The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is an agency of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, within the

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), originally the Department of Commerce among other names, is a principal department in the Michigan executive branch that oversees employment, professional licensing, constru ...

(LARA), responsible for regulating the sale and distribution of

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...

in the state.

History

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission was established when Michigan voters approved a legislatively referred amendment to the Michigan Constitution by way of a statewide ballot measure in November 1932. The state's first liquor control act, which went into effect April 27, created a 17-member commission, one from each Congressional district. On December 15, 1933, the Michigan Legislature abolished the 17-member commission, replacing it with the current five-member commission. By December 15, 1933, ten days after the end of Prohibition in the United States, the commission had opened liquor stores, and made liquor available for sale. By December 30, 1933, the commission had opened the first 7 state liquor stores—in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

, and three in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. In 1934, an additional 96 liquor stores were opened.

Activities

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is responsible for licensing as well as establishment and enforcement of regulations related to liquor purchasing and merchandising in Michigan. The mission of the commission is "to make alcoholic beverages available for consumption while protecting the consumer and the general public through regulation of those involved in the sale and distribution of these alcohol beverage products." The commission's staff is composed of four divisions: enforcement, executive services, financial management, and licensing.

Membership

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is composed of five members appointed by the

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

with the advice and consent of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

. No more than three members from the same political party may serve at the same time. Two members are designated as hearing commissioners who preside over violation matters. The other three members are administrative commissioners responsible for matters related to licensing, purchasing, merchandising, and enforcement. These three members also serve as an appeal board for decisions rendered by the hearing commissioners.

References

External links

* {{authority control State alcohol agencies of the United States Liquor Control Commission Liquor Control Commission