In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to amend Pennsylvania’s Liquor Code to allow Economic Development Restaurant and Eating Place licenses to be transferred to a new owner while remaining tied to their original location.
 
Economic development liquor licenses were created to support restaurants and other establishments in communities where the existing liquor license quota could otherwise prevent a worthwhile project from moving forward. Unlike traditional liquor licenses, however, these licenses are currently prohibited from being transferred with regard to either ownership or location.
 
Under current law, a prospective purchaser who wants to continue operating the same establishment at the same location cannot simply acquire the business assets and seek approval from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) to transfer the economic development license into a new business entity. Instead, the purchaser is often forced to acquire the existing company that holds the license. This requires the new owner to assume the existing entity along with its potential liabilities and obligations, making otherwise viable transactions more difficult or discouraging new investment altogether.
 
My legislation would allow the PLCB to approve a transfer of the license to a new owner, while continuing to prohibit the license from being moved to another location. This would preserve the core purpose of the economic development license by keeping it tied to the community and establishment for which it was originally approved, while removing an unnecessary obstacle to continued investment and operation.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation.