Before we kickoff what is sure to be one of the wildest election years in Virginia history, in which all 140 seats are up for grabs, first thing’s first: the 2023 Virginia General Assembly convenes today with a Republican-controlled House of Delegates and Democratic-held Senate.

At the Virginia Beer Wholesalers Association, here’s where we are focused as we head into this short session (at least 30 days in odd years, though the session is highly likely to be extended).

As we reach the end of an eventful General Assembly session, I am proud of the work our Board and members have done to promote our industry’s interests at the Capitol. Your efforts and support helped us play a part in promoting some bills, making the case for more study for others, and playing a role in defeating legislation that would have harmed our members and run counter to the Three Tier System ...

Last week was another busy one for committee action as the House and Senate worked to complete their dockets before today (March 7), the final day to advance a bill for consideration by the full body. The focus after today will be on the budget bill and final floor actions on legislation.

Below are highlights of some of the bills that the VBWA team is following. Bills that were listed on previous reports, but since defeated or amended to where they no longer impact beer distributors are not listed.