Andrew Friedson testified today in support of House Bill 518, the Reform on Tap Act of 2018. The legislation, promoted by Comptroller Peter Franchot (D), was the result of recommendations made by the Reform on Tap Task Force that met throughout the summer reviewing Maryland’s craft beer laws and regulations. Comptroller Franchot established the task force following legislation passed in 2017 viewed as hostile towards Maryland’s craft brewers. Franchot serves as Maryland’s chief alcohol regulator, and Friedson, now a District One Montgomery County Council Candidate, previously served as Senior Policy Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Comptroller.

Below is Friedson’s Testimony in favor of the Reform on Tap Act of 2018:

TESTIMONY OF ANDREW FRIEDSON
SUPPORT: House Bill 518 Reform on Tap Act of 2018
House Economic Matters Committee
Annapolis, MD
February 23rd, 2018

Chairman Davis, Vice Chair Jameson, and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today in strong support of House Bill 518. I appreciate the Comptroller’s efforts to help and support the State of Maryland’s burgeoning craft beer industry, and the hard work of the Reform on Tap Task Force whose recommendations formed the basis for this legislation.

Passage of the Reform on Tap Act of 2018 is about supporting a craft brewing industry that generates an estimated $637 million in annual economic impact and supports more than 6,500 jobs that provide $228 million in wages. It’s about modernizing restrictive laws that hurt small businesses without protecting consumers from any harm. It’s about allowing new, innovative entrepreneurs to fairly compete in an industry that has been dominated for far too long by far too few politically connected power brokers. It’s about passing laws to help build a modern economy that can compete regionally and nationally – for businesses, for workers, and for families.

Economic change is happening and our choice is to ignore it, fight it, or embrace it. This industry represents part of the change our economy has been waiting for. It’s an industry that isn’t asking for free handouts, only that we remove costly barriers. It’s an industry that is repurposing empty industrial space and under-utilized farmland into vibrant new businesses, helping to jumpstart a rebirth in our manufacturing sector, and creating a sense of community in buildings and neighborhoods that have been left behind amid structural demographic and economic changes.

In Montgomery County, like in many jurisdictions, we face significant fiscal and economic challenges with an aging workforce, declining median wages, and a shrinking tax base. The only sustainable path forward is to capitalize on our core assets and grow a more vibrant private sector economy. Our craft breweries are undoubtedly one of those key economic assets – in the jobs and economic activity they create, local pride they promote, and innovation they represent. In order to build a modern economy that can sustain our high quality of life and high level of public services, and keep up with our growing social needs, we need to grow our tax base by attracting and retaining businesses, families and new workers. The craft brewery industry has planted the seeds, and they are watering them with their own time, treasure, and talent. All they are asking of our state government is to not to go out of its way to block the sun that will make them grow. This bill does just that, and will allow our entire economy to benefit from the fruits of their labor.

Thank you for your careful consideration, and I respectfully urge a favorable report on HB 518.