(The Center Square) – There is a push to do something about proposed changes to Wisconsin’s liquor laws that would also mean changes for wedding barns in the state.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty this week, along with the Institute for Justice, Badger Institute, MacIver Institute, National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform and the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association, sent a memo to lawmakers, outlining opposition to the new regulations.
“Fundamentally, I think we have to ask ‘What problem are we trying to solve here?’ There is no real compelling case to regulate these small businesses in the manner that’s being proposed,” WILL Deputy Counsel Lucas Vebber told The Center Square. “The effects of this legislation will almost undoubtedly cause some wedding barn venues to close or reduce the number of events they hold. For couples looking to get married, this will have the effect of limiting their options for these in-demand venues, which will ultimately raise their costs of having a wedding. Regardless of motives, that will be the impact of what everyday people experience.”
The regulations are part of legislation that would change several parts of Wisconsin’s three-tiered liquor laws.
Some of the changes may help small businesses, like allowing vineyards to sell a wider variety to customers. The wedding barn regulations would force any venue that has more than six events a year to get a liquor license.
“Much of the omnibus alcohol bill has been promoted as the grand compromise, and for many players in the alcohol industry it probably is. However, compromise requires there to be tradeoffs between parties and the effect of this legislation will result in many of these event venues being regulated out of existence. The fact of the matter is that wedding barn owners were not a part of discussions,” Vebber added.
Wisconsin’s Tavern League, which has proposed wedding barn regulations in the past, supports the plan. The Tavern League has not said anything about the memo from the free market groups.
But Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has. In June, he said the changes give small business owners choices.
“I think this strikes a compromise which is one that I strongly support, to say if you’re an existing operator, you have two choices: you can continue to do everything that you are doing right now but in a much more limited basis, or you can go and get an above-quota liquor license,” Vos explained.
Vebber said those choices “could have the effect of regulating small businesses out of existence.”
The legislation, SB 332, has been introduced at the Wisconsin Capitol, but has not come to a vote.
