Bill > AB509

This bill amends California's existing Alcoholic Beverage Control Act to provide additional legal protection for licensees (such as bar and store owners) when selling alcohol. Specifically, the bill clarifies that using an active age verification software or device to check a customer's identification can be considered evidence of due diligence in preventing alcohol sales to minors. The bill defines "active age verification" as scanning the magnetic strip or barcode of an identification document to verify its data. For this defense to apply, the identification must be a government-issued document (like a driver's license or passport), physically inspected, appear legitimate, and match the customer's physical appearance. If an age verification system fails to detect a false ID, the licensee can still use this as a defense in criminal prosecutions or license suspension proceedings. This change aims to provide clearer guidelines and additional protection for businesses selling alcoholic beverages by recognizing technological methods of age verification beyond traditional visual inspection.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB509