AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Brewers and distributors have struck a tentative deal on new rules for selling beer in Texas.
Senate Business and Commerce Committee Chairman John Carona opened a hearing on Tuesday by saying it looked like there had been an agreement.
Craft brewers led by Freetail of San Antonio and St. Arnold's of Houston want to expand their market. They say current laws unfairly favor out-of-state breweries. Last week, the committee heard a package of bills to revise the restrictions.
The fight split the state's distributors, who have long held sway with lawmakers.
But Senator Carona, a Republican from Dallas, escalated the stakes by introducing a separate bill that could overhaul the whole industry's pricing structure. The measures are scheduled on the committee's calendar for Tuesday.
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