SENATE BILL No. 484

 

 

May 10, 2005, Introduced by Senators OLSHOVE, CHERRY, BASHAM, JACOBS and SCHAUER and referred to the Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Regulatory Reform.

 

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1998 PA 58, entitled

 

"Michigan liquor control code of 1998,"

 

by amending section 501 (MCL 436.1501), as amended by 2000 PA 431.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 501. (1) The commission may issue licenses as provided in

 

this act upon the payment of the fees provided in section 525 and

 

the filing of the bonds required in section 801 or liability

 

insurance as provided in section 803. Beginning not later than July

 

1, 2002 and subject to section 906(2) and (3), the commission shall

 

not issue a new on premises license or transfer more than 50%

 

interest in an existing on premises license unless the applicant or

 

transferee offers proof acceptable to the commission that he or she

 

has employed or has present on the licensed premises, at a minimum,


 

supervisory personnel on each shift and during all hours in which

 

alcoholic liquor is served who have successfully completed a server

 

training program as further described in section 906. The

 

commission may consider an individual enrolled and actively

 

participating in a server training program as having successfully

 

completed the program for such time as the individual is

 

participating. The commission may allow an applicant or a

 

conditionally approved licensee at least 180 days, or more upon a

 

showing of good cause, to meet the minimum personnel training

 

requirements of this subsection. The commission may suspend the

 

license of a conditionally approved licensee for failure to comply

 

with this subsection. The commission may waive the server training

 

requirements of this subsection on the basis of either of the

 

following circumstances:

 

     (a) The licensee's responsible operating experience or

 

training.

 

     (b) The person's demonstration of an acceptable level of

 

responsible operation either as a licensee during the preceding 3

 

years or as a manager with substantial experience in serving

 

alcoholic liquor.

 

     (2) A full-year license issued by the commission shall expire

 

on April 30 following the date of issuance or the date fixed by the

 

commission. A license issued under this act shall be construed as a

 

contract between the commission and the licensee and shall be

 

signed by both parties. If a licensee dies, the commission may

 

approve the operation of the establishment by a personal

 

representative or independent personal representative duly


 

appointed by a court of competent jurisdiction, pending the

 

settlement of the estate of the deceased licensee. The commission

 

may approve a receiver or trustee appointed by a court of competent

 

jurisdiction to operate the licensed establishment of a licensee.

 

The commission may grant a part-year license for a proportionate

 

part of the license fee specified in section 525. In a resort area

 

the commission shall grant a license for a period of time as short

 

as 3 months. A license may be transferred with the consent of the

 

commission. A class C or specially designated distributor license

 

obtained in a manner other than by transfer shall not be

 

transferred within 3 years after its issuance except under

 

circumstances where the licensee clearly and convincingly

 

demonstrates that unusual hardship will result if the transfer does

 

not receive the consent of the commission. An application for a

 

license to sell alcoholic liquor for consumption on the premises,

 

except in a city having a population of 750,000 or more, shall be

 

approved by the local legislative body in which the applicant's

 

place of business is located before the license is granted by the

 

commission, except that in the case of an application for renewal

 

of an existing license, if an objection to a renewal has not been

 

filed with the commission by the local legislative body not less

 

than 30 days before the date of expiration of the license, the

 

approval of the local legislative body shall not be required. The

 

commission shall provide the local legislative body and the local

 

chief of police with the name, home and business addresses, and

 

home and business phone numbers to accomplish the local legislative

 

reviews of new and transferred license applications required by


 

this subsection. Upon request of the local legislative body after

 

due notice and proper hearing by the local legislative body and the

 

commission, the commission shall revoke the license of a licensee

 

granted a license to sell alcoholic liquor for consumption on the

 

premises or any permit held in conjunction with that license.

 

     (3) A local legislative body, by resolution, may request that

 

the commission revoke the license of a licensee granted a license

 

to sell alcoholic liquor for consumption off the premises whose

 

place of business is located within the local legislative body's

 

jurisdiction and who has been determined pursuant to commission

 

violation hearings to have sold or furnished alcoholic liquor, on

 

at least 3 separate occasions in a single calendar year, to a

 

person who is less than 21 years of age if those violations did not

 

involve the use of falsified or fraudulent identification by the

 

person who is less than 21 years of age  minor. If the commission

 

verifies that the licensee who is the subject of the resolution has

 

been found to have committed the violations as prescribed in this

 

subsection, the commission may suspend or revoke the licensee's

 

license and any permit held in conjunction with that license.

 

     (4) A local legislative body, by resolution, may request that

 

the commission revoke the license of a licensee granted a license

 

to sell alcoholic liquor for consumption on the premises whose

 

place of business is located within the local legislative body's

 

jurisdiction and who has been determined pursuant to commission

 

violation hearings to have had violent incidents occur on the

 

licensed premises or in areas adjacent to the licensed premises

 

owned or controlled by the licensee. If the commission verifies


 

that the licensee who is subject to the resolution has been found,

 

on at least 3 separate occasions in a single calendar year, to have

 

had violent incidents occur on the licensed premises or in areas

 

adjacent to the licensed premises owned or controlled by the

 

licensee, the commission shall suspend or revoke the licensee's

 

license and any permit held in conjunction with that license. The

 

commission may make a determination that a violent incident has

 

occurred even if the incident has not resulted in a conviction of a

 

crime described in subsection (7).

 

     (5)  (4)  This act does not prohibit a hotel which is or was

 

the holder of a license authorizing the retail sale of alcoholic

 

liquor for consumption on the premises from applying for and

 

receiving under this act any other and different type of license

 

authorizing the retail sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption on

 

the premises, and the application for the license shall not be

 

considered a new application for a license so long as the total

 

number of public licenses for consumption on the premises does not

 

exceed the authorized total established in this act and the sale of

 

alcoholic liquor is approved by the electors. The commission may

 

divide the state into 3 zones and establish for each zone an

 

anniversary date for renewal of full-year retail licenses in the

 

licensing year. The commission shall promulgate rules pursuant to

 

the administrative procedures act of 1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201

 

to 24.328, for the effective administration of the renewal of

 

licenses.

 

     (6)  (5)  The commission, with the written approval of the

 

department of agriculture in the case of the Michigan state


 

fairgrounds and the Upper Peninsula state fairgrounds, may issue

 

without regard to the quota provision of section 531 a tavern

 

license to a person as concessionaire leasing or renting a portion

 

of either the Upper Peninsula state fairgrounds or the state

 

fairgrounds, or both, to service the licensed area in use for

 

recreational or exhibition purposes other than at the time of the

 

annual Upper Peninsula state fair under section 2 of 1927 PA 89,

 

MCL 285.142. A license issued under this subsection is not

 

transferable.

 

     (7) As used in this section, "violent incident" means the

 

committing of any act by any individual occurring on the licensed

 

premises or in areas adjacent to the licensed premises owned or

 

controlled by the licensee that could reasonably be considered by

 

the commission as a violation of any of the following:

 

     (a) Chapter XI of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL

 

750.81 to 750.90g.

 

     (b) Chapter XLV of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL

 

750.316 to 750.329a.

 

     (c) Chapter L of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL

 

750.349 to 750.350a.

 

     (d) Chapter LVIII of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL

 

750.397 to 750.397a.

 

     (e) Chapter LXXVI of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328, MCL

 

750.520a to 750.520g.

 

     (f) Chapter LXXVIII of the Michigan penal code, 1931 PA 328,

 

MCL 750.529 to 750.531.