The commission has broad powers and duties to license, regulate, inspect, audit, investigate, and enforce liquor-control rules.
The commission has the following powers, functions, and duties: (1) To receive applications for and to issue licenses to and suspend, cancel, and revoke licenses of manufacturers, wholesalers, nonbeverage users, retailers, railroads including owners and lessees of sleeping, dining, and cafe cars, airlines, boats, bottle clubs, special party buses, and pedal-pub vehicles in accordance with the Nebraska Liquor Control Act; (2) To fix by rules and regulations the standards of manufacture of alcoholic liquor not inconsistent with federal laws in order to insure the use of proper ingredients and methods in the manufacture and distribution thereof and to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations not inconsistent with federal laws for the proper labeling of containers, barrels, casks, or other bulk containers or of bottles of alcoholic liquor manufactured or sold in this state. The Legislature intends, by the grant of power to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations, that the commission have broad discretionary powers to govern the traffic in alcoholic liquor and to enforce strictly all provisions of the act in the interest of sanitation, purity of products, truthful representations, and honest dealings in a manner that generally will promote the public health and welfare. All such rules and regulations shall be absolutely binding upon all licensees and enforceable by the commission through the power of suspension or cancellation of licenses, except that all rules and regulations of the commission affecting a club possessing any form of retail license or bottle club license shall have equal application to all such licenses or shall be void; (3) To call upon other administrative departments of the state, county and municipal governments, county sheriffs, city police departments, village marshals, peace officers, and prosecuting officers for such information and assistance as the commission deems necessary in the performance of its duties. The commission shall enter into an agreement with the Nebraska State Patrol in which the Nebraska State Patrol shall hire six new patrol officers and, from the entire Nebraska State Patrol, shall designate a minimum of six patrol officers who will spend a majority of their time in administration and enforcement of the Nebraska Liquor Control Act; (4) To recommend to local governing bodies rules and regulations not inconsistent with law for the distribution and sale of alcoholic liquor throughout the state; (5) To inspect or cause to be inspected any premises where alcoholic liquor is manufactured, distributed, or sold and, when sold on unlicensed premises or on any premises in violation of law, to bring an action to enjoin the use of the property for such purpose; (6) To hear and determine appeals from orders of a local governing body in accordance with the act; (7) To conduct or cause to be conducted an audit to inspect any licensee's records and books; (8) In the conduct of any hearing or audit authorized to be held by the commission (a) to examine or cause to be examined, under oath, any licensee and to examine or cause to be examined the books and records of such licensee, (b) to hear testimony and take proof material for its information in the discharge of its duties under the act, and (c) to administer or cause to be administered oaths; (9) To investigate the administration of laws in relation to alcoholic liquor in this and other states and to recommend to the Governor and through him or her to the Legislature amendments to the act; and (10) To receive, account for, and remit to the State Treasurer state license fees and taxes provided for in the act. History: Laws 1935, c. 116, § 16, p. 382; C.S.Supp.,1941, § 53-316; R.S.1943, § 53-117; Laws 1959, c. 245, § 1, p. 842; Laws 1965, c. 318, § 4, p. 891; Laws 1967, c. 332, § 1, p. 879; Laws 1974, LB 681, § 4; Laws 1980, LB 848, § 2; Laws 1981, LB 545, § 15; Laws 1988, LB 1089, § 6; Laws 1989, LB 781, § 4; Laws 1991, LB 344, § 11; Laws 1993, LB 183, § 5; Laws 1999, LB 267, § 5; Laws 2004, LB 485, § 6; Laws 2013, LB579, § 1; Laws 2015, LB330, § 9; Laws 2018, LB1120, § 7; Laws 2020, LB734, § 3.