Sean Hughes, Account Director, Connecticut Package Stores Association.

By Sean Hughes

With the 2024 legislative short session starting, there will be no shortage of issues considered by state legislators. Some of those issues will, of course, be liquor-related. A Hartford Courant article from January highlighted that the association that represents the grocery stores is continuing the grassroots campaign for wine in grocery stores, as they hope to make it a major issue in 2024 elections and beyond.

There will also be another effort by the national big-box store retailers, such as Target and Walmart, to be able to sell beer. Environmental activists have already indicated that they will be pursuing legislation that would allow towns the ability to ban nips, citing environmental littering of the product as a reason for the legislation. Sometimes it truly seems like there is never a legislative session that doesn’t have some group that is eyeing to change the industry—the endless groups that wish to change the liquor statutes to benefit their interests.

Without advocacy, these bills would surely pass. A person would have to look no further than what has happened across much of the country over the last few decades. As states have changed their laws to allow alcohol to be sold in more locations, more locations closed and consolidated as large corporations gained an advantage. So, how can a business owner have their voice be heard? How can anyone keep a thriving industry going when some argue that change is “inevitable”? The simple answer is to advocate for yourself and your business.

A legislator is tasked with hearing both sides of an issue and voting on whether that proposal should advance in the legislative process as a new law or if it should not be a law. Advocating on behalf of your business is the single most effective thing a person can do. It sounds so obvious, but in conversations with other industry members in different states that have lost legislative battles, that seems to be the most glaring factor.

The Connecticut Package Stores Association (CPSA) has been advocating for package store owners, employees, customers and the industry as a whole for more than 80 years. That is over 80 different legislative sessions in which there has been the opportunity for catastrophic change in the industry that simply has not happened. While CPSA works on grassroots and active lobbying of legislators at the state capital and in districts, there is also the individual testimony that is also extremely effective to legislators. Submitting written testimony to committees, most importantly the General Law Committee which deals with all liquor changes, allows for your written statements on bills to be seen by the voting legislators on that committee. A piece of written testimony can be submitted through the General Assembly website. CPSA also sends out an informative step-by-step email on how to submit. CPSA also can submit testimony on behalf of an individual if they are not able to.

Another effective way of having your voice heard is to simply email or call your state legislator. A legislator relies on district input when there are issues that have the potential to hurt or help their constituents. More often than not, a legislator during a public hearing or committee meeting will state that they have been receiving emails or calls on a certain issue.

While legislative battles will always be a constant, one thing stops those bills from passing: advocacy. Making your voice heard, getting involved and working harder than those on the other side of an issue is vital to keeping current liquor statutes intact. I hope to see you at the next hearing!

Find out more about any of these issues and the benefits of membership at ctpsa.com.