Expect Georgia’s craft beer industry to be a topic of debate in the 2015 legislative session as supporters try to get laws passed that would make the state more competitive. Several groups are already making noise on the issue, and their number one tool is that magic phrase of ‘job creation’.
The aptly named ‘gabeerjobs.com‘ offers up a handful of stats on the topic, remarking on the fact that Georgia ranks 41st in the nation in terms of breweries per capita, as well as being one of only 5 states where breweries are not allowed to sell beer directly to customers. Of the 6.2 million cases of craft beer consumed in the Peach State in 2013, merely 2.2 million were produced here. As many of our neighbors, (Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina) loosen some of their own restrictions, notably those which allow purchasing beer on site, we are missing out on many of the breweries both starting up and looking to relocate.
Yes, most breweries to circumvent the laws by allowing customers to buy a glass and then receive a handful of free ‘samples’, but if Georgia wants a bigger slice of the craft brew pie, it needs to modernize its brewing laws. The tax credits for the film and television industries have been a huge boon to the state and are a shining example of conservative governing done right. Why not extend that same philosophy to craft brewing?
Conservative lawmakers in this state look at the phrases ‘job creation’ and ‘deregulation’ with the same sort of starry-eyed, mouth-watering look on their faces that most voters have when they look at a cold Sweetwater 420 after mowing the lawn on an August afternoon. The teetotaling days of ‘no alcohol sales on Sundays’ are mostly behind us, and an entire younger generation of Young Republicans gathers at bars every week for their meetings.
Beer and job creation? Sounds like a no brainer to me.
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House Rep. Stacey Abrams made headlines this fall with her ‘New Georgia Project’ and subsequent lawsuit against the Secretary of State’s office. Many expected that her voter registration efforts would prove the difference in a stunning Democratic upset in one of the two races at the top of the ballot. Well, we all know how that turned out, but GOVERNING Magazine took notice of Abrams’ busy Autumn, awarding her with one of its Public Officials of the Year awards.
Lauding her for being “the first woman ever to lead a party bloc in the Georgia General Assembly” as well as “the first African-American to assume the top spot of either party in the lower chamber”, Abrams is certainly putting quite a resume together.
Known for being willing to work across party lines, Stacey Abrams has been seen as a rising star in the state Democratic party for years. Now that she’s beginning to receive national recognition, expect to hear her name a lot more in future election cycles.
