H.R. 2903 is up to 83 co-sponsors...

[nickbbb]

Sent the new letter to every rep for my area. Tomorrow will try to get other friends to do the same.

[TxBrewing]

I will send the new letters out this weekend

[Swedish Pride]

If this passes in US, good chance is that the rest of the western world will follow suit.
They just passed a legislation for medical MJ here the other day.

[fortbuilder825]

Got a response from one of my senators. He doesn't say "no," thankfully.

Dear Xxxxxx:

It’s good to hear from you and other members of your family about this bill. The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (S. 236) has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. As a senior member of this committee I will be sure to keep your support for the bill in mind. I always carefully consider the intended and unintended consequences of cosponsoring or amending legislation and I appreciate your input. I look forward to working toward broad tax reform to help businesses across the board. Thanks for contacting me.

Sincerely,
Michael B. Enzi
United States Senator

[Brewhaus]

Not a generic response.

[LWTCS]

Not a generic response.

+1
Seems like the response is saying that he is unwilling to lead, but would be on board as a follower.

[Oldvine Zin]

No really says we are helping license's distilleries but not your home brew

OVZ

[LWTCS]

No really says we are helping license's distilleries but not your home brew

OVZ

Hmm,,meanwhile Marry Jane has come from dead last at the gate and heading down the back stretch with plenty of stamina....

[Bearded-and-Bored]

Full disclosure, I've been a lurker for a while and have been following this specific post since November of 2015. I finally joined the forum so I could be a part of the conversation to legalize. I've donated to the HDA (2016, 2017) and have recently sent letters to both of my Senators. That said, today I'm a bit disheartened.

I was just on r/Firewater on Reddit and saw a post from someone who made one of those White House petitions to legalize hobby distilling. I think it was well meaning, if potentially misguided, and to be honest - poorly worded. I let the poster know about the HDA, because he didn't seem to know about it. The take away I got from this is how little people know about this effort to legalize. Even in that community of like-minded hobbyists. I just made a long post on there about legalization and had a lot of positive feedback. But as with most things like this, the reach was pretty small.

The thing is that the guy doing the petition posted in a ton of different categories on Reddit to bring some awareness to his petition among seemingly related topics, other liquor subreddits, homebrewing, etc.

All I can say is, Wow! There is a ton of push back coming from all sides. Even in the homebrewing community. The predominant response was about methanol poisoning. WHAT? They really have no clue that this hobby exists as a refined, detailed, and safety-conscious pastime. I couldn't even begin to fathom how to combat that level of ignorance. I mean, I get it. It's illegal so there isn't a whole lot of common knowledge about this subject, but dang!

It seems like we are completely on our own. There won't be any ground swell of outside support for legalization from related hobbyist because they seem to think we're either going to blow ourselves up or drink poison and go blind. Any convincing probably is going to have to be person to person.

I know, this is a marathon, not a sprint. It's been illegal for 98 years. But after getting so close with the last bill I think I let myself believe this year would be a little easier to expand support.

Just venting my frustration and hoping you guys might have some insight into how to move forward.

[Rick Martin]

How can anyone know what a politician is saying.

[varocketry]

"GoFundMe campaign"


Hah, I proposed that two years ago and developed the script and had production volunteers aligned. Then the control issue surfaced. Oh well .....

[nickbbb]

Found a Facebook page called moonshiners outpost, 5k members. Maybe some of them can join HDA

[Truckinbutch]

Found a Facebook page called moonshiners outpost, 5k members. Maybe some of them can join HDA

(Headscratch) They be hidin in plain sight or just askin to be martyrs ?
Pokin a bear don't hurt none until the bear wakes up ............................

[nickbbb]

There's a lot of times I think the people of the group should start reading this page. But 5k members, couldn't hurt to try to get a few more members to HDA.

[Rick Martin]

There's a lot of times I think the people of the group should start reading this page. But 5k members, couldn't hurt to try to get a few more members to HDA.

+1

[Oldvine Zin]

How can anyone know what a politician is saying.

OVZ

[rager]

Found a Facebook page called moonshiners outpost, 5k members. Maybe some of them can join HDA

i just looked it up (didnt ask to join) , it shows 12k members. maybe someone who knows someone who doesnt distill can join and try and premote hda and the push for legalization

[Bearded-and-Bored]

Might be best if someone from HDA leadership approaches them directly. Who better to make the pitch?

[Brewhaus]

I'm not a FB guy, but I will have one of the others reach out to them.

[Hillbilly Popstar]

Found a Facebook page called moonshiners outpost, 5k members. Maybe some of them can join HDA

(Headscratch) They be hidin in plain sight or just askin to be martyrs ?
Pokin a bear don't hurt none until the bear wakes up ............................

We are all hiding in plain sight. This forum doesn't offer any anonymity.

[Hillbilly Popstar]

I'm on Facebook frequently. I am about to feel em out and see what breed of fella lurks thereabout.

[Knafs]

That FB group leaves me shaking my head...

[Tom Cowdrey]

One of the reasons I never liked FB is the disorganization of their format. There is no organization like we have here on HD where specific topics are posted in their generally assigned position on the page. In the FB world, one post gets dumped on top of another and another. Anyway, I posted a brief history of the Hobby Distillers Association on the Moonshiners Outpost If you miss a day, you have to go back through all BS to see something you might want to read,. I should know by tomorrow night if anyone is looking at it. There seem to be a lot of 20 somethings on that site which means it is not just us old farts anymore practicing the craft. I am going to keep bugging them until they either kick me off the site or join HDA in large numbers.

Tom Cowdrey
Hobby Distiller's Association
tocowdrey3@gmail.com
804-296-6194

[jb-texshine]

One of the reasons I never liked FB is the disorganization of their format. There is no organization like we have here on HD where specific topics are posted in their generally assigned position on the page. In the FB world, one post gets dumped on top of another and another. Anyway, I posted a brief history of the Hobby Distillers Association on the Moonshiners Outpost If you miss a day, you have to go back through all BS to see something you might want to read,. I should know by tomorrow night if anyone is looking at it. There seem to be a lot of 20 somethings on that site which means it is not just us old farts anymore practicing the craft. I am going to keep bugging them until they either kick me off the site or join HDA in large numbers.

Tom Cowdrey
Hobby Distiller's Association
tocowdrey3@gmail.com
804-296-6194

Another one for you,also on facebook,Craft Distillers Network

[fortbuilder825]

Response from our other senator:

Dear Xxxxx,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2017. It is good to hear from you.

I noted your comments regarding the bill. This legislation was introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) on January 30, 2017, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. This legislation is a compilation of existing bills that attempt to modernize regulations and reduce taxes on beer, wine, and distilled spirits. I am currently reviewing the bill and like you, believe the overall bill provides important relief for a growing industry. I very much appreciate your thoughts on how the bill can be improved and will keep those suggestions in mind as my review and the legislative process on the bill continues.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. I value your input.

John Barrasso, M.D.
United States Senator

[jb-texshine]

Pointed a bunch of members of the fb group craft distillers network towards the hda and here to HD. Some sketchy stills over there but brothers in spirit and all....
Jbt

[Tom Cowdrey]

Thanks jbt. We appreciate your help. I have also been trying to round up supporter from several of the fb distilling sites. There are a lot of distillers out there. Just need to get them to support the HDA with their membership.

Tom Cowdrey
Hobby Distillers Association

[rgreen2002]

How about trying to drum up a little support from other distilling sites? Places like artisan distiller, moderndistiller.com, reddit firewater, nzhomedistiller.org, etc.... We might not all agree on things...but we ALL want the same rights!

If this passes in US, good chance is that the rest of the western world will follow suit.
They just passed a legislation for medical MJ here the other day.

I would agreee SP...maybe this is motivation for some of the NZ sites to join in(the HDA at least). Lots of Aussies there who don't share the NZ privilege.

Like you said Tom.... lots of distillers out there. Many here with crossover memberships in these places.

[Loonytim]

Has anyone tried to reach out to your local home-brew supply shop? Mine recently included a still in the front window of the shop. The owner has said he has gotten a few inquiries about it, but most people steer clear of asking questions about it. At any rate, he is a good buddy of mine and I started asking him if he had any idea about H.R. 2903 or any of the legalization efforts. He didn't. BUT, he has a large base of homebrewers and distillers who we may be able to tap into to help keep the ball rolling. Maybe for each homebrew shop with a social media presence they could get the word out in masses.

Just a thought...

Thanks for all your hard work!

[Brewhaus]

We have reached out to a number of homebrew shops around the country, and most either ignore our contact or tell us that they have no interest in getting involved. I think that they are concerned about the legality, and want to avoid any involvement for fear of being targeted by the TTB. They surely know that it would boost business, but will not get involved for the aforementioned reason.

Rick