If you’ve ever paid a visit to Garrison Brothers Distillery, we hope we’ve been good hosts. We show you how we make bourbon. We tell some stories. We share our bourbon.
At the end of the visit, we always hear the same question: Why can’t I buy a bottle of your bourbon? Then we’re forced to go into a long-winded explanation of the three-tier system in Texas, antiquated liquor laws and prohibition era politics.
We’d like your help to do something about that.
Senate Bill 995, which would permit Texas craft distilleries to sell a single souvenir bottle to adult distillery visitors, passed the Texas Senate business and commerce committee with a highly favorable 7-0 vote last week. This week it reached the Senate floor and passed with a vote of 31 for and 0 against!
Now the bill has reached the House Licensing & Administrative Procedures (L&AP) Committee, where it may be stalled. But we’ve only got a week or so to get it out on the floor of the house for a vote. Otherwise, the bill dies in committee.
Here’s where we’d like your help: If you agree that this bill is good for Texas tourism, good for Texas agriculture and good for the state economy (we’ll pay taxes on every bottle we sell), please consider contacting your state representative, or the representatives who sit on this committee, and let them know how you feel about Senate Bill 995.
You can find your state representative’s contact information by Googling “whorepresentsme” or you can contact the members of the L&AP Committee at the email addresses listed below.
If you decide to reach out to them, please be courteous. Few people today are willing to enter public service. We need them and they deserve our respect and admiration.
We appreciate your support. Please come visit again soon.
Honorable Representative Chente Quintanilla chente.quintanilla@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative Senfronia Thompson senfronia.thompson@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative Jose Menendez: jose.menendez@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative John Kuempel: john.kuempel@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative Patricia Harless: patricia.harless@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative Roland Gutierrez: roland.gutierrez@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative Charlie Geren:
charlie.geren@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative Joe Driver:
joe.driver@house.state.tx.us
Honorable Representative Mike Hamilton (chair): mike.hamilton@house.state.tx.us
