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Mass. governor vetoes bill for online wine sales

Mitt Romney says certain provisions in the proposed law would prevent consumers from purchasing "the bottlings they want."
Written by Margaret Kane, Contributor

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has vetoed a bill that would have allowed residents to buy wine from out-of-state wineries over the Internet, saying certain provisions in the proposed law are anti-consumer. The bill, which would have allowed small wineries to sell to consumers online, was passed in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that struck down protectionist laws in other states.

Romney said he objected to a provision in the bill that would prohibit direct sales by wineries that produce more than 30,000 gallons of wine a year if they have been represented by a Massachusetts wholesaler for the past six months. "This bill does not give wine lovers the opportunity to purchase the bottlings they want," he said in a press release. "It creates artificial barriers to protect Massachusetts wholesalers at the expense of a free market."

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