Senator James Skoufis (D-Orange County) and Assemblymember Al Stirpe (D-North Syracuse) announced their bill allowing bars and restaurants to make purchases from their local liquor store has been signed into law. This legislation, S.409A/A.7467B, ends an anti-business aspect of the state’s prohibition-era alcohol and beverage control laws, and will permit on-premises retail licensees to make purchases directly from liquor stores – rather than distributors – of up to six bottles of wine and liquor per week.

Currently, when a restaurant or bar runs out of a certain bottle – during a busy holiday rush, for instance – the only legal option available to them is to wait for their next distributor shipment, which could take days or even weeks. Restaurants and bars have long advocated for this important reform that their state association estimates would save small businesses $5,000 to $10,000 per year from surcharges imposed by large distributors.

“Restaurants and taverns are critical to our communities’ economic vitality and we should be doing anything and everything in our legislative capacity to ensure that the small business owners get the support they need,” said Skoufis, “I am grateful for the support of the Restaurant and Tavern Associations, who have been dogged advocates for their members. I’m proud to have carried this legislation alongside Assemblymember Stirpe, and deeply gratified to see it enshrined into law.”

The legislation will go into effect Thursday, March 5, ninety days after the Governor signed the bill into law.