Tom Lee and the Lobbyists
Jeff Gladish
Because of an effort by one Senator to improve a seemingly insignificant aspect of Florida daily life, I learned a great deal this year about how the legislature actually works. For instance, I didn't know that to pass a law, it had to move not only through a committee and then be passed by vote in the Senate, but it also had to pass two more committees and be voted on by the House of Representatives. I also had no idea that the whole thing had to be finished by May 5. And I still haven't learned yet what these people do the rest of the year.
The bill that I was hoping would pass was a proposal by Senator Tom Lee of Brandon to eliminate a 1965 law that limited the size of beer containers to 8, 12, 16, and 32 ounces. I learned this year by Senator Lee's actions that a lawmaker can work hard for something he believes in, in spite of the efforts of big business interests. I also learned that some politicians actually are influenced by paid industry lobbyists, no matter what I would rather believe.
It seemed so simple. Who could argue against an 11.2 ounce bottle of Belgian Ale or a half-liter of German Lager? By law we already allowed stronger beers and bigger bottles, so it seemed the only people to be placed in hardship would be the existing companies who would have to compete with the newly available brands. Isn't competition the heart and soul of the American marketplace?
That's when I learned about the lobbyists.
Lobbyists argued on behalf of the Florida Beer Wholesalers that different sized bottles would somehow promote more drinking on college campuses, something no one would want. I learned that we have elected officials that may actually believe this. These same lobbyists pointed out that all the beer delivery trucks would have to be redesigned to accommodate new bottle sizes. I learned that some of our representatives in the House would rather be satisfied with this absurd argument than let it come to a vote.
Senator Tom Lee is my new hero. With very little support from his peers he stood up for a seemingly insignificant law with nothing to gain except the knowledge that he was right. He did not yield to pressure from some of the biggest campaign financiers in our state and worked to the very last day of the session in an unsuccessful attempt to get this law passed. I just hope that next year he has the same resolve and the dollars to continue to work in the interest of Florida's consumers.