
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Governor Phil Murphy has conditionally vetoed S-3038/A-4630, attaching language to the bill impacting the state’s estimated 1,400 “pocket” liquor licenses, and creating a shopping mall “special alcohol permit” to allow restaurants and food courts in these facilities the ability to sell alcohol for consumption on-premise. The conditional veto would also allow annual license fees to be increased on all craft alcoholic beverage manufacturers in the state by the NJ Division of Alcohol Beverage Control (NJABC). While the Governor has called for the end of brewery restrictions, he, himself calls unfair and burdensome, he has elected to not sign a bill unanimously passed by the Legislature with broad industry and public support which aims to remove the very barriers he asked the Legislature to fix earlier this year. While disappointed in the Governor’s action, the Guild is not deterred and intends to continue to advocate for brewery law changes until they are accomplished.