House Bill 1018 proposes amendments to the laws concerning liquor licenses and land use. The bill allows grocery and drug stores with on-premises licenses to also obtain off-premises licenses, enabling them to sell various alcoholic beverages and tobacco products for consumption off the premises. It removes the cap on the number of combination licenses one can hold and updates terminology, replacing "off-sale" and "on sale" with "off-premises" and "on-premises," respectively. Additionally, it corrects a typographical error by changing "unaccessible" to "inaccessible" and broadens the definition of a cigar bar to include establishments that sell hookah products and derive significant revenue from such sales, provided they have a humidor or offer hookah pipes for on-site use.

The bill also impacts land use by allowing landowners to post signs indicating that their land, designated as open space, is restricted to public recreation only. It expands the grounds for criminal trespass to include violations of these posted restrictions, particularly in relation to controlled substance violations or human trafficking. Furthermore, the bill outlines operating hours for hookah product sales, sets fees for certain liquor licenses, offers a tax reduction for land open to public recreational use without an entrance fee, and ensures landowners are not liable for injuries or property damage incurred on their land when it is used for recreational purposes. The bill amends the criminal trespass law to include trespassing on open space land in violation of posted signs and trespassing while committing certain crimes. The effective dates for the act's provisions are staggered, with sections 8 and 9 effective January 1, 2025, and the rest effective October 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 178:18, 175:1, 178:22, 178:6
As Amended by the House: 178:18, 175:1, 178:22, 178:6, 178:20-a
As Amended by the Senate: 178:18, 175:1, 178:22, 178:6, 178:20-a, 79-A:4, 635:2
Version adopted by both bodies: 178:18, 175:1, 178:22, 178:6, 178:20-a, 79-A:4, 635:2
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 178:18, 175:1, 178:22, 178:6, 178:20-a, 79-A:4, 635:2