Liquor store owners, restaurant and bar operators and beer distributors have stood against the plan, saying that opening up broader sales at taprooms or breweries could pull sales from their businesses. State leaders should instead consider dropping capacity limits on bars, restaurants and other places of public entertainment to boost the hospitality sector, they've said.
Committee chairs serve as key gatekeepers in shepherding a bill to or blocking it from the House and Senate floors. And the pair leading Minnesota's House and Senate Commerce Committees have said the measure lacks the support of all stakeholders involved. That drops its priority level for committee chairs tasked with taking on COVID-19 response and a two-year state budget, they said.