Texas Scorecard By Erin Anderson December 4, 2020
Targeted businesses call to “defund†the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. “This was never about bars. This is about freedom.â€
What started as an effort by struggling small-business owners known as “51-percenters†to safely reopen under government-ordered coronavirus shutdowns has grown into a unified movement to take on the state agency that regulates the alcoholic beverage industry in Texas.
That movement was recharged Thursday by yet another shutdown that destroys their ability to make a living, feed their families, or support their employees—prompting their spokesman to announce a plan to “defund†the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
51-Percenters UniteThe 51-percenters—business owners who hold a permit from the TABC and receive more than 51 percent of their revenue from alcohol sales—have been among the hardest hit by Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive orders that declare which businesses are “essential†and can remain open.
They say TABC has abused its enforcement authority under Abbott’s orders, not only setting arbitrary rules and applying them unequally, but using their power to harass, intimidate, and extort certain sellers of alcoholic beverages, blatantly violating their constitutional rights in the process.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/local/51-percenters-unite-to-fight-shutdowns/
