House Bill 1561 Summary

• Authorizes holders of wine/distiller manufacturer's permits or out-of-state licensed manufacturers to obtain a direct shipper's permit and sell wine or distilled spirits directly to Mississippi residents without going through the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.

• Restricts direct shippers to selling maximum 24 nine-liter cases of wine and 8 nine-liter cases of distilled spirits annually per individual, prohibits sales to dry counties, and requires age verification with signature of person 21+ years old.

• Levies 15.5% tax on direct shipper sales with monthly reporting requirements; deposits portion equivalent to 3% markup into Mental Health Programs Fund.

• Allows package retailer permit holders to sell wine and distilled spirits through internet and ship to residents in wet counties, with same labeling and age verification requirements as direct shippers.

• Increases maximum number of package retailer permits one person can own from one to three and permits wet counties and municipalities to authorize Sunday package retail sales from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. by local ordinance.