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 requiring them to accept unordered products, threatening to terminate agreements, or demanding confidential information about competitive brands. Additionally, it introduces a new provision that prevents brewers from requiring wholesalers to use or prohibiting 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 the agreement in effect at the time of purchase, without the previous stipulation that the purchaser must continue operating 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