A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO amend the alcoholic beverage control laws.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 18B‑603(f) reads as rewritten:
"(f)	Permits Not Dependent on Elections. – The Commission may issue the following kinds of permits without approval at an election:
(1)	Special occasion permits;
(2)	Limited special occasion permits;
(3)	Brown‑bagging permits for private clubs and congressionally chartered veterans organizations;
(4)	Culinary permits, except as restricted by subdivision (d)(5);
(5)	Special one‑time permits issued under G.S. 18B‑1002;
(6)	All permits listed in G.S. 18B‑1100;
(7)	The permits authorized by G.S. 18B-1001(1), (3), (5), and (10) for a tourism ABC establishment;
(8)	The permits authorized by G.S. 18B‑1001(1), (3), (5), and (10) for tourism resorts;
(9)	The permits authorized by G.S. 18B‑1001(1), (3), (5), and (10) for historic ABC establishments."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 18B‑1006(m) reads as rewritten:
"(m)	Interstate Interchange Economic Development Zones. –
(1)	The Commission may issue permits listed in G.S. 18B‑1001(10), without approval at an election, to qualified establishments defined in G.S. 18B‑1000(4), (6), and (8) located within one mile of an interstate highway interchange located in a county that:
a.	Has approved the sale of malt beverages, unfortified wine, and fortified wine, but not mixed beverages;
b.	Operates ABC stores;
c.	Borders on another state; and
d.	Lies north and east of the Roanoke River.
(2)	The Commission may issue permits listed in G.S. 18B‑1001(1), (3), (5), and (10) to qualified establishments defined in G.S. 18B‑1000(4), (6), and (8) and may issue permits listed in G.S. 18B‑1001(2) and (4) to qualified establishments defined in G.S. 18B‑1000(3) in any county that qualifies for issuance of permits pursuant to G.S. 18B‑1006(k)(5). These permits may be issued without approval at an election and shall be issued only to qualified establishments that meet any of the following requirements:
a.	Located within one mile of any interstate highway interchange in that county.
b.	Located within one mile of an establishment issued a permit under G.S. 18B‑1006(k)(5).
(3)	The Commission may issue permits listed in G.S. 18B‑1001(10), without approval at an election, to qualified establishments defined in G.S. 18B‑1000(4), (6), and (8) located within one mile of an interstate highway interchange located in a county that meets all of the following requirements:
a.	Has approved the sale of malt beverages, unfortified wine, fortified wine, but not mixed beverages.
b.	Contains one city that has approved the sale of malt beverages, unfortified wine, fortified wine, and mixed beverages.
c.	Operates ABC stores.
d.	Lies south and west of the Roanoke River and shares a common border with a county qualifying in subdivision (1) of this subsection.
This subsection shall also apply to an establishment in a county included in subdivision (3) of this subsection if the establishment is located within two miles of an interstate highway interchange that is within three miles of the common border described in sub‑subdivision (3)d. of this subsection.
(4)	The Commission may issue the permits listed in G.S. 18B-1001, without approval at an election, to a restaurant that is located in a county that has not approved the issuance of any permits, borders on one of the two largest counties in the State, has a federal interstate highway running through it, and has at least six cities that have approved the sale of some malt beverages and unfortified wine and four of which have approved ABC systems."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 18B‑101(14b) reads as rewritten:
"(14b)	"Tourism resort" means:
a.	Any restaurant and lodging facility, whether public or private, owned and operated as a resort property offering food, beverage, lodging, and meeting facilities to travelers and tourists and featuring one or more golf courses and two or more tennis courts along with other recreational and sporting activities, 
b.	Any restaurant, whether public or private, owned and operated as a resort property offering food and beverage to travelers and tourists and featuring an equestrian center and two or more tennis courts along with other recreational and sporting activities, or
c.	Any restaurant and lodging facility, whether public or private, owned and operated as a resort property offering food, beverage, lodging, and meeting facilities to travelers and tourists and which from the resort property are initiated outdoor recreational activities featuring water-related sports and bicycling.
Receipts from sporting and recreational activities of a tourism resort shall be at least twenty‑five percent (25%) of total gross receipts. Receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of total gross receipts. A tourism resort open to the public shall advertise at least quarterly in a regional or national travel or sports industry publication, or in the State travel guide published by the North Carolina Department of Commerce."
