amendments for individual businesses
aiming to open an establishment. As such, these would-be business owners
must not only wait for the State Liquor Authority, but also the Legisla-
ture to pass a bill carving them out of ABC.

It adds months, if not years, to the process.

This bill would allow SLA to issue licenses in cases where the leader-
ship of house of worship or school have expressed support for the appli-
cation.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8477
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              August 15, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  STEC  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the alcoholic beverage control law, in relation  to  the
   provision of on-premises alcohol consumption licenses
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of section 64 of  the  alco-
 holic  beverage  control  law,  as amended by chapter 463 of the laws of
 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (a) on the same street or avenue and within  two  hundred  feet  of  a
 building  occupied  exclusively  as a school, church, synagogue or other
 place of worship; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT  THE  AUTHORITY  MAY  ISSUE  A
 RETAIL  LICENSE  FOR ON-PREMISES CONSUMPTION FOR A PREMISES, NOT LOCATED
 WITHIN A CITY WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE, WHICH  SHALL  BE
 WITHIN  TWO HUNDRED FEET OF A BUILDING OCCUPIED EXCLUSIVELY AS A SCHOOL,
 CHURCH, SYNAGOGUE, OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP IF THE OWNER OR ADMINISTRA-
 TOR OF SUCH SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR  OTHER  PLACE  OF  WORSHIP  AFFIRMATIVELY
 PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE ISSUANCE OF SUCH LICENSE; or
   §  2.  Subparagraph  (i)  of paragraph (a) of subdivision 7 of section
 64-a of the alcoholic beverage control law, as amended by chapter 463 of
 the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (i) on the same street or avenue and within  two  hundred  feet  of  a
 building  occupied  exclusively  as a school, church, synagogue or other
 place of worship; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT  THE  AUTHORITY  MAY  ISSUE  A
 SPECIAL  LICENSE FOR ON-PREMISES CONSUMPTION FOR A PREMISES, NOT LOCATED
 WITHIN A CITY WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE, WHICH  SHALL  BE
 WITHIN  TWO HUNDRED FEET OF A BUILDING OCCUPIED EXCLUSIVELY AS A SCHOOL,
 CHURCH, SYNAGOGUE, OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP IF THE OWNER OR ADMINISTRA-
 TOR  OF SUCH  SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR OTHER PLACE  OF  WORSHIP  AFFIRMATIVELY
 PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE ISSUANCE OF SUCH LICENSE; or
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13632-01-5
 S. 8477                             2

 
   §  3.  Subparagraph  (i)  of paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section
 64-b of the alcoholic beverage control law, as amended by chapter 463 of
 the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (i)  on  the  same  street  or avenue and within two hundred feet of a
 building occupied exclusively as a school, church,  synagogue  or  other
 place  of  worship;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT THE AUTHORITY MAY ISSUE A
 BOTTLE CLUB LICENSE FOR ON-PREMISES  CONSUMPTION  FOR  A  PREMISES,  NOT
 LOCATED  WITHIN  A  CITY WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE, WHICH
 SHALL BE WITHIN TWO HUNDRED FEET OF A BUILDING OCCUPIED EXCLUSIVELY AS A
 SCHOOL, CHURCH, SYNAGOGUE, OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP  IF  THE  OWNER  OR
 ADMINISTRATOR  OF SUCH  SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP AFFIR-
 MATIVELY PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE ISSUANCE OF SUCH LICENSE; or
   §  4.  Subparagraph  (i) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 11 of section
 64-c of the alcoholic beverage control law, as amended by chapter 463 of
 the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
   (i) on the same street or avenue and within  two  hundred  feet  of  a
 building  occupied  exclusively  as a school, church, synagogue or other
 place of worship; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT  THE  AUTHORITY  MAY  ISSUE  A
 RESTAURANT-BREWER  LICENSE  FOR  ON-PREMISES CONSUMPTION FOR A PREMISES,
 NOT LOCATED WITHIN A CITY WITH A POPULATION  OF  ONE  MILLION  OR  MORE,
 WHICH SHALL BE WITHIN TWO HUNDRED FEET OF A BUILDING OCCUPIED EXCLUSIVE-
 LY  AS  A  SCHOOL,  CHURCH,  SYNAGOGUE, OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP IF THE
 OWNER OR ADMINISTRATOR   OF SUCH   SCHOOL, CHURCH,  OR  OTHER  PLACE  OF
 WORSHIP AFFIRMATIVELY PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE ISSUANCE OF SUCH LICENSE;
 or
   §  5.  Paragraph (a) of subdivision 8 of section 64-d of the alcoholic
 beverage control law, as amended by chapter 463 of the laws of 2009,  is
 amended to read as follows:
   (a)  on  the  same  street  or avenue and within two hundred feet of a
 building occupied exclusively as a school, church,  synagogue  or  other
 place  of  worship;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,  THAT THE AUTHORITY MAY ISSUE A
 CABARET LICENSE FOR ON-PREMISES CONSUMPTION FOR A PREMISES, NOT  LOCATED
 WITHIN  A  CITY WITH A POPULATION OF ONE MILLION OR MORE, WHICH SHALL BE
 WITHIN TWO HUNDRED FEET OF A BUILDING OCCUPIED EXCLUSIVELY AS A  SCHOOL,
 CHURCH, SYNAGOGUE, OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP IF THE OWNER OR ADMINISTRA-
 TOR  OF  SUCH    SCHOOL, CHURCH, OR OTHER PLACE OF WORSHIP AFFIRMATIVELY
 PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR THE ISSUANCE OF SUCH LICENSE; or
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S8477

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

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Sponsored By

Daniel G. Stec

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8477 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments