This would have allowed greater public input in liquor licensing decisions and hopefully would have resulted in less reluctance to impose license sanctions when violations have occurred. Another change I authored requires peace officers who make arrests on liquor licensed premises to notify the ABC Board . Law enforcement agencies rarely inform the ABC Board of arrests, yet the Board is required to impose sanctions if arrests for gambling or prostitution are made at licensed establishments. Notification of such arrests will assist the Board when considering license sanctions. The last amendment would have allowed the Commissioner of Public Safety to give limited police powers to ABC Board enforcement officers allowing them to investigate gambling and prostitution on liquor licensed premises.
Current law allows enforcement officers to investigate only liquor related violations.
An additional amendment I offered that did not pass would have required a two-thirds vote of the ABC Board to take any licensing action opposed by either a community council or a local government. These changes would make a positive step toward protecting public interest and increasing community involvement in liquor licensing decisions. I hope Anchorage community councils will support such amendments next year when ABC Board sunset legislation is considered again.