SECTION 4.  G.S. 18B‑101(14a) reads as rewritten:
"(14a)	"Tourism ABC establishment" means a restaurant or hotel that meets one of the following requirements:
a.	Is located on property, a property line of which is located within 1.5 miles of the end of an entrance or exit ramp of a junction on a national scenic parkway designed to attract local, State, national, and international tourists between the State line and 	Milepost 460, in a county in which the on‑premises or off‑premises sale of malt beverages or unfortified wine is authorized in at least one city.b.	Is located in an area of a district established for fire protection purposes where mixed beverages have been approved by two or more municipalities in that district, all located in a county that borders on the Atlantic Ocean."
SECTION 5.  G.S. 18B‑101(13a) reads as rewritten:
"(13a)	"Special ABC area" means an area that meets the following requirements:
Either:
a.	The area has fewer than 500 permanent residents, and the area:
1.	Is located in a county that borders another state, that has at least one city that has approved the operation of an ABC store, and in which the sale of unfortified wine and malt beverages is permitted countywide or in one city; and
2.	Contains more than 500 contiguous acres made up of privately‑owned land and land owned by an association or a club that is exempt from income tax on its membership income under Article 4 of Chapter 105 of the General Statutes, has more than 200 members, was created for municipal and recreational purposes, and, for three or more years, has levied assessments or dues and provided municipal services; or
b.	The area has more than 500 permanent residents, and the area:
1.	Is located in a county:
I.	Where ABC stores have heretofore been established but in which the sale of mixed beverages has not been approved;
II.	That borders on a county that has approved the sale of alcoholic beverages countywide and contains an international airport; and
III.	Borders on a county where ABC stores have heretofore been established by petition pursuant to law; and
2.	Contains more than 500 contiguous acres made up of privately‑owned land and land owned by an association or a club that is exempt from income tax on its membership income under Article 4 of Chapter 105 of the General Statutes, has more than 200 members, was created for municipal and recreational purposes, and, for three or more years, has levied assessments or dues and provided municipal 						services."
SECTION 6.  G.S. 18B‑1000(8) reads as rewritten:
"§ 18B‑1000.  Definitions concerning establishments.
The following requirements and definitions shall apply to this Chapter:
…
(8)	Sports club. – Any of the following:
a.	An establishment substantially engaged in the business of providing an 18‑hole golf course, two or more tennis courts, or both. The sports club can either be open to the general public or to members and their guests. To qualify as a sports club, an establishment's gross receipts for club and other recreational activities shall be greater than its gross receipts for alcoholic beverages. This provision does not prohibit a sports club from operating a restaurant. Receipts for food shall be included in with the club activity fee.
b.	An establishment located on property that is within 100 yards of the closest boundary of the property on which a sports club as defined in sub-subdivision a. of this subdivision is located, if the establishment is a food business that is in direct competition with the neighboring sports club for the sale of food, beverages, or tobacco products. To qualify as a sports club under this sub-subdivision, an establishment shall have been operating as a food business at its current location prior to the issuance of any permits to the neighboring sports club pursuant to this Chapter. Notwithstanding G.S. 18B-603(h) and G.S. 18B-1006(k), an establishment that qualifies as a sports club under this sub-subdivision is eligible only for those permits that are issuable to food businesses under G.S. 18B-1001."
SECTION 7.  G.S. 18B‑1000(1a) reads as rewritten:
"(1a)	Convention center. – An establishment that meets either of the following requirements:
a.	A publicly owned or operated establishment that is engaged in the business of sponsoring or hosting conventions and similar large gatherings. 
b.	A privately owned facility located in a city that has a population of at least 200,000 but not more than 250,000 by the 2000 federal census. To qualify as a convention center under this sub-subdivision, the facility shall meet each of the following requirements:
1.	The facility shall be located within an area that has been designated as an Urban Redevelopment Area under Article 22 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes and shall be certified by the appropriate local official as being consistent with the city's redevelopment plan for the area in which the facility is located.
2.	The facility shall contain at least 7,500 square feet of floor space that is available for public use and shall be used exclusively for banquets, receptions, meetings, and similar gatherings.
3.	The facility's annual gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages shall be less than fifty percent (50%) of the gross receipts paid to all providers at permitted functions for food, nonalcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, service, and facility usage fees (excluding receipts or charges for entertainment and ancillary services not directly related to providing food and beverage service). The person to whom a permit has been issued for a privately owned facility shall be required to maintain copies of all contracts and invoices for items supplied by providers for a period of three years from the date of the event.
Convention centers shall include auditoriums, armories, civic centers, and coliseums. A permit issued for a convention center shall be valid only for those parts of the building used for conventions, banquets, receptions, and other similar events and only during scheduled  events."
SECTION 8.  This act is effective when it becomes law.