"The Texas Package Stores Association is disappointed in the trial court’s decision to overturn decades of Texas law regulating the sale of liquor in Texas. The Texas Legislature put a system in place to ensure safe access to alcoholic beverages in Texas, and that system has worked for over 80 years. We will appeal the trial court’s decision and continue to fight for family-owned liquor store owners against the world’s largest corporate entities that seek to inflate their profits by upending sensible state laws that protect both consumers and small businesses."

Source: ABL

On Tuesday, November 22, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction halting the enforcement of the Department of Labor's (DOL) new overtime rule until further notice. The rule, which was set to take effect on December 1, 2016, would have increased the salary threshold for "white collar" employees.

The judge's ruling gives employers across the country a reprieve from having to raise salaries for exempt employees to the new threshold or pay them overtime.

DOWNLOAD ABL MEMO - NOV 16 - OVERTIME RULE.PDF

Source: Texas Beverage Journal

As the saying goes, "things are BIGGER in Texas" and this stood true for the 69th Annual TPSA Convention & Trade Show. Retailers from across the state gathered in Dallas, July 17 - 18th as vendors from around the world came to showcase their best products.

The two-day event kicked off with the annual Trade Show on Sunday. Opening the venue was a carnival like theme with racing armadillows and putt-putt golf. This menagerie set the tone for the more than 2,000 package stores owners and their employees to sample and learn about new products, connect with peers, and seek out new services to enhance their businesses.

DOWNLOAD BEV JOURNAL SEPT16_TPSACONVENTION.PDF

Effective January 1, 2016, Texas Penal Code Chapter 46 will be amended to prohibit carying the handgun in plain view unless the person is licensed to carry a handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Texas Government Code, and the handgun is carried in a shoulder or belt holster. If a person is licensed to carry a concealed handgun in Texas, then that person will be allowed to carry their handgun in plain view.

Business owners may still prohibit handguns, both openly or concealed, by placing two signs outside of its establishment. The section addressing concealed carry is under the Penal Code, Section 30.06 and the section addressing open carry is under the Penal Code, Section 30.07. Each sign...