§ 101-aaa. Terms of sale; beer or wine products. 1. As used in this section:

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a. "Credit period" means the following:

(1) A period beginning on Thursday, January first, two thousand four and ending on Sunday, January eighteenth, two thousand four; and

(2) A period beginning on the first Monday succeeding the concluding day of each prior period and ending on the second succeeding Sunday thereafter.

b. "Payment period" means the period ending on the twelfth day immediately following the last day of any credit period.

c. "Final payment date" means the last day of a payment period.

d. "Delinquent notice date" means the third business day immediately following a final payment date.

e. "Notification date" means the day immediately following a delinquent notice date.

f. "Retail licensee" means a person licensed pursuant to this chapter who purchases beer and/or wine products for resale for on or off premises consumption, except a person licensed to sell liquor and/or wine for off premises consumption.

g. "Cash" means and includes currency and coin of the United States of America, certified check, money order, electronic funds transfer, bank officer's check or draft, or a check drawn on the account of the retail licensee payable to the manufacturer or wholesaler and dated no later than the date of delivery of the alcoholic beverages and which is honored upon presentment for payment; provided, however, that if any check or other instrument described in this paragraph tendered by a retail licensee on the delinquent list is not honored upon presentment for payment, the license of such retail licensee may be suspended for not more than fifteen days for the first offense, and not more than sixty days for a subsequent offense, which penalty shall be in addition to the penalty provided for by the provisions of subdivision six of this section, and provided further, that nothing in this section shall require a manufacturer or wholesaler to accept a check tendered by or drawn on the account of a retail licensee on the delinquent list unless the same has been certified.

h. "Business payment card" means: (1) any credit card issued to a retail licensee for business or commercial use pursuant to an agreement that allows the holder thereof to obtain goods and services on the credit of the issuer or a debit card that provides access to a bank account of a retail licensee; (2) a credit or debit card from an issuer accepted by the manufacturer or wholesaler as permitted by the authority in regulation; and (3) such credit card shall not include cards in which a manufacturer or wholesaler has a financial interest or cards by which their use benefits a manufacturer or wholesaler. Such card must be issued in the same name as a retail licensee and registered to the same address as the address on the retail license, or as otherwise permitted by the authority in regulation.

i. "Final cash invoice amount" means the amount charged by a manufacturer or wholesaler to a retail licensee pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b) of subdivision two of this section.

j. "Final business payment card invoice amount" means the amount charged by a manufacturer or wholesaler to a retail licensee pursuant to paragraph (c) of subdivision two of this section; and shall equal the final cash invoice amount plus three percent of the final cash invoice amount. The three percent represents the surcharges and fees that are charged to the manufacturer or wholesaler by the business payment card issuer or a person or entity associated with the issuer.

2. No manufacturer or wholesaler licensed under this chapter shall sell or deliver any beer, mead, cider or wine products to any retail licensee except as provided for in this section:

(a) for cash to be paid at the time of delivery;

(b) on terms requiring payment by such retail licensee for such beer, mead, cider, or wine products on or before the final payment date of any credit period within which delivery is made; or

(c) by business payment card; provided that a manufacturer or wholesaler that exercises reasonable diligence to ensure the sale comports with the requirements of this section shall not be found to have violated this subdivision where a retail licensee uses a credit card other than a business payment card.

Provided, however, that the sale of wine products, mead, or cider to a retail licensee by a wholesaler licensed under section fifty-eight, sixty-two, or seventy-eight of this chapter, or a licensed manufacturer of liquor, mead or wine or a cider producer's license, shall be governed by the provisions of section one hundred-one-aa of this article.

2-a. A manufacturer or wholesaler that accepts business payment cards shall clearly state the final cash invoice amount and the final business payment card invoice amount on an invoice provided to a retail licensee. Nothing in this section shall preclude, or permit a manufacturer or wholesaler to prevent, a retail licensee that receives such an invoice from electing to use any other form of payment method permitted pursuant to subdivision two of this section following receipt of such invoice.

2-b. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to require any manufacturer or wholesaler to accept business payment cards as a method of payment by any retail licensee, provided that if such payment method is made available it shall be available on equal terms to all retail licensees.

3. Each such manufacturer and wholesaler shall, on or before the respective delinquent notice date, give written notice of default, by first class mail, to all such licensees who have failed to make payment to the manufacturer or wholesaler on or before their final payment date for beer or wine products sold or delivered to such licensees during the previous credit period. Any such retail licensee receiving such notice shall not thereafter purchase beer or wine products except for cash until such time as the authority determines that its name shall not be published on the delinquent list as provided in this subdivision, or until such time as the authority permits sales or deliveries to such licensee as provided in subdivision five of this section. Each such manufacturer and wholesaler shall file with the authority, on or before each notification date, copies of the notices sent by it to all delinquent retail licensees, and in addition, if the authority shall so require, a written list setting forth the names and addresses of all such delinquent licensees. The authority, in its discretion, may extend for a period not exceeding three days the date for giving written notice of default to delinquent retail licensees and extend for three days the date for filing with the authority the copies of notices sent to such licensees and/or the written list of delinquent retail licensees. The authority shall, as soon as practicable after each notification date, compile, publish, and furnish each manufacturer and wholesaler licensed under this chapter a delinquent list containing the names and addresses of all retail licensees who have been reported by manufacturers and wholesalers pursuant to the provisions of this section or section one hundred one-aa of this article as having failed to make payment as required by this section or section one hundred one-aa of this article for beer or wine products sold or delivered to them, and no such manufacturer or wholesaler, on or after the fifth day after the receipt of such delinquent list, shall knowingly, wilfully or intentionally sell or deliver any beer or wine products to any such licensee whose name appears on such list, except for cash, until such time as the name of such licensee is removed therefrom, except as otherwise permitted by this section. The receipt of a delinquent list by a manufacturer or wholesaler shall constitute knowledge of the names of the retail licensees who have failed to make payment for beer or wine products as required by this section. The failure of any manufacturer or wholesaler to comply with the provisions of this section may, at the discretion of the authority, subject the license of such manufacturer or wholesaler to suspension for not more than five days for the first offense, and not more than thirty days for a subsequent offense. The authority may publish the delinquent list on its website; provided, however, that access shall be restricted to those manufacturers and wholesalers licensed under this chapter. Such publication shall be considered receipt thereof by all manufacturers and wholesalers.

4. In the event that any dispute shall exist between any manufacturer or wholesaler and a retail licensee to whom such manufacturer or wholesaler shall have sold beer or wine products, either as to the fact of payment or as to the amount due for such beer or wine products or as to the quantity of the beer or wine products sold or delivered, which dispute cannot be adjusted between them, the authority is authorized to receive statements from each of the parties to such dispute as to the facts and circumstances thereof and to determine whether or not such retail licensee's name should be published on the delinquent list.

5. The authority in the case of a retail licensee who has actually made payment for beer or wine products, or on good cause shown to it, may permit sales or deliveries to any retial licensee who has received notice of default or who is named on any delinquent list, on terms other than for cash, but within the limitations of this section, prior to the publication of the next delinquent list.

6. The license of any retail licensee who purchases or accepts delivery of beer or wine products on any terms, other than as provided in this section, may be suspended for not more than five days for the first offense and not more than thirty days for a subsequent offense. The failure of any such retail licensee to pay any amount in default before the expiration of the period of suspension shall be deemed and punishable as a subsequent offense until paid. In addition, the authority may require any such retail licensee, after default in making payment in accordance with the provisions of this section to make payment in cash for beer or wine products subsequently delivered.

7. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to require any manufacturer or wholesaler to extend credit to any retail licensee nor to restrain any manufacturer or wholesaler from seeking to enforce by legal action or otherwise, payment of any sum or sums of money due or alleged to be due to any such manufacturer or wholesaler for beer or wine products sold or delivered to any such retail licensee.

8. There shall be paid to the liquor authority by each person applying after the effective date of this section for any license to sell beer or wine products to retailers or upon the renewal of such license, a sum equivalent to ten per centum of the annual license fee prescribed by this chapter for each such licensee. Such moneys shall be used by the authority to defray the expenses incurred in the administration of this section.

9. Notwithstanding the law in effect at the time of the sale, the final payment date for beer and/or wine products sold prior to the effective date of this section for which payment has not been made shall be the first final payment date as determined by the provisions of this section.