Well, the last session of Congress closed without the bill that we were a part of being passed. It had tremendous support, but unfortunately, the bill never got to the floor.
The HDA made tremendous strides. For the first time we started to get recognition as a legitimate hobby. Legislators, as well as the TTB and Department of the Treasury were all very supportive of our effort. That means that much of the groundwork has been laid. While we need to get onto a new bill, this will not be as difficult of a task as it was the last time.
As many of you know, the HDA has been funded exclusively by membership fees and Brewhaus. Other than a few retailers, no other large suppliers in our industry have helped, and membership fees have been low, leaving a heavy load on us. After more than two and a half years, and over $60,000 funded by Brewhaus, it is time that we need to increase our funding if we are going to continue our fight. I am not entirely pulling the plug on funding, but I cannot continue to carry the bulk of the cost personally. Many of you have become members, and it is greatly appreciated. For those who have not, please consider the benefits that you will enjoy if and when our hobby becomes legal. Memberships start at just $30, and you can also make anonymous donations directly through the Hobby Distiller’s Association website (www.hobbydistillersassociation.org).
To help in securing more funding, we have also started a GoFundMe campaign. This is an option for those who want to avoid being on any HDA list, although our list is kept entirely confidential. Most legislators are now well aware of our effort, so we are past the point of needing to supply a list to them to see how many people in their state are members. The GoFundMe campaign can be found at
https://www.gofundme.com...galize-hobby-distilling. Please share this with others that may also support our cause.
There are some upcoming tax bills that must be passed soon. Let’s keep our effort moving so that we can be included on one of those bills!
Thank you all for your support.
Rick
