§ 30-64 — Fair trade; schedule of suggested prices to be filed with Department of Consumer Protection.

Connecticut § 30-64

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 30: Intoxicating Liquors
• Ch. 545: Liquor Control Act

Text

(a)(1) No out-of-state shipper, manufacturer or wholesaler permittee shall sell, offer for sale, solicit any order for or advertise any alcoholic liquor, the container of which bears a label stating brand or the name of the owner or producer, unless a schedule of suggested consumer resale prices for each brand of alcoholic liquor has been filed with the Department of Consumer Protection and such schedule is then in effect, except written permission for such sale, offer, solicitation or advertising may be granted by the department for good cause shown and for reasons not inconsistent with the purposes of this section and subdivisions (1), (2), (3) and (4) of subsection (b) of section 30-6a and under such terms and conditions as the department deems necessary. (2) Such schedule shall be filed by (A) the out-of-state shipper, manufacturer or wholesaler who owns such brand, if licensed by the department, or (B) a wholesaler, selling such brand, who is appointed as exclusive agent in writing by the brand owner for the purpose of filing such schedule, if the brand owner is not licensed by the department, or (C) any wholesaler, with the approval of the department, if the owner of such brand does not file or is unable to file a schedule or designate an agent for such purpose. (3) Such schedule shall be in writing, duly verified, and filed in the number of copies and in the form required by the department and shall contain, with respect to each brand, the brand or trade name, capacity of container, nature of contents, age and proof where stated on the label, percentage and type of spirits where stated on the label, the suggested consumer resale price of a bottle, a can, a case, a keg and a barrel or fraction thereof, but not a multiple of a bottle or can price or a case price or a fraction of a case price. Such prices shall be uniform throughout the state. (4) Schedules of suggested prices shall be filed at the times and remain in effect for the periods fixed by the department, such periods not to exceed four months each. Within ten days after the filing of such schedules, the department shall make them or a composite thereof available for inspection by permittees. All schedules so filed shall be subject to public inspection, from the time that they are required to be made available for inspection to permittees. Each out-of-state shipper, manufacturer or wholesaler permittee shall retain in such permittee's permit premises a copy of such permittee's filed schedules. Notice of all out-of-state shipper, manufacturer or wholesaler permittee prices, together with suggested consumer resale prices, shall be given by the out-of-state shipper, manufacturer or wholesaler permittee to permittee purchasers, either by direct mail or advertising in a trade publication having a circulation among the retail permittees. (b) Any permittee authorized to sell alcoholic liquor at retail for off-premises consumption may sell, or offer to sell, solicit an order for or advertise any alcoholic liquor at a price less than a suggested consumer resale price then in effect.

Legislative History

(1951, S. 2177d; 1959, P.A. 597; P.A. 75-641, S. 17; P.A. 77-438, S. 1; 77-614, S. 165, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 80, 85, 136; P.A. 80-482, S. 4, 170, 191, 345, 348; P.A. 81-294, S. 15, 22; P.A. 93-139, S. 57; P.A. 95-195, S. 67, 83; P.A. 03-19, S. 69; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(d); P.A. 04-169, S. 17; 04-189, S. 1.) History: 1959 act required filing of keg and barrel prices; P.A. 75-641 divided section into Subsecs. (a) and (b) and redesignated previous Subdiv. and Subpara. indicators accordingly; P.A. 77-438 substituted “suggested” prices for “minimum” prices, reworded Subsec. (b) to allow sales at prices less than suggested price where previously sales at less than minimum price were prohibited unless commission granted written permission; P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 replaced liquor control commission with division of liquor control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 made division of liquor control an independent department and abolished the department of business regulation, overriding provision of same act which would have placed the division within the public safety department; P.A. 81-294 made a technical change; P.A. 93-139 made technical changes; P.A. 95-195 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by substituting Department of Consumer Protection for Department of Liquor Control, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 03-19 made technical changes in Subsec. (a)(4), effective May 12, 2003; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 and P.A. 04-169 replaced Department of Consumer Protection with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004. Constitutionality upheld. 140 C. 176. Constitutionality upheld. 18 CS 59.