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A new law requiring alcohol-severA new law requiring California bars and nightclubs to offer drug-testing kits takes affect July 1. Photo by Louis Hansel on unsplah.com training for California businesses goes into effect July 1. Photo by Louis Hansel on unsplah.com

published on June 6, 2022 - 10:53 AM
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Employees and managers at more than California 56,000 businesses will be required to complete mandatory training for the safe and responsible serving of alcoholic beverages by this summer thanks to a new law. 

Going into effect on July 1, the law applies to alcohol-selling establishments. It requires all managers and employees serving alcoholic beverages to have a valid Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) certification by Aug. 31 in order to continue serving alcohol.

Newly hired employees must pass this exam to become certified within 60 days of their first date of employment.

The certification requires servers and managers to be trained under Assembly Bills 1221 and 82, and is provided by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), with the goal of improving public safety.

Nearly 2,700 Valley businesses will be affected by the new law, requiring employers to certify employees in order to continue selling alcohol.

More than 1,500 Central Valley business will be affected by the new law — 910 in Fresno County, 101 in Kings County, 141 in Madera County and 387 in Tulare County, according to ABC estimates.

The training and certification is a three-step process, requiring applicants to register with ABC as a server, take the RBS training from an approved RBS training provider, and finally, completing the ABC’s alcohol certification exam.

The RBS program was developed by gathering input with stakeholders to determine the best method to train employees. From this input, ABC created the RBS training portal, which provides access to training services and a certification program to meet the requirements of AB 1221.

“The development of the RBS portal is a major accomplishment. The entirety of the certification process is online, including the ability to accept payments,” said Licensing Division Chief Jaime Taylor.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 9,000 people were killed in alcohol-related car accidents between 2009 and 2018. A study done by Rutgers University shows that implementation of responsible beverage service laws saw drops in deaths involving underage drinkers.

“The RBS training program is designed to provide licensees, managers, and servers with the tools and knowledge needed to promote responsible consumption, reduce youth access to alcohol, and make communities safe,” said Taylor.

ABC aims to protect communities with prevention and education and programs like this, focused on increasing compliance with beverage laws.


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