A BILL to amend and reenact § 4.1-103 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 4.1-334.1, relating to alcoholic beverage control; voluntary no-buy program; court-ordered inclusion on list of excluded persons.
HB980 would direct the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority Board to create and administer a new voluntary no-buy program for people who want to bar themselves from purchasing alcoholic beverages. Participants could choose an exclusion period of two years, five years, or a lifetime, and could later petition for removal subject to a seven-day waiting period. The bill also allows a court to order a person onto the excluded-person list as a condition of probation or suspended sentence, or after certain alcohol-related convictions, including DUI, boating while intoxicated, and related involuntary manslaughter or maiming offenses.
The bill also expands the Board’s general powers to expressly include implementing the no-buy program and makes related changes to the ABC regulatory framework. It requires the Board to adopt regulations governing confidentiality, dissemination of the list, enforcement, and efforts to stop direct marketing to participants. The bill specifies that the list and participant information are confidential and exempt from Virginia FOIA, while allowing disclosure to licensed sellers, law enforcement, and others the Board deems necessary for enforcement. It also provides liability protection for good-faith reliance on the list, absent gross negligence or willful misconduct.
HB980 would amend § 4.1-103 and add new § 4.1-334.1 to Title 4.1 of the Code of Virginia, giving the ABC Board explicit authority to establish a voluntary self-exclusion program for alcohol purchases and to manage court-ordered inclusion on the excluded-person list. The measure would affect alcohol retailers, ABC licensees, law enforcement, courts, and individuals seeking self-exclusion or subject to alcohol-related criminal sentencing conditions. It would also create new confidentiality and enforcement rules around participant information and the excluded-person list.
The available record suggests the bill was introduced as a public-safety and alcohol-harm-reduction measure, with a structure that combines voluntary self-exclusion and court-ordered exclusion for certain offenses. However, there is no committee transcript or vote record available to show detailed debate or support levels. Its final status, left in the House Appropriations Committee, indicates it did not advance, which may reflect fiscal, administrative, or policy concerns, but the record does not specify the reason.
The main points of potential contention are the scope of court-ordered exclusion, the confidentiality and FOIA exemption for participant information, and the administrative burden on the ABC Board and state agencies. Some may view the program as a useful tool for reducing alcohol misuse and repeat offenses, while others may question whether mandatory exclusion tied to criminal convictions is too punitive or whether the state should manage a confidential no-buy registry. The bill also raises implementation questions for retailers and law enforcement, though no direct objections are documented in the available materials.