Oregon Adopts "Responsible Vendor" Program
June 1, 2000
In 1999, the Oregon
Legislature directed the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) to establish a
Responsible Vendor Program for the state’s licensed retailers of alcohol
beverages. As is the case in many other states, Oregon now provides
administrative legal benefits to those licensed retailers who undergo training
and demonstrate a commitment to serve alcohol responsibly.
Subsequent to the
Oregon Legislature’s action, the OLCC adopted rules outlining criteria for the
Responsible Vendor Program, which became effective in January of
2000.
In Oregon, licensed
retailers who achieve and maintain responsible vendor status are eligible for a
new category of penalties that comprise lighter suspensions and smaller fines if
the licensee’s employees sell alcohol to an unlawful consumer, e.g., a minor.
Moreover, a licensee qualified under the Responsible Vendor Program will not
face cancellation of its license for a first-time offense.
To qualify as a
“Responsible Vendor,” licensees in Oregon need to meet several criteria,
including no personal violations, adequate and complete Responsible Vendor
training for all employees of the licensee, and compliance with posting
requirements that obligate the licensee to display conspicuously the regulations
for how alcohol beverages may be lawfully sold.
Anyone interested in
getting more information about Oregon’s new Responsible Vendor Program should
contact Barbara Hutchison, the OLCC Director of Public Affairs, at (503)
872-5001, or log on to the OLCC’s Web site located at: www.olcc.state.or.us/.
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