When you’re making the law, sometimes the legalese involved can cause unintended consequences or turn simple matters into complicated ones. State Senator Kim LaSata is working this week with Michigan Senate colleagues to clear up a couple such issues involving tasting rooms and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship on completely separate fronts.
Yesterday, the Michigan Senate Committee on Regulatory Reform heard testimony in support of LaSata’s legislation that would fix an unintended consequence of tasting room legislation that was signed into law just last session.
LaSata, from Bainbridge Township in Michigan’s Great Southwest, says, “My bill makes a small, but important, change to legislation we approved last session to ensure that our local producers of wine, beer, and other spirits may sample and sell all of their offerings at the same location.” She adds, “I appreciate the Moersch Hospitality Group for bringing this issue to my attention.”
Senate Bill 897, sponsored by LaSata, would reform the law to allow wineries, breweries, and distilleries to operate both an on-premises tasting room and an off-premises tasting room at the same location, under certain conditions.
In his testimony, Matt Moersch, CEO and Partner of Moersch Hospitality Group, told the committee that his operation is one of a few in Michigan that manufactures Michigan-made wine, spirits, and beer. He said that not being able to sell all of their craft beverages at their Round Barn Filling Station in Coloma, like they do at other locations licensed before the 2018 legislation was passed, has prevented them from growing their business there. That, says LaSata, is also preventing them from creating more jobs.
The committee also took up another LaSata bill Tuesday that would simplify the special event permitting process required to allow the PGA of America to host the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor.
Currently, state law must be amended every year there is a Senior PGA event to allow a special event permit for that specific tournament. SB 820 would allow a permit for any year — meaning a bill wouldn’t need to be passed and signed each year the tournament is played in Michigan.
The KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship is currently scheduled to return to Harbor Shores in 2022 and 2024.
Both bills remain before the committee at this time for further consideration.
The photo of the Round Barn Filling Station in Coloma accompanying this story on Moody on the Market is courtesy of the Moersch Hospitality Group.
