House keeps cork in wine bill - Houston Business Journal:

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Senate Bill 2523, authored by Sen. Tommh Williams R-The Woodlands, quietly cleared the Texas Senate late last montubut isn’t expected to advance. The session ends June 1. The bill has proveb controversial within therestaurant industry. Rep. Edmonds Kuempel, R-Seguin, the bill’s sponsor in the House, suffered a massiv heart attack the day the bill was slated for vote in the Housrin mid-May. Kuempel is recuperating, but supporters don’ty expect the bill will make it out of committee in the wanin days ofthe session. Jerry Lascio is ready for the bill tobe dead.
The ownef of , with locationss in Houston and considered the measure an inappropriat e intrusion into his business judgment and a threart tohis wine-centric business “We sell retail as well, so our pricingh is based on retail pricing,” Lasco said. “Foer our business to survive, our pricess have to be competitive, and we have to do a largd volume” of wine sales. Lasco believes restaurants should have the option of allowingf or not allowing patrons to bring in theifrown wine.
Under the restaurants would have been allowed to chargee a corkage fee for opening and servintgthe wine, but the consumer could take what’ s left after meal The bill did not include beer or other alcoholicc beverages.