The bill amends sections 5-04-02 and 5-04-14 of the North Dakota Century Code, focusing on the relationships between brewers and beer wholesalers. In section 5-04-02, the bill explicitly prohibits brewers from inducing or coercing wholesalers in various ways, including forcing them to accept unordered products, threatening to terminate agreements, or requiring them to limit sales of other brands. Additionally, it mandates that brewers provide written contracts to wholesalers and introduces a new provision that prohibits brewers from requiring wholesalers to use or restricting them from using a business-to-business electronic commerce platform.

In section 5-04-14, the bill clarifies that the purchase of a brewer obligates the new purchaser to adhere to the existing terms and conditions of agreements in effect at the time of purchase, but it removes the stipulation that this applies only if the purchaser continues to operate as a brewer. The definition of "purchase" is also expanded to include various forms of business transactions such as stock sales, asset sales, mergers, leases, transfers, or consolidations.

Statutes affected:
INTRODUCED: 5-04-02, 5-04-14
Prepared by the Legislative Council staff for Senator Klein: 5-04-02, 5-04-14
Enrollment: 5-04-02, 5-04-14