AN ACT AMENDING THE DEFINITION OF A CONVENTION CENTER IN THE STATE'S ABC LAW.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  G.S. 18B‑1000(1a) reads as rewritten:
"(1a)	Convention center. – An establishment that meets either of the following requirements:
a.	A publicly owned or operated establishment that is engaged in the business of sponsoring or hosting conventions and similar large gatherings, including auditoriums, armories, civic centers, convention centers, and coliseums.
b.	A privately owned facility located in a city that has a population of at least 200,000 but not more than 250,000 by the 2000 federal census and is located in a county that has previously authorized the issuance of mixed beverage permits by referendum. To qualify as a convention center under this subdivision, the facility shall meet each of the following requirements:
1.	The facility shall be located within an area that has been designated as an Urban Redevelopment Area under Article 22 of Chapter 160A of the General Statutes, and shall be certified by the appropriate local official as being consistent with the city's redevelopment plan for the area in which the facility is located.
2.	The facility shall contain at least 7,500 square feet of floor space that is available for public use and shall be used exclusively for banquets, receptions, meetings, and similar gatherings.
3.	The facility's annual gross receipts from the sale of alcoholic