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STATE CAPITOL: House passes wine-buying bill

Posted June 05, 2007 11:00 pm

Laura Camper

By LAURA CAMPER

STATE CAPITOL BUREAU

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois consumers who buy wine online may have to change their purchasing habits.

Legislation passed in the Illinois House Tuesday would bring the state into compliance with a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring Illinois to treat in-state and out-of-state wineries equally, but it also eliminates the ability of consumers to buy wine from out-of-state retailers and have it shipped to their homes.

House Bill 429 is a product of nearly two years of negotiations among Illinois and out-of-state wineries, liquor distributors and Illinois retailers, said Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago, sponsor of the bill. The legislation would allow Illinois and out-of-state wineries producing up to 25,000 gallons of wine per year to ship directly to consumers under a winery shipper's license. However, retailers from other states would not be able to ship wine to Illinois consumers legally.

The bill passed the House 92-6. It will have to pass the Senate and be signed by the governor before it becomes law.

Calling the bill anti-consumer, Rep. Julie Hamos, D-Evanston, said it would restrict Illinoisans' ability to buy wine over the Internet and have it shipped to their homes.

"You are no longer going to be able to buy wine from a retailer, or no longer going to be able to buy wine from a broker, or no longer going to be able to buy wine from an auction house (out of state)," Hamos said. "You're no longer going to be able to buy wine on the Internet from any of those other entities that don't happen to be wineries. This is not the way we should be going in the era of the Internet."

Supporters of HB429 call it a breakthrough, representing the interests of all parties involved, including consumers.

"You will be able to buy any wine you want from any winery in the world," said Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie. "Consumers will now have a wider variety of choice, particularly over the Internet, from buying directly from the wineries."

Acevedo said the bill was about bringing Illinois into compliance with the Supreme Court mandate and creating a level playing field for Illinois wineries.

"Ladies and gentlemen, every interested party was at that table for negotiations," Acevedo told his House colleagues. "As far as the constituents being at the table, what are we doing here? ... You're representing your constituents to the best of your ability. You're protecting the consumer."

Laura Camper can be reached at (217) 782-6882 or laura.camper@sj-r.com.

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