Keg Registration rears its ugly head again
Well cruising my email this afternoon I see that we have two seperate Keg Registration bills being floated in the 2005 Iowa Legislature. It disturbs me that we have one from a Democrat, and one from a Republican. With the Legislature being equally divided this year, we could only hope that they get nothing accomplished. 
But perhaps this is one thing they could agree on.
Its time to contact your representative and send them off a quick email letting them know that you do not agree with the idea of keg registration. You can find out who to write at http://www.vote-smart.org.
Here are the bills being considered:
HF 67 BEER KEG IDS
Requires that beer kegs have ID tags supplied by the Alcoholic Beverages Division. Makes it criminal mischief to deface such a tag and requires that if the tag is defaced, then any deposit shall be forfeited. Prohibits cities from adopting additional requirements or penalties. Rep. Mike Reasoner (D) is the lead sponsor. The bill is in the House State Government Committee.
HF 124 BEER KEG ID
Requires beer kegs larger than 2 gallons to have a permanent and durable identification tag. Requires record of purchaser’s name and address, sales clerk name, and other information retained for six months. Sets a $1,500 scheduled simple misdemeanor for violation and civil license suspension. Rep. Jim Van Engelenhoven (R) is the sponsor. The bill is in the House State Government Committee.
I have had many discussion’s with brewers from other states about these types of laws. All agree that they are a complete waste of time and resources, with no upside. The stickers don’t stick, or they stick so well you have spend ten minutes removing them for every sale. The forms are long and rarely filled out in a legible manner. The information collected is useless. Its asks for things like ‘where and when’ you will be consuming the keg. I don’t get it. It’s the customer’s beer to consume legally and responsibly at the time and place of his choosing.
What this is supposed to do is stop underage drinkers from having ‘keg parties’. The result, in all 23 states with keg laws, is that they are not discouraged from drinking, instead they go and buy 30 packs and make up “Jungle Juice” from everclear. Heck thats is what they are doing right now anyway. The ones who do have ‘keg’ parties are more responsible, since they have to come up with deposits for both the keg and the tapper, which usually amounts 100$ or more. Grocery stores will cease to carry kegs, the sale of kegs that do not go to a bar will drop off dramatically. This law will simply make it a pain in the ass for regular people like you and me to buy a keg.
Ok that was rant. For more ranting and raving, check out this web page about Keg Registration.