Virginia Code 4.1-101: Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority created; public purpose
A. The General Assembly has determined that there exists in the Commonwealth a need to control the possession, sale, transportation, distribution, and delivery of alcoholic beverages in the Commonwealth. Further, the General Assembly determines that the creation of an authority for this purpose is in the public interest, serves a public purpose, and will promote the health, safety, welfare, convenience, and prosperity of the people of the Commonwealth. To achieve this objective, there is hereby created an independent political subdivision of the Commonwealth, exclusive of the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of state government, to be known as the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. The Authority’s exercise of powers and duties conferred by this subtitle shall be deemed the performance of an essential governmental function and a matter of public necessity for which public moneys may be spent. The Board of Directors of the Authority is vested with control of the possession, sale, transportation, distribution, and delivery of alcoholic beverages in the Commonwealth, with plenary power to prescribe and enforce regulations and conditions under which alcoholic beverages are possessed, sold, transported, distributed, and delivered, so as to prevent any corrupt, incompetent, dishonest, or unprincipled practices and to promote the health, safety, welfare, convenience, and prosperity of the people of the Commonwealth. The exercise of the powers granted by this subtitle shall be in all respects for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth and for the promotion of their safety, health, welfare, and convenience. No part of the assets or net earnings of the Authority shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, any private individual, except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to or for the Authority affecting one or more of its purposes, and benefits may be conferred that are in conformity with said purposes, and no private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of the corporate assets on dissolution of the Authority.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 4.1-101
- Alcoholic beverages: includes alcohol, spirits, wine, and beer, and any one or more of such varieties containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume, including mixed alcoholic beverages, and every liquid or solid, powder or crystal, patented or not, containing alcohol, spirits, wine, or beer and capable of being consumed by a human being. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Authority: means the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority created pursuant to this subtitle. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- Board: means the Board of Directors of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. See Virginia Code 4.1-100
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
B. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority shall consist of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, and the agents and employees of the Authority. The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority shall be deemed successor in interest to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
C. Nothing contained in this subtitle shall be construed as a restriction or limitation upon any powers that the Board of Directors of the Authority might otherwise have under any other law of the Commonwealth.
Code 1950, § 4-6; 1976, c. 64; 1993, c. 866; 2015, cc. 38, 730.