Attend Legislative Day on February 17
Two big Tavern League events are taking place in February: The Las Vegas meet up and the Tavern League’s Legislative Day in Madison on February 17.
You can probably guess which one is more popular. The Vegas meet up gets bigger each year. And why not? The great hospitality from the folks at El Cortez in late February provides the perfect escape for a few days from the Wisconsin cold.
But the Legislative Day is important to our work in protecting and promoting the tavern industry and we need you there, too. Attendance seems to rise and drop depending on how important members view the issues before the legislature. And the folks who lobby on behalf of the Tavern League have been very successful over the years. But it’s important that our elected officials see and hear from members and those who work in the industry.
This year we’ll discuss some issues that could have a profound impact on the tavern industry for years to come. Consider the following:
- Local governments are increasingly looking for ways to curb video gaming in taverns. The state budget signed by Governor Jim Doyle in 2003 moved enforcement to the state Department of Revenue, but now local governments are trying to see if they if they can find loopholes in the law to make it more difficult to place gaming machines in establishments.
- State lottery officials are pushing a bill that would give retailers a significantly larger percentage of the sales of state run games and pull tabs.
- The DOR is implementing the new regulations pertaining to wedding barns that finally went into effect on January 1 of this year. The bill also allowed the Department to provide above quote Class B licenses to existing businesses that meet specific requirements.
- Extreme Bingo has been popular in many taverns across the state, but officials claimed that strict gaming laws made them illegal. The legislature has passed a law ensuring its legality and it now awaits a signature or veto from Governor Evers.
- Efforts continue in Wisconsin on a regulatory structure for THC drinks and other products, despite a potential federal ban that could occur in November. Efforts have been stalled but a deal could be in the works. The Tavern League supports a state law that would allow products to be legally sold and provide liability protections for retailers who serve them responsibly.
We’ll cover all these issues and more at the Tavern League of Wisconsin’s Legislative Day at the Concourse Hotel in Madison, from 12-2pm. We’ll also hear from legislative leaders and officials at the DOR’s Division of Alcohol.
Then, from 2-4pm, we’ll visit legislative offices to share information on bills supported by the tavern league and the economic impact the on-premise tavern industry has in their districts. Then we’ll head back to the Concourse for a reception. The Governor will be giving his State of the State Speech that evening to a joint session of the legislature, so your elected officials are expected to be in town.
For those who don’t want to try to find parking in downtown Madison, a shuttle will again run from Pooley’s, on the east side at 5441 High Crossing Blvd.
The legislative session is winding down before the campaign season gets under way starting in April, but there’s a lot happening at the Capitol in these closing days that could affect the tavern industry and your voice needs to be heard. We need a strong showing with the legislature, so please join us for the TLW Legislative Day on February 17. See you there.
Those who are at all familiar with the tavern industry in Madison know of John Kavanaugh and the Esquire Club. Active throughout the community, John was awarded the area’s first “Spirit of Hospitality” Award and the Esquire Club was a part of the Madison scene for 70 years. John passed away on January 13, and the family recently announced that the Esquire Club will be closing its doors. Our condolences go out to John’s entire family and we salute the many contributions of John and the Esquire Club to the Madison community.