Are your servers certified? It may be a requirement for anyone behind the bar as soon a January 2024. For now, it could save some business owners money.
Many South Carolina businesses already require server training to remain compliant with Alcohol Beverage Licensing (ABL) laws. However, with Senate Bill 260, the “Responsible Server Training Act,” SC lawmakers are attempting to “make the highways safer” and look out for our “personal health and individual welfare.” If signed into law, this act would require each server in a bar, music venue, restaurant, etc., to attain certification by a state-approved provider within 120 days of employment.
The curricula of each certification program must include the following subjects:
(1) state laws and regulations pertaining to:
(a) the sale and service of alcoholic beverages;
(b) the permitting and licensing of sellers of alcoholic beverages;
(c) impaired driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
(d) liquor liability issues;
(e) the carrying of concealed weapons by authorized permit holders into businesses selling and serving alcoholic beverages; and
(f) life consequences, such as the loss of education scholarships, to minors relating to the unlawful use, transfer, or sale of alcoholic beverages;
(2) the effect that alcohol has on the body and human behavior including, but not limited to, its effect on an individual’s ability to operate a motor vehicle when intoxicated;
(3) information on blood alcohol concentration and factors that change or alter blood alcohol concentration;
(4) the effect that alcohol has on an individual when taken in combination with commonly used prescription or nonprescription drugs or with illegal drugs;
(5) information on recognizing the signs of intoxication and methods for preventing intoxication;
(6) methods of recognizing problem drinkers and techniques for intervening with and refusing to serve problem drinkers;
(7) methods of identifying and refusing to serve or sell alcoholic beverages to individuals under twenty-one years of age and intoxicated individuals;
(8) methods for properly and effectively checking the identification of an individual, for identifying illegal identification, and for handling situations involving individuals who have provided illegal identification
There will undoubtedly be some service industry staff who argue that an online training program for something as nuanced as identifying the initially subtle signs of intoxication is insufficient. That is a valid point. But when it comes to potentially saving a life and saving money on insurance premiums, isn’t it worth the time and effort? (Hint: The answer to that question is “YES!”)
For those wanting to “get ahead of the law,” several options are available. For $25, ABCServerTraining.com provides server and seller training in preparation to pass the Responsible Beverage Server Test. For just a few dollars more, the site ServingAlcohol.com offers server training for on and off-premises consumption.
“By taking the South Carolina Alcohol Server Training, the South Carolina Department Of Revenue ABL will consider it a “mitigating circumstance” if that employee can provide proof they had taken our state-approved training “within a reasonable period of time before the offense in question.”
servingalcohol.com
That could mean another layer of security for insurance companies and potential savings for small business owners.
If signed into law as written, S. 260, the “Responsible Alcohol Server Training Act” certification would be provide free of charge with a required renewal every five years. For links to the seven approved certification programs for South Carolina server training and other topics regarding alcohol beverage licensing, visit SCDOR.gov.
“Alcohol” means beer, wine, alcoholic liquors, or any other type of alcoholic beverage that contains any amount of alcohol and is used as a beverage for human consumption.”
S. 260
Responsible Alcohol Server Training Act
SC Venue Crisis 
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