What happend to the wine shipment bill?

WBZ-TV is reaching out to viewers, asking them to Declare Your Curiosity.

I sent in a few questions.

This one is going to be answered on the 11:00 PM news tonight:

What happend to the wine shipment bill? Can I get wine shipped from California to Massachusetts now or are we still operating under the old law?

Cheers!



Martha Coakley moves to block out-of-state wine shippers:

There’s another roadblock for Bay Staters hoping to get wine delivered to their homes from large out-of-state producers.

The state Attorney General is appealing a December court judgment that opened the doors for the wineries to ship their products directly to Massachusetts consumers.

Massachusetts Attorney General to Spend Taxpayer Money to Maintain Discriminatory Ban on Wine Direct Shipping:

Despite a decisive opinion and remedy order by widely respected U.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will spend taxpayer dollars to appeal the judge’s decision, which promised an expansion of consumer choice in fine wine.

On November 19, 2008, Judge Zobel ruled unconstitutional a Massachusetts statute that bans winery-to-consumer shipments from wineries producing more than 30,000 gallons and who retain a Massachusetts wholesaler; these wineries account for over 90% of all of the wine produced in the US each year, according to the plaintiff’s filing (Family Winemakers v. Jenkins). On December 18, Judge Zobel enjoined the state from enforcing Sections 2, 18 and 19(F) of the Massachusetts General Law Chapter 138.

Now, Attorney General Coakley intends to appeal the final decision to the 1st Circuit Court.

To: Martha Coakley (D-MA), Attorney General:

Dear Attorney General Martha Coakley,

As an adult wine consumer of Massachusetts, I strongly urge you to stop any appeals to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the unconstitutional enforcement of Sections 2, 18 and 19(F) of the Massachusetts General Law Chapter 138. Please do not utilize my tax dollars to defend this anti-consumer statute.

I believe Massachusetts wine lovers like me should decide which wines to purchase and how we purchase them, from a winery, retailer, online, etc. I strongly urge you to support the ruling of Judge Zobel and stop any appeals process toward the final decision. Please do not reduce our consumer choice in wine.

Thanks,
--Steve