MADISON, Wisconsin – Wisconsin’s wedding barns face new regulations under a liquor law overhaul bill they fought against but that Gov. Tony Evers signed over their objections on Wednesday.
The measure was one of four dozen bills signed or vetoed by Evers on Wednesday.
Wisconsin’s craft brewers, major retailers such as the Kwik Trip convenience store franchise and other producers, wholesalers and retailers rallied behind the proposal, which had been hammered out in secret over the past five years, largely between Republican lawmakers and the multibillion-dollar alcohol industry.
It was poised to move swiftly through the legislature in June before owners of predominantly rural establishments, often located on farms, that host wedding receptions and other events but aren’t traditional bars, restaurants or entertainment venues, raised alarms. It wasn’t until last month that the Senate finally passed the bill, in a surprise move that took wedding barn advocates by surprise.
The new law affects every level of the state’s alcohol industry, regulating the licensing, production, sale and distribution of beer, wine and spirits. The so-called three-tier system, created in the 1930s, has been targeted for change for years, but politicians and the alcohol industry have been unable to reach an agreement.
The three-tier system was designed to prevent monopolies, so that the same company could not produce and sell alcohol at the wholesale and retail level. But the system has been criticised for years for failing to keep up with changes in the industry, including the explosion of smaller craft breweries, the popularity of wedding barns and other innovations.
The new law requires venues that sell or allow alcohol at special events, commonly known as wedding barns, to obtain either a permit or an alcohol licence to operate legally. Currently, wedding barns and other private event venues don’t need a liquor licence to operate, and many contract with licensed vendors to provide alcohol at the events they host.
Under the legislation, wedding barn owners could either obtain a permit that would allow them to hold events six times a year, or no more than once a month – or obtain a liquor licence that would allow them to sell alcohol at as many events as they wish.
The law was supported by Wisconsin wholesalers, retailers and brewers, the banquet halls that compete with wedding barns, and the Tavern League of Wisconsin, a powerful lobbying group that represents the state’s bars, restaurants and taverns.
Evers said updating the state’s liquor regulations and policies was “a priority for the safety of consumers, producers and Wisconsin as a whole”. He said the new law would “ensure that Wisconsin’s alcoholic beverage industry continues to grow and work for Wisconsin”.
Evers also signed a bill that allows police and fire stations, as well as hospitals, to build boxes where parents can drop off unwanted newborns. The boxes must be accessible from both inside and outside the building, and must be temperature-controlled and ventilated. The boxes must be equipped with an alarm that sounds when an infant is placed in them. Building staff must monitor the inside of the boxes 24 hours a day using a surveillance system and check the boxes at least twice a day.
He also signed a package of bills to track reported sexual assaults within the Wisconsin National Guard.
The new laws would require the adjutant general to submit an annual report to the governor and legislature on reported sexual assaults within the Wisconsin National Guard; require the state Department of Military Affairs to create a database to help the Guard track misconduct; clarify that civilian authorities have primary jurisdiction over sexual assault cases in the military; and prohibit training officers from having sex with cadets or others undergoing initial military training.
A study committee of lawmakers, prosecutors and military veterans began working on the bills in 2022 after a scathing federal report found that Wisconsin National Guard commanders had for years flouted federal requirements for handling sexual assault complaints by keeping complaints to themselves rather than sending them to the Natural Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C., for investigation.
Evers also vetoed three Republican-authored election-related bills.
One would have set the fee for obtaining the state’s list of registered voters at $250. Evers objected, saying that was not enough to cover the actual cost of providing the list. He also vetoed a measure that would have narrowed the definition of what constitutes an indefinitely confined person for purposes of obtaining an absentee ballot. The third measure he vetoed would have required state identification cards for people who are not US citizens to include the phrase “not valid for voting purposes”.