That Omnibus bill passed by Congress and signed by the President on Friday includes $5 million marked for Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau to enforce industry trade practice rules. It’s the second year in a row for agency funding and enforcement at those levels.
These recent funding increases enabled the agency to launch 15 major investigations into potential trade practices violations including two large “pay to play” cases.
Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America supported the funding. “The U.S. beverage alcohol market, with wholesalers at the center, offers consumers the widest variety of products available anywhere in the world in a manner that guarantees product integrity and promotes social responsibility. One of the key reasons the American market is so diverse, safe and competitive is because of the longstanding and effective relationship between suppliers, wholesalers, retailers and TTB,” WSWA President and CEO Craig Wolf said.
“TTB oversight and trade practices enforcement are important bulwarks of our industry. Wholesalers as well as their supplier and retailer partners share a commitment to strict compliance with alcohol regulations at the state and federal levels,” Wolf added.
The trade practice investigation funding is part of an overall appropriation of $111 million for TTB.
The spending bill also provides $5 million for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to provide grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to expand the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) and Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) programs.
Both the comprehensive DRE and ARIDE training programs prepare law enforcement officers with advanced instruction in detecting and assessing drivers suspected of being under the influence of drugs. To-date, more than 7,500 officers have been DRE certified and more than 46,000 have completed the ARIDE certification.
“The beverage alcohol industry has long spoken with a united voice and worked to support law enforcement and regulatory efforts to fight underage drinking and to advocate for strict anti-impaired driving enforcement. As more and more states legalize marijuana, it is essential that law enforcement officials be armed with the latest and best tools and training to ensure that the success they have found with anti-DUI enforcement expands to this growing category of drugged-driving. These federal programs will help support key state and local law enforcement efforts to expand enforcement,” Wolf added.