Gard to Chair Alcohol Commission

Gard spent 24 years in the Indiana Senate before retiring in 2012.

The newly-formed Alcohol Code Revision Commission has its chair. Former State Senator Beverly Gard will lead the commission, which is tasked with reviewing Indiana’s alcohol laws and identifying potential changes.

Gard spent 24 years in the Indiana Senate before retiring in 2012. During her time in the Senate, she chaired the Environmental Affairs and Governmental and Regulatory Affairs committees. She has since been appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to chair the Indiana Environmental Rules Board and serves on the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission.

The Alcohol Code Revision commission is charged with performing a comprehensive review of Indiana’s alcohol laws over two years and submitting recommendations to the General Assembly. The focus of the first year is potential reform of the retail portion of Indiana’s alcohol statutes. One of those laws made statewide news this year when a so-called loophole allowed Ricker’s convenience stores to sell cold beer. In response, legislators approved a bill closing that loophole.

Alex Huskey and Douglas Kowalski, former leaders with the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission, will serve as lay members of the commission.