Governor Kathy Hochul
Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans Wednesday to permanently legalize to-go alcohol while making the State Liquor Authority more efficient.
Hochul said the efforts are to support the recovery of restaurants and bars in the state. She said the state’s multi-billion dollar hospitality industry was one of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic.
Hochul said the state will add $2 million toward the State Liquor Authority’s budget to hire over 30 employees to help tackle the backlog of liquor license applications, “They have over 75,000 applications a year. Seventy-five thousand. That’s extraordinary. And that’s over 14,000 licensed applications, 30,000 renewals, 20,000 special events, 10,000, just other, I don’t even know what other is, but it’s 10,000. You know, they have 114 employees and 30 dedicated to review of those 75,000 applications. That is impossible.”
The Governor’s budget also proposes cutting red tape to expedite the application process by eliminating some requirements such as citizenship documentation and requiring financial documents and personal information from minority stakeholders.
Hochul said the budget includes bringing back to-go drinks for restaurants. This policy had been in effect during the pandemic until June 2021 when the state legislature opted not to extend it.
She said the SLA will be modernized by adding the ability to apply for licensing online. Currently, applications must be sent in by mail which are then entered manually.
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