Mandatory alcohol server training stalls

A proposal that would require mandatory alcohol training for Nebraska servers failed to advance from general file March 4.

LB178, sponsored by Kearney Sen. Stan Clouse, would require mandatory server training for any individual involved in the sale, service or mixture of alcohol, including those who provide security for a licensed premises or are involved in verifying customers’ ages for purchase or consumption of alcohol.

The required course would provide education on recognizing signs of intoxication, refusal of service to visibly intoxicated individuals and ID and age verification. The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission would be responsible for creating the training and could establish a fee of not more than $30 for the course.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, a retail licensee could not employ an individual who lacks the training certificate.

Clouse said the state has seen an increase in businesses cited for selling alcohol to minors and overselling to intoxicated individuals since the pandemic. LB178 is an attempt to address the problem on the front end, he said, by helping employees serve alcohol appropriately and avoid citations.

Under a General Affairs Committee amendment, adopted 30-6, only the manager on duty of an event with a special designated license would be required to complete the training program. The amendment also would exempt law enforcement officers.

Clouse said off-duty law enforcement who often serve as security at events where alcohol is being served already have undergone extensive training and would not need the extra course.

Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt opposed the measure, calling it “busy work” for government that won’t address the problem it seeks to fix. In addition, she said, bartenders who work for the state’s tipped minimum wage of $2.13 an hour should not have to pay to take a mandatory course.

Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha also spoke in opposition to LB178. She said the bill would create an “undue burden” on small businesses at a time when lawmakers are seeking ways to grow Nebraska’s economy.

Senators need to address the problem of businesses that serve minors and overserve, she said, but in a way that doesn’t punish good actors along with the bad.

Lawmakers voted 9-26 on advancement of the bill to the second round of debate. Twenty-five votes were needed.