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SB 1019

Relating to brands; and declaring an emergency.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Todd Nash

Creates Howard County Class MT license for movie theaters to sell beer, wine, and liquor on premises to ticketed patrons, with local rulemaking and a July 1, 2025 effective date.

Effective date, June 26, 2025.
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Bill Summary · SB 1019

Summary — SB 1019 (Howard County)

Title: Howard County — Alcoholic Beverages — Class MT (Movie Theater) License

Main purpose

Create a new local alcoholic beverages license category (Class MT — movie theater) in Howard County, Maryland, to allow qualifying movie theaters to sell beer, wine, and liquor for on‑premises consumption by ticketed patrons.

Key provisions

  • Establishes a Class MT (movie theater) beer, wine, and liquor license under the Alcoholic Beverages and Cannabis Article (applies only in Howard County; see Art. 23–102).
  • Eligibility: the Howard County Board of License Commissioners may issue the license to the owner of a movie theater that holds a crowd control training certification.
  • Permitted sales: license holders may sell beer, wine, and liquor at retail for on‑premises consumption only to patrons who have purchased a ticket to a current or future showing of a movie on the licensed premises.
  • Local control: the Board may set
    • hours and days of sale for the Class MT license,
    • the annual license fee, and
    • any other limitations or requirements it considers necessary.
  • Regulatory requirement: the Board must adopt regulations to implement the new license type.
  • Conversion/renewal rule: any existing alcoholic beverages license for a movie theater in Howard County may be renewed only as a Class MT license going forward.
  • Effective date (per bill text / fiscal note): July 1, 2025.

Who is affected

  • Primary: movie theater owners/operators in Howard County seeking to offer alcoholic beverages to ticketed patrons.
  • Secondary: Howard County Board of License Commissioners (rulemaking and fee setting), patrons (ticketed moviegoers), local enforcement entities, and potentially nearby food & beverage businesses (competition/market effects).
  • State agencies: no direct fiscal effect reported.

Fiscal and operational impact

  • State effect: none.
  • Local (Howard County): potential increase in license fee revenue to the county if Class MT licenses are issued. The number of licenses and fee level are unknown; the fiscal note cannot reliably estimate total revenue.
  • Enforcement/administration: Howard County indicates it can monitor and enforce the new license category with existing resources.
  • Small business: overall minimal statewide fiscal effect, but potentially meaningful increased sales for an individual movie theater that obtains the license.

Procedural / timeline notes (legislative history excerpts)

  • Introduced: January 30 / February 5, 2025 (Howard County Senators as sponsors; companion HB 1494).
  • Committee activity: referred to Rules and Finance; committee reports required and Board-directed regulation language included.
  • Bill text and fiscal note specify a July 1, 2025 effective date. (Legislative action records in the document set include later procedural items; consult official Maryland session records for final enactment and exact operative date.)

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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