Rep. Mike Thompson Strongly Condemns Reintroduction of CARE Act
Pledges to fight the recently re-introduced bill in Congress
Washington,
Mar 18, 2011 -
Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) today issued the following statement strongly opposing the reintroduction of H.R. 1161, the Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness (CARE) Act of 2011:
“The federal government has no business picking winners and losers in the wine, beer, and distilled spirits industry. Yet the Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act would do just that by banning the direct shipment of wine and other forms of alcohol in the U.S. The impact of this bill would be devastating for brewers, vintners, distillers, importers, and consumers across our country.
“Specifically, this bill would allow states to replace federal standards with their own, making it harder for out-of-state producers in California and elsewhere to comply with other states’ laws. Wholesaler interest groups, the CARE Act's biggest supporters, are lobbying aggressively to unravel the existing regulatory structure. If successful, they stand to monopolize the alcohol market at the expense of other industry members and American consumers.
“I will not allow this discriminatory bill to go unchallenged. Existing state and federal regulations have created a fair and competitive marketplace for wine and other alcoholic beverages. Nothing has changed. That’s why I am prepared to fight to protect our wineries, our businesses, our local economy, and our consumers’ right to purchase these beverages.”
