The Tavern League of Wisconsin (TLW) is a

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...

of alcoholic beverage retailers in the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The League was created in 1935, two years after the end of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

, and today has 5,000 members. The League is headquartered in

Fitchburg, Wisconsin Fitchburg is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 29,609 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is a suburb of Madison and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Fitchburg consists of a mix of suburban neighbor ...

. The TLW lobbies for member interests at the state and federal level, and supports members in complying with legal issues facing their businesses. Issues include opposition to increases in alcohol and cigarette taxes and licensing laws seen as onerous, and opposition to restrictions on gambling machines. The TLW supports programs that aim to combat

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

by providing rides to and from bars. At the same time, the TLW has condemned campaigns against

binge drinking Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions ( see below) vary considerably. Binge drinking ...

in Wisconsin as an attempt to "demonize" people who drink casually to relax. In 2005, lobbyists with the TLW were investigated by the State Ethics Board; the investigation was launched after

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Russell Decker was pulled over for drunk driving shortly after leaving an all-you-can-drink event for lawmakers hosted by the TLW. The TLW has focused especially on opposing

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor work ...

s in drinking establishments. When a smoking ban law was proposed in 2008, the TLW worked with state senate majority leader Decker to insert provisions requiring that the ban would not take effect until July 5, 2010, giving members time to adapt, and preventing municipalities from passing laws that would have the same effect in the grace period. An editorial in the Appleton ''

Post-Crescent ''The Post-Crescent'' is a daily newspaper based in Appleton, Wisconsin. Part of the Gannett chain of newspapers, it is primarily distributed in numerous counties surrounding the Appleton/Fox Cities area. History ''The Appleton Crescent'' was f ...

'' stated that this "derailed" the bill. Previously, the TLW had received money and lobbying help from

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and headquartered at the RJR Plaza Building. Founded by R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the second-largest tobacco compan ...

to fight smoking ban legislation in Wisconsin. Researchers from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

accused the TLW of working in concert with the tobacco industry and other trade groups to undermine Wisconsin's anti-smoking efforts, particularly its attempts to restrict the sale of cigarettes to minors. The study's conclusions were disputed by Philip Morris and by other members of the coalition. The Tavern League has lobbied heavily against the legalization of cannabis, despite public consensus that alcohol is more harmful than cannabis. Additionally, they have opposed all forms of gambling at locations that don’t serve alcohol. In recent years, League lobbyists have actively campaigned to lower the drinking age in the state.

References

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External links

Tavern League of Wisconsin
Trade associations based in the United States Lobbying organizations in the United States Politics of Wisconsin Organizations based in Madison, Wisconsin 1935 establishments in Wisconsin

See also

References

External links