125.14 (2) (d) Order. Upon conviction of any person for owning, possessing, keeping, storing, manufacturing, selling, distributing, or transporting alcohol beverages in violation of this chapter or ch. 139, the court shall order part or all of the alcohol beverages or personal property seized to be destroyed if it is unfit for sale. Alcohol beverages and other personal property fit for sale shall be turned over to the department division for disposition. Upon receipt of the confiscated property, the department division shall exercise reasonable diligence to ascertain the names and addresses of all owners of the property and of all persons holding a security interest in the property. If a motor vehicle is confiscated, the department division shall obtain the written advice of the department of transportation as to the ownership of the motor vehicle and shall make a reasonable search for perfected security interests in the vehicle.
73,26aeSection 26ae. 125.14 (2) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:
125.14 (2) (e) Disposal. The department division shall dispose of the alcohol beverages turned over to it by the court by either giving it to law enforcement agencies free of charge for use in criminal investigations, selling it to the highest bidder if the bidder is a person holding a license or permit issued under this chapter, or destroying it, at the discretion of the department division. If the department division elects to sell the alcohol beverages, it shall publish a class 2 notice under ch. 985 asking for sealed bids from qualified bidders. Any items or groups of items in the inventory subject to a security interest, the existence of which was established in the proceedings for conviction as being bona fide and as having been created without the secured party having notice that the items were being used or were to be used in connection with the violation, shall be sold separately. The net proceeds from the sale, less all costs of seizure, storage, and sale, shall be turned over to the secretary of administration and credited to the common school fund.
73,26afSection 26af. 125.14 (2) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:
125.14 (2) (f) Sale. Any personal property, other than alcohol beverages, seized under par. (a) and fit for sale, shall be turned over by the department division to the department of administration for disposal at public auction to the highest bidder, at a time and place stated in a notice of sale which describes the property to be sold. The sale shall be held in a conveniently accessible place in the county where the property was confiscated. A copy of the notice shall be published as a class 2 notice under ch. 985. The last insertion shall be at least 10 days before the sale. The department of revenue division shall serve a copy of the notice of sale at least 2 weeks before the date thereof on all persons who are or may be owners or holders of security interests in the property. Any confiscated property worth more than $100 shall be sold separately, and the balance of the confiscated property shall be sold in bulk or separately at the discretion of the department of administration. The net proceeds from the sale, less all costs of seizure, storage, and sale, shall be turned over to the secretary of administration. No motor vehicle or motorboat confiscated under this section may be sold within 30 days after the date of seizure.
73,26agSection 26ag. 125.14 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
125.14 (3) (b) Deadline. The application shall be made within one year after the sale of the property. A copy of the application and the order setting a hearing on it shall be served on the department division at least 20 days before the date set for hearing.
73,26ahSection 26ah. 125.145 of the statutes is amended to read:
125.145 Prosecutions by attorney general or department division. Upon request by the secretary of revenue division, the attorney general may represent this state or assist a district attorney in prosecuting any case arising under this chapter. The department division may represent this state in prosecuting any violation of s. 125.54 (7) (a) or (b) and shall bring any such action in the circuit court for Dane County.
73,26aiSection 26ai. 125.15 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
125.15 (1) An intoxicating liquor wholesaler, intoxicating liquor retail licensee or permittee, or intoxicating liquor trade association that makes a written complaint to the department division under s. 125.12 (6) of a violation of s. 125.54 (7) (a) may bring an action to enforce the provisions of s. 125.54 (7) if any of the following apply:
(a) The department division has not rendered a decision within the time periods specified in s. 125.12 (6) (c) to (d).
(b) The department division has rendered a decision under s. 125.12 (6) in which the department division has determined that a violation has occurred but no action has been brought in circuit court by the department division, attorney general, or a district attorney to prosecute the violation.
73,26ajSection 26aj. 125.17 (6) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
125.17 (6) (a) (intro.) Except as provided in par. (b), no municipal governing body or designated municipal official may issue an operator’s license unless the applicant has successfully completed a responsible beverage server training course at any location that is offered by a technical college district and that conforms to curriculum guidelines specified by the technical college system board or a comparable training course, which may include computer-based training and testing, that is approved by the department division or the department of safety and professional services, or unless the applicant fulfills one of the following requirements:
73,26akSection 26ak. 125.175 of the statutes is created to read:
125.175 Issuance of operators’ permits. (1) Subject to sub. (4), the division shall issue an operator’s permit to any applicant who is qualified under s. 125.04 (5). Operators’ permits may not be required other than for the purpose of complying with ss. 125.32 (2) and 125.68 (2) or s. 125.06 (3g). Operators’ permits may be issued only upon written application.
(2) Operators’ permits are valid in all municipalities in this state.
(3) The division shall establish a fee for issuance or renewal of an operator’s permit and shall determine whether the permit shall be valid for one or 2 years.
(4) (a) The division may not issue an operator’s permit unless the applicant satisfies the criteria for issuance of an operator’s license specified in s. 125.17 (6) (a). In applying these criteria to an applicant who holds or previously held an operator’s permit or an operator’s license, the division shall treat as synonymous operators’ permits and operators’ licenses.
(b) The division may not require applicants for operators’ permits to undergo training in addition to that specified in s. 125.17 (6) (a) but may require applicants to purchase at cost materials that deal with relevant subjects not covered in the course under s. 125.17 (6) (a).
73,26amSection 26am. 125.19 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:
125.19 (1) Issuance. The department division shall issue an alcohol beverage warehouse permit which authorizes the permittee to store and warehouse alcohol beverages in warehouse premises covered by the permit, subject to rules adopted by the department division. The permit does not authorize the sale of any alcohol beverages.
73,26anSection 26an. 125.20 of the statutes is created to read:
125.20 Interest restrictions. (1) Definitions. In this section:
(a) “Distribution permit” means a permit issued under s. 125.28 or 125.54.
(b) “Distribution permittee” means a person holding a distribution permit and includes a restricted individual of such a person.
(c) “Production permit” means a permit issued under s. 125.29, 125.295, 125.52, or 125.53, a permit issued under s. 125.30 to a brewer in another state, or a permit issued under s. 125.58 to a manufacturer, rectifier, or winery in another state.
(d) “Production permittee” means a person holding a production permit and includes a restricted individual of such a person.