ALABAMA, (WHNT) — Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s office has released a letter offering several suggestions from the administrator of the Alabama ABC Board in the wake of a deadly shooting earlier this month in Montgomery.
On Tuesday, Ivey said that after the deadly mass shooting in Downtown Montgomery on Oct. 4, she asked ABC Administrator Curtis Stewart to “review Alabama laws, expectations and requirements regarding entities who are licensed to sell alcohol.”
Ivey said she specifically wanted to look at those who sell alcohol in highly populated and well-traveled areas where alcohol is being sold after 5 p.m. in Montgomery.
The governor has now shared that letter, including Stewart’s recommendations not just on what the ABC Board can do in its regulatory capacity, but also on actions that could be taken by the state legislature to improve safety in entertainment districts across the state.
In the letter, Stewart proposes two actions that the ABC Board could take. The first would be a change that prohibits package stores located in entertainment districts from selling products that facilitate off-site drinking, like cups or ice. The second change would be limiting the amount of alcohol that a business with a special retail license can sell for off-premises drinking.
While Stewart said those two changes are likely the extent of what the ABC Board can do within its authority, he also provided recommendations on what the Alabama Legislature could do to help public safety.
Those include:
- Impose curfews for minors in entertainment districts,
- restrict giveaways of alcohol at large public events in an entertainment district by public entities,
- and allow the state to suspend or terminate an entertainment district if public safety standards are not met.
You can read the entire letter here:
Ivey said she appreciates Stewart’s evaluation of the situation and possible solutions.
“I appreciate Administrator Stewart evaluating how we can take commonsense steps when it comes to alcohol consumption in entertainment districts across our state,” she said. “I support the immediate steps he is proposing the ABC Board take, and I look forward to further exploring possible reasonable policy changes to enhance public safety.”
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