Sign Up
SB 1002 Maryland Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Prince George's County - Alcoholic Beverages - Class AER (Equity Retail) License

This bill creates a new Class AER (Equity Retail) license for selling beer, wine, and liquor in Prince George's County, specifically designed to support minority business enterprises. The license allows certified minority-owned businesses to operate retail alcohol sales only in locations outside the Capital Beltway and at least one mile from existing liquor stores, with requirements including a $200,000 minimum investment and a meaningful inventory of brands founded or owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The Board of License Commissioners can issue no more than two licenses per year, with a total cap of ten licenses, and the annual fee is set at $910.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Feb 24, 2026 Last action Apr 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

First - Prince George's County - Alcoholic Beverages - Class AER (Equity Retail) License → Third - Prince George's County - Alcoholic Beverages - Class AER (Equity Retail) License · 7 edits
MODERATE
The bill was re-referred to the Finance Committee and adopted by the Senate, moving it closer to becoming law. The text of the bill was significantly rewritten to clarify definitions, expand financial investment requirements, and add new restrictions on who can apply for the license.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on Prince George's County, but the specific criteria for eligibility and the definition of 'qualifying' areas were expanded and clarified.
DEFINITION

Added a specific definition for 'Qualifying Zip Code' based on a median household income threshold of $86,000.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed the residency requirement for applicants from being certified minority business enterprises to requiring proof of living in a qualifying zip code for 4 of the last 8 years or attending school there for 4 years.

REQUIREMENT

Increased the minimum capital investment requirement for establishing a new location from $200,000 to $500,000.

Added new restrictions preventing issuance to applicants who already hold other liquor licenses, are part of large chains, or fail to demonstrate day-to-day operational control.

Added a priority system for first-time applicants with low revenue/net worth who need market entry assistance.

Increased the distance requirement between new licenses and existing ones from 1 mile to 1.5 miles.

TIMELINE

Replaced the original effective date of July 1, 2026, with a requirement for the Board to submit annual reports starting December 1, 2027.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
upper
Apr 13, 2026
Upper · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Finance
upper
Apr 9, 2026
Committee
Rereferred to Finance
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Committee
First Reading Senate Rules
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.