HB329 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Frances Holk-JonesRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board; to amend Sections 28-1-5, as amended by Act 2022-383, 2022 Regular Session, and 28-10-6 of the Code of Alabama 1975, to authorize an employee of a restaurant or hotel that is a restaurant or special retail licensee of the board to serve alcoholic beverages under the same specified conditions as an employee of a restaurant licensee; and to further provide for the forms and records of responsible vendor training.

Summary

HB329 would allow 18–20 year old employees of certain restaurant or hotel licensees to serve alcohol under the same conditions as other 18–20 year olds and would update responsible vendor training requirements (including online options).

What This Bill Does

It authorizes 18–20 year old employees of a restaurant or hotel that is a restaurant or special retail licensee to serve alcoholic beverages under specific limits (they may work as servers or bussers but cannot be bartenders or deliver to guest rooms). The licensee must be annually certified as a responsible vendor, and training for these employees may be completed online with testing. The bill also expands and formalizes responsible vendor training requirements (including online options, testing, semiannual meetings, and digital records) and adds penalties for licensees who require under-21 employees to handle alcohol in violation of the rules. It also allows under-21 employees of wholesale or off-premises licensees to handle within the scope of their employment.

Who It Affects

• 18–20 year old employees who work as servers or bussers for restaurants or hotels that hold restaurant or special retail licenses, who would be allowed to serve alcohol under the bill's conditions.
• Licensees (restaurants, hotels, wholesalers, and off-premises licensees) and the ABC Board, who must ensure compliance with the new rules, pursue responsible vendor certification, maintain training records (including digital records), and could face penalties if they require under-21 employees to handle alcohol improperly.

Key Provisions

• authorizes 18–20 year old employees of a restaurant or hotel that is a restaurant or special retail licensee to serve alcoholic beverages under the same conditions as 18–20 year olds employed by a restaurant licensee (restricted to server/busser role; not bartender; no pouring/dispensing; no delivery to guest rooms).
• requires the licensee to be annually certified as a responsible vendor under the Alabama Responsible Vendor Act; allows online training for responsible vendor training with required testing; no in-person test administrator required.
• imposes civil penalties on licensees who require under-21 employees to handle/dispense alcohol in violation (first offense $250, second offense $500, third or subsequent offense $1,000).
• updates 28-10-6 requirements: board-approved training covering alcohol laws, recognizing underage customers, refusal procedures, and dealing with intoxicated customers; training for authorized employees within 30 days of employment; allows online/classroom/live training with testing; requires semiannual meetings and digital record-keeping (records may be digital and produced within 48 hours).
• requires posting signs at vendor premises about the policy against selling alcohol to underage persons; training records and meetings are to be maintained and accessible.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.