AUGUSTA — A measure to allow the sharing of liquor sales revenue between auditoriums and sports teams received a unanimous vote of support from the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
“Many folks in our community were disappointed when negotiations broke down between the Portland Pirates and the Cumberland County Civic Center,” said President Alfond. “My hope is that this bill will provide another tool to help the Civic Center and the Pirates come to an amicable resolution.”
President Alfond’s bill would give athletic facilities with a capacity of 3,000 people or more the option of sharing liquor sales revenues with sports teams playing at their facilities. These facilities include the Cumberland County Civic Center and the Expo in Portland, the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, and the Augusta Civic Center.
The inability to share liquor sale revenue was one reason the Portland Pirates and Cumberland County Civic Center failed to come to an agreement to renew their contract last year.
The bill, LD 1713, “An Act To Permit the Sharing of Revenue from the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages at Sporting Events,” will move to the Senate in the coming weeks.
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