ABV bill clears committee

Thanks to The Star's Montgomery correspondent, Markeshia Ricks, we've got the latest on the Alabama House ABV bill - it was approved by the House's Tourism & Travel Committee after a public hearing today.

Free the Hops President Stuart Carter, and John Little, an attorney who represents Huntsville's Olde Towne Brewing and founded the Auburn Brew Club, spoke in support of the bill. The Alabama Citizens' Action Program spoke against it, as they have in the past.

An advisory council to the committee recommended the bill's passage, saying it could help enhance visits by, for instance, Germans connected with Mercedes Benz's plant in Vance, who come from a culture more accustomed to beer consumption. (Editorial note: How about doing it for the Americans who are accustomed to drinking beer?)

The bill could receive its second reading as early as tomorrow; the earliest it could come up for a vote in the full House is March 26, Markeshia tells me.