It appears Mississippi is well on its way to stepping into the 2tst Century with legislation that will allow a growth industry to take off moving through the Legislature.
Tuesday, the Mississippi House approved, by a healthy 94-23 vote, a measure that would allow craft breweries in the state to sell up to 10 percent of their product on site. The bill now heads to the Senate with a full head of steam and passage seems all but assured.
It’s good news for Mississippi’s fledgling craft-brewing industry, which has eight craft brewers sprinkled throughout the state. Nationally, Craft beer is a booming enterprise. According to the National Brewers’ Association, there are now 3,739 craft breweries in the U.S. Those breweries have created 115,000 jobs. These breweries are not simply manufacturers, often they are gathering spots for residents, stimulating their local economies.
But for one potential craft-brewery site in Columbus, the move comes a year too late. And to add insult to injury, it was a Columbus legislator who is personally responsible for that.
When California preservationist/developed Gayle Guynup purchased the old C&G depot on Main Street in Columbus in August 2014, one of her first thoughts that the site, a block removed from Mississippi University for Women and a bookend to the city’s growing downtown economy, would be perfect for a craft brewery. She acknowledged the laws at the time did not permit the brewery to sell on-site, a key component to success, but was hopeful that the Legislature would amend the law and, quite literally, open up the spigots.
Indeed, a bill in the 2016 Legislature proposed just that.
But a funny thing happened on the way to prosperity. The bill was assigned to the House Ways & Means Committee, where chairman Jeff Smith of Columbus refused to allow the bill to come to a vote.
Asked why, Smith was elusive, merely saying his decision was to fulfill a promise to someone he declined to identify. It was noted that Smith had received campaign donations from a handful of beer distributors, the bill’s main opposition.
Tuesday, was a different story. Not only did Smith allow the new bill to go to the floor, he voted for it, too. Only Gary Chism, also from Columbus, voted no on the bill, the lone member of our local delegation not to give the bill its blessing.
Meanwhile, the window of opportunity for a craft brewery at the Depot has closed. Although yet to secure a major tenant, Guynup’s team has proceeded with alternate plans. Apartments have been built in the upstairs portion of the building and negotiations with downstairs tenants continue.
The Legislature deserves credit for finally seeing the potential of craft breweries. This legislation will, no doubt, be a real boon to the industry
But for one site in Columbus where a craft brewery made perfect sense, the move comes a year too late.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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