By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — A House panel on Wednesday rejected a bill to ban the sale of “alcopops,” or flavored malt beverages, in grocery and convenience stores.

The House Rules Committee endorsed a bill to ban smoking on the campuses of all public institutions of higher education in the state and sent a bill to reduce the state’s bingo tax to the House floor.

In a voice vote, the committee voted down House Bill 1661 by Rep. Gene Shelby, D-Hot Springs, which would place new restrictions on sweet or fruity malt beverages such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Smirnoff Ice.

The bill would treat the drinks like liquor or spirits for tax purposes and restrict sales to liquor stores. Supporters said confining the drinks to liquor stores would make them less accessible to minors.

“Alcopops fuel the epidemic of underage drinking,” said Casey Bright, who runs a drug treatment center in Hot Springs. “Because they don’t taste, smell or look like alcohol, alcopops serve as a transition or bridge from soft drinks to alcohol, especially for young girls.”

Waldron Police Chief David Millard testified that he often finds the drinks when busting underage drinking parties. Waldron is in a dry county, but teens often travel from Waldron to Fort Smith to obtain the drinks, he said.

Ann Hines, executive vice president of the Arkansas Oil Marketers Association, testified that the process of brewing malt beverages is different from the process of distilling spirits, so alcopops should not be treated as spirits.

Hines also said few underage drinkers obtain alcohol by buying it.

“The vast majority of minors who are consuming alcohol get it from their home or a friend’s home,” she said. “Those of us in retail cannot do anything about that. We cannot control the refrigerator in someone’s house, so we should not be punished for something we cannot control.”

The committee voted to endorse HB 2007 by Rep. Barry Hyde, D-North Little Rock, which would ban smoking at all public institutions of higher education in the state. The bill advances to the House.

Several college campuses in the state have already banned smoking, Hyde told the committee. He said some colleges have expressed support for the bill and none has expressed opposition.

Rep. Gregg Reep, D-Warren, who earlier in the session sponsored a bill raising the tax on cigarettes to fund a trauma system and other health programs, questioned why a law is needed if the state’s colleges already support smoking bans.

“Why are they depending on us to pass a law for this? … Do they just feel like, ‘I don’t want us to do it?’”

“Yes sir,” Hyde said.

The committee also concurred in a Senate amendment to HB 1111 by Rep. Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith. As Pennartz initially filed it, the bill would have eliminated the 1-cent-per-card tax on bingo games, but with the amendment the bill would reduce the tax to three-tenths of a cent.

The bill goes to the House floor.