Laughing Dog microbrewery in North Idaho is "doing great business," with 16 employees now and nine more jobs expected to be added by the end of this year, Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, told the Senate State Affairs Committee this morning, but the business has run up against a restriction in state law that would prevent a planned expansion. Keough introduced legislation today to ease that restriction, which prevents an owner of a brewery from having a financial interest in another facility that offers retail or a tasting room. "This bill seeks to fix that issue and it also seeks to mirror what exists, as I understand it, in our code for wineries," Keough said. "It's very similar."

"They've already sold more product as of this point this year than the entire year last year," Keough said. "They distribute into 35 states and shortly will be distributing into Canada. ... There are 24 breweries like Laughing Dog Brewery across the state. The owners of Laughing Dog Brewery would like to partner with some other folks and open a similar but different brewery in Post Falls. And in doing so, that would create another 16 to 25 jobs in northern Idaho." But current law would block the move, she said.

Keough said she's been in talks with the Idaho Beer & Wine Distributors, and some compromise amendments may come forth; those issues could be discussed in a full hearing on the bill, she said. The committee voted unanimously to introduce the measure.