H511 - Game Nights/Nonprofit Fund-Raiser. (Ratified)

Overview: House Bill 511 would make the following changes to the laws regarding fundraising by nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations:

• Authorize tax-exempt organizations to operate game nights where games of chance are played and prizes are awarded by raffle at facilities serving alcoholic beverages.
• Impose a $100 application fee for a game night permit. The fee would be payable to the Alcohol Law Enforcement Branch (ALE) of the Department of Public Safety and used by ALE to defray the costs of issuing game night permits.
• Increase the number of raffles that a nonprofit organization could hold each year from two to four.
• Increase the annual amount of prizes that a nonprofit organization could award in raffles by a nonprofit from $125,000 to $250,000.
• Authorize the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages in a room where a raffle is being conducted.
• Provide that a nonprofit organization that has received a limited special occasion ABC permit or special one-time ABC permit may renew the permit rather than applying for a new permit.
• Allow a nonprofit organization holding ticketed event with a special one-time ABC permit to offer alcoholic beverages as a prize in a raffle or sell alcoholic beverages at auction at the ticketed event.

This bill was vetoed by the Governor on July 12, 2017. The veto has not been overridden by the General Assembly and, therefore, the bill has not become law.