Senate Bill 2835 Summary

• Authorizes holders of wine manufacturer's permits or out-of-state wine license holders to obtain a direct wine shipper's permit from the Department of Revenue and sell wine directly to Mississippi residents without going through the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.

• Limits direct wine shippers to selling a maximum of 24 nine-liter cases annually to any individual resident, with all wine sales restricted to wet counties only.

• Requires direct wine shippers to maintain records for three years, report annual sales to the department, and label all wine containers with age verification warnings; prohibits shipment of beer, light wine, or non-wine alcoholic beverages.

• Imposes a 15.5% excise tax on direct wine shipper sales with monthly reporting requirements, and deposits equivalent to the 3% mental health markup into the Mental Health Programs Fund.

• Establishes misdemeanor penalties of up to $1,000 fine and six months jail time for violations, and authorizes the department to suspend or revoke permits for non-compliance.