Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of legislation that will help all states interested in preventing underage access to alcohol and in enforcing their laws regarding the shipment of wine, beer, and liquor within their borders. This Amendment and related federal laws regulating the interstate shipment of alcohol beverages result from a bygone era of bootlegging and prohibition. Unfortunately, recent interpretations of federal law do not protect states nor provide states an adequate judicial remedy in the enforcement of their laws.
State laws vary widely with respect to interstate shipment of alcohol beverages.
Approximately twenty states prohibit direct shipment. In approximately twenty other states, direct shipments of alcohol are limited, under controlled conditions. The remaining states allow direct shipments of limited quantities of alcohol provided the states involved have reciprocal laws in effect. Regardless of any particular law regulating shipment of alcohol into a state, an adequate enforcement mechanism must be made available to all states. Illegal interstate shipping of alcohol not only violates a state s ability to regulate incoming alcohol beverages, it also deprives states of excise and sales tax revenue.