With less than a month remaining in Mississippi’s legislative session, access to alcohol — or the lack thereof — has moved to the forefront at the capitol as the state battles what one lawmaker calls a “total mess” of a backlog in wine and spirits.
Local liquor store owners, members of the state’s hospitality industry, and restaurants have reported shortages in alcohol due to a conveyor belt software failure at the Mississippi Alcohol Beverage Control’s warehouse in Gluckstadt, along with the delayed construction of a new warehouse. The House State Affairs Committee recently met with Mississippi Department of Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham, who oversees ABC, for an updated briefing on the issues, with Rep. Kevin Horan, R-Grenada, saying after the meeting that it’s not an issue of supply but an issue of distribution.
“We’ve got a total mess, especially when we’ve got a warehouse full of product we can’t get to the package store owners,” Horan said on Mornings with Richard Cross on Feb. 23.
On Thursday, the House unveiled what they’re calling the “Emergency Alcohol Distribution Act.” With key deadlines already passing, the measure was substituted into a different alcohol-related bill, Senate Bill 2838, which originally revolved around the definition of resort areas as it pertains to alcohol regulation and distribution.
Under the plan, licensed alcohol permit holders would be allowed to buy alcohol directly from manufacturers or other authorized sellers – rather than going through ABC – for the next two years. Currently, all distilled spirits and alcohol sold by retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues must be processed through ABC’s warehouse, which is managed by the state Department of Revenue. The software issue, along with a new warehouse not set to open until this fall at the earliest, has caused retailers to not receive shipments of alcohol ordered in recent months.
“We have a solution that can be implemented now that will take care of the backlog and that will prevent our package store owners from going out of business,” Rep. Hank Zuber, R-Ocean Springs, said when presenting the bill on the House floor.
“You’ve got three [package stores] in north Mississippi that have not opened up in two weeks because they have no inventory. You go out to dinner around Jackson. Look at the restaurants – they don’t have no inventory. Let me give you another example: One of the Coast casinos last week had a wedding. Guess what? They had no champagne to serve at the wedding,” Zuber continued as his colleagues audibly gasped and jeered.
That displeasure among House members resulted in a bipartisan 112-2 vote in favor of the Emergency Alcohol Distribution Act.
Zuber, who serves as chair of the House State Affairs Committee responsible for handling wide-ranging issues concerning state administration, added that he is optimistic the Senate will put its stamp of approval on the legislation – considering he had “five senators come to me personally and say we need to do something.”
If the Senate concurs, the measure would allow direct purchases through July 1, 2028, providing time for ABC to find a solution to its software issue and finish its new warehouse. Mississippi is one of 17 states where the state government operates the wholesale distribution of wine and spirits.
