Substitute House Bill No. 5149 - Summary

• Establishes a new "cafe permit for wine, beer and cider" that allows retail sales of wine, beer, and cider (not exceeding 6% alcohol by volume) for on-premises consumption, with food required to be available during majority of operating hours.

• Permits cafe permit holders to sell sealed wine and draught beer for off-premises consumption during package store hours, limited to 196 ounces of beer per customer per day.

• Allows customers to remove one previously unsealed bottle of wine from a cafe if they purchased a full course meal and consumed part of the wine on-premises, provided the bottle is properly sealed and bagged.

• Annual fee for cafe permit for wine, beer and cider is $1,000 and the permit is effective July 1, 2024.

• Updates smoking and vaping prohibitions, off-premises sales rules, and permit holder restrictions to include the new cafe permit category alongside existing permit types.