Action Alert: South Dakota House Bill 1109 (SD1109)

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We need your quick action to help homebrewers in South Dakota. 

Thanks to your efforts, South Dakota House Bill 1109 (SD1109) passed the South Dakota House Commerce and Energy Committee (13 Yeas, 0 Nays) and passed the South Dakota House Floor (65 Yeas, 3 Nays). 

The proposed bill has moved to the South Dakota Senate Commerce and Energy Committee. We need the committee members to pass the bill and move it to the floor for a vote. 

SD1109 would modify homemade beverage restrictions in favor of homebrewers. The amendments would update South Dakota homebrew legislation to include cider as a permissible homemade alcoholic beverage to produce in limited quantities, to make homemade alcoholic beverages permissible on licensed premises for certain events, and allow homebrewers to transport homemade alcoholic beverages from their household. 

Currently, cider is not explicitly included in the statute, homemade alcoholic beverages is not permissible on licensed premises and transporting homebrew is not explicitly defined in the South Dakota alcohol code. 

How Can You Help? 

Write to the South Dakota Senate Commerce and Energy Committee (senatecommerce@sdlegislature.gov) by February 16 urging the committee to pass the bill to the chamber floor. See the sample text below (feel free to customize your message). 

Instructions: All written comments should be submitted through the email provided. Make sure to mention in your subject line/email South Dakota House Bill 1109 and for your message to be admitted on record. 

Dear Senate Commerce and Energy Committee Members, 

I am writing to urge you to pass House Bill 1109 out of the Commerce and Energy Committee to the Senate floor for a vote. 

House Bill 1109 is a fair bill that would benefit the brewery supply stores and homebrew clubs across the state that support hundreds of homebrewers and their communities, as well as benefit South Dakota’s 33 small and independent breweries. The bill allows homebrewers to freely brew and transport homemade product in the state and allows homebrewers to host educational events responsibly at licensed facilities. This new opportunity will spur economic activity at small, locally owned businesses and support a $245 million craft brewing industry. 

South Dakota’s economy will benefit from passage of House Bill 1109. The majority of the more than 8,000 breweries now operating in the United States, including over 33+ in South Dakota and growing, were founded by homebrewers. Fair and responsiblle homebrew legislation help to build vibrant communities, fostering the growth of locally owned businesses, which contribute jobs and tax revenue to South Dakota’s economy. 

I strongly urge you to pass House Bill 1109. It is the right thing to do for South Dakota constituents, small businesses, homebrewers, and craft breweries, and will prove beneficial to South Dakota’s economy.