Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
10/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2024 09:48
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Supports Stop and Go Legislative Taskforce Recommendations
Harrisburg - Today the Stop-and-Go Legislative Taskforce - including ex officio member and Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) Member Darrell Clarke, as well as a cross-functional workgroup with representatives from legislative and agency groups - participated in a meeting to unanimously adopt its recently developed report and recommendations.
Stop-and-gos are generally understood to be businesses with restaurant or eating place retail liquor licenses that operate as convenience stores or delis but fail to maintain minimum requirements for licensure. The PLCB has received complaints about dozens of such businesses in Philadelphia, and they are becoming problems in other parts of the state as well.
"These establishments have been a scourge on the city of Philadelphia for more than a decade, bringing loitering, drunkenness, and crimes into our neighborhoods," said PLCB Member and task force member Darrell Clarke. "Our kids are exposed to this unsavory behavior, and it's time we adopt meaningful change that will stop this social irresponsibility."
The Stop-and-Go Legislative Task Force recommendations include the following, according to the report:
- Streamline the citation process;
- Strengthen the Licensing Compliance Program;
- Inform the process for license renewal with other citations and information;
- Increase penalties and fines for all citations;
- Remove de novo review from Common Pleas Court;
- Highlight the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Complaint Process;
- Increase recruitment efforts for Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement (BLCE) agents; and
- Require the payment of city taxes and fully adjudicated city fines before a liquor license may be received or renewed.
The Stop-and-Go Legislative Task Force was created by Act 49 of 2023 to research the laws and issues surrounding stop-and-gos and make recommendations for effectively regulating them.
Existing statutory and regulatory frameworks have proven unsuccessful in bringing such establishments into license compliance because of limited enforcement authority, insufficient fines and penalties, insufficient staffing among the Pennsylvania State Police BLCE, and delays in enforcement due to the two-year license renewal process and lengthy hearing and appeals process.
Between April and September 2024, the Stop-and-Go Taskforce and its supporting work group engaged in extensive work to research these establishments and develop their recommendations, including review and analysis of state laws, hosting public hearings, touring stop-and-go establishments, and reviewing expert testimony.
In addition to Mr. Clarke, task force members include Senator Anthony Hardy Williams (D-8, Philadelphia), Chair, Appointee of Minority Leader of the Senate; Senator Frank Farry (R-6, Bucks), Appointee of Senate President Pro Tempore; Representative Anthony Bellmon (D-203, Philadelphia), Appointee of Speaker of the House of Representatives; Representative Joe Hogan (R-142, Bucks), Appointee of the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; and Ms. Cornelia Swinson, Appointee of the Governor.
The task force was supported by a workgroup of more than 20 people including representatives from the PLCB, the BLCE, the City of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania House and Senate, and the Philadelphia Police department.
Clarke went on to say "I want to personally thank all the dedicated workgroup members - especially PLCB Director of Regulatory Affairs Tisha Albert, Chief Counsel Jason Worley, and Board Secretary and Director of Legislative and Government Affairs Mick Vigoda - as well as Chairman Williams, for their tireless and dogged commitment to effectively addressing these problem establishments. This work is meaningful and important to the residents of Philadelphia and communities across the state suffering from the social ills these despicable establishments bring to our neighborhoods."
The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates about 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits - totaling nearly $20.3 billion since the agency's inception - are returned to Pennsylvania's General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania's schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit lcb.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Brassell, 717.919.1905
# # #
To vote in the Nov. 5election, register by Oct. 21, 2024.
Visit vote.pa.gov for trusted election information.