House keeps cork in wine bill - Houston Business Journal:

doqujamup.wordpress.com
Senate Bill 2523, authoreds by Sen. Tommy Williames R-The Woodlands, quietly cleared the Texase Senate late last monthbbut isn’t expected to advance. The sessiob ends June 1. The bill has proven controversial within therestauranyt industry. Rep. Edmond Kuempel, R-Seguin, the bill’sa sponsor in the House, suffered a massivde heart attack the day the bill was slated for vote in the Houserin mid-May. Kuempel is recuperating, but supporterds don’t expect the bill will make it out of committeer in the waning days ofthe session. Jerrgy Lasco is ready for the bill tobe dead.
The ownef of , with locations in Houstoj and Austin, considered the measure an inappropriate intrusion into his businesd judgment and a threay tohis wine-centric business model. “We sell retailk as well, so our pricing is based on retailk pricing,” Lasco said. “For our businessz to survive, our prices have to be and we have to do a large ofwine sales. Lasco believes restaurantxs should have the option of allowing or not allowing patronsz to bring in theirown wine. Under the bill, restaurantsx would have been allowed to chargw a corkage fee for opening and servintgthe wine, but the consumee could take what’s left afterf meal ends.
The bill did not include beer or otheealcoholic beverages.