Today we saw SB754 Signed Into Law by Governor Quinn, ensuring self-distribution rights and creating a craft brewers license, among other things.
Today is a good day. This has been a long process involving bills, amendments, arguments, testimony, disagreements and more than a little “what-if,” but finally Governor Pat Quinn signed SB754 into law this afternoon. It could have sat on his desk into July, but why wait?
We started Save the Craft in late February as a way to have the voice of three craft beer fans heard, instead of just the politicians and the lobbyists. Now that SB754 is law, we’d like to say thank you to anyone and everyone who responded to our Save the Craft movement, who sent an email or picked up the phone to talk with their state senators and representatives, who ever told a fellow beer drinker or bargoer about this legislation, or anything else you may have done to spread the word. We really appreciate your time, your effort, and your attention.
While it’s impossible to say that Save the Craft and all of our outreach is the reason that this legislation was passed, your voice was definitely heard. Self-distribution rights live to see another day, Illinois is still a craft-brewer friendly state, and Anheuser-Busch likely just received the final nail in the coffin as it pertains to A-B vs. ILCC. Not bad for a few months work, if we do say so ourselves.
We’ll continue to update as we receive word from present and future craft brewers around the state like Big Muddy and Rolling Meadows, as well as any response to the bill’s signing from the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.
Now let’s get cracking on that brewpubs amendment. Anyone know a beer-friendly politician that wants to sponsor some legislation in the next session?