A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO amend the definition of a malt beverage under the Alcoholic Beverage control laws and amend the revenue laws to make corresponding changes in the definitions of alcoholic beverages.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 18B‑101(9) reads as rewritten:
"(9)	'Malt beverage' means beer, lager, malt liquor, ale, porter, and any other brewed or fermented beverage containing at least one‑half of one percent (0.5%) alcohol by volume."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 105‑113.68(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Definitions. – As used in this Article, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
(1)	ABC Commission. – The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission established under G.S. 18B‑200.
(2)	Repealed by Session Laws 2004‑170, s. 6, effective August 2, 2004.
(3)	ABC permit. – Defined in G.S. 18B‑101.
(4)	Alcoholic beverage. – Defined in G.S. 18B‑101.
(5)	Fortified wine. – Defined in G.S. 18B‑101.
(6)	License. – A certificate, issued pursuant to this Article by a city or county, that authorizes a person to engage in a phase of the alcoholic beverage industry.
(7)	Malt beverage. – Defined in G.S. 18B‑101.
(8)	Person. – Defined in G.S. 105‑228.90.
(9)	Sale. – Defined in G.S. 18B‑101.
(10)	Secretary. – The Secretary of Revenue.
(11)	Spirituous liquor or liquor. – Defined in G.S. 18B‑101.
(12)	Unfortified wine. – Defined in G.S. 18B‑101.
(13)	Wholesaler or importer. – When used with reference to wholesalers or importers of wine or malt beverages includes resident wineries that sell their wines at retail and resident breweries that produce fewer than 310,000 gallons of malt beverages per year.
(14)	Wine. – Unfortified and fortified wine.
(15)	Wine shipper permittee. – A winery that holds a wine shipper permit issued by the ABC Commission under G.S. 18B‑1001.1."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.