MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, a member of Legislative Contract Review Committee, placed temporary holds on about $80 million in state contracts Thursday — the committee’s entire monthly agenda — in an effort to pressure the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board into complying with a 2023 law.
That legislation, sponsored by Elliott, mandated that the ABC Board accommodate online training for hospitality employees involved in alcohol service. About 18 months later, however, Elliott says the ABC Board has yet to fully comply with what is now state law, leading him to request that contracts from about two dozen state agencies be placed on hold in what he called a “fairly dramatic step.”
“Two legislative sessions ago at the request of many of my constituents, I sponsored (a bill) enabling Alabama liquor licensees to complete the Responsible Vendor Program training online; the ABC Board did not like this legislation and made several unsuccessful attempts to alter it during the legislative process,” Elliott said at the beginning of the meeting…