Letter on Amendment 2546-1 to House Bill 674 - Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Toledo Express Airport

Summary

Letter dated June 3, 2020, from the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and Toledo Express Airport to the Honorable Gayle Manning, Chairwoman of the Commerce & Labor Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives, regarding support for Amendment 2546-1 to House Bill 674. The letter states that the amendment seeks to allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages in post-security, public areas of a terminal, and that it allows the holder of a D-5d permit to sell beer and any intoxicating liquor by the individual drink. It states that current Ohio law limits the consumption of alcoholic beverages to the footprint of airport restaurants with D-5d permits.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

June 3, 2020

The Honorable Gayle Manning
Chairwoman, Commerce & Labor Committee
Ohio House of Representatives
77 South High Street; Floor 12
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Re: Support for Amendment 2546-1 to House Bill 674

Chairwoman Manning:

On behalf of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and Toledo Express Airport, we appreciate the
time and consideration that the Ohio General Assembly is taking towards innovative solutions to Ohio’s
economy as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the lives of so many. As you know, the
restaurant industry has been hit incredibly hard by this pandemic and Ohio’s commercial airports have
seen that impact firsthand as the number of passengers have dropped significantly since March of this
year. For airport restaurants to remain open while being diligent for the health and safety of passengers,
airports have come up with a solution to meet both benchmarks.

By accepting amendment 2546-1 into House Bill 674, these restaurants will be able to effectively conduct
business and protect the health of its patrons. Amendment 2546 addresses Ohio commercial airport
passengers traveling from airports managed by a port authority (ORC 4382) or regional port authority
(ORC 308). The amendment seeks to allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages in post-security,
public areas of a terminal (i.e. in a hold room/gate waiting area). This amendment allows the holder of a
D-5d permit to sell beer and any intoxicating liquor at retail, only by the individual drink in glass and
from the container, for consumption either: (1) on the premises where sold; or (2) if such premises is
located in an area of a commercial airport terminal beyond a passenger or property screening checkpoint
or to which access is restricted through security measures by the airport authority or a public agency, only
in those areas of the airport terminal that are not past any additional security measures. Such expanded
area of consumption shall only be allowed with the permission of the commercial airport’s governing
body. Current Ohio law limits the consumption of alcoholic beverages to the footprint of airport
restaurants with D-5d permits.

With your support, along with the members of the House Commerce and Labor Committee, Ohio’s
airport restaurants can
    • Enhance the airport passenger’s experience,
    • Allow for proper health and safety practices like social distancing,
    • Provide opportunities for these businesses to increase/maintain their sales, and
    • Offer flexibility for each airport to determine their participation.

Once again, thank you and your colleagues for the important work you all are conducting for the
betterment of our state’s economy.

Sincerely,

Columbus Regional Airport Authority and Toledo Express Airport


File and source

File

2020-06-04_commerce-labor_testimony_losairports674.pdf

Size

75,643 bytes

SHA-256

14adbb7cfb8f8efe32e40dc0be0e7662cae87f7c13f03a6404cd84bb802888c1

Our copy

2020-06-04_commerce-labor_testimony_losairports674.pdf

Original

No public link identified.