AB 1221: Alcoholic beverage control: Responsible Beverage Service Training Program Act of 2017.

The Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, administered by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, regulates the granting of licenses for the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages within the state. Under existing law, any on-sale license authorizes the sale of the alcoholic beverage specified in the license for consumption on the premises where sold. Currently, the Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs (LEAD) program is a voluntary prevention and education program for retail licensees, their employees, and applicants, regarding alcohol responsibility and the law.

This bill, in addition to the LEAD program, would establish the Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) Training Program Act of 2017, and would require the department, on or before January 1, 2020, to develop, implement, and administer a curriculum for an RBS training program, as specified. The bill would, beginning July 1, 2021, require an alcohol server, as defined, to successfully complete an RBS training course offered or authorized by the department. The bill would authorize the department to charge a fee, not to exceed $15, for any RBS training course provided by the department and require the fee to be deposited in the Alcohol Beverage Control Fund. The bill would provide that an RBS training course include information on, among other things, state laws and regulations relating to alcoholic beverage control and the impact of alcohol on the body. The bill would require the department to authorize one or more accreditation agencies to accredit training providers to offer RBS training courses that meet curriculum requirements established by the department and authorize the department to approve training providers that are not accredited, as provided. The bill would authorize the department to collect fees to cover its reasonable costs for the review, approval, and renewal of approval of accreditation agencies and nonaccredited training providers. The bill would require licensees to maintain, and provide upon request by the department, all records necessary to establish compliance with these provisions. The bill would provide that a violation of these provisions shall not be grounds for any criminal action, pursuant to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, against a licensee or an employee of a licensee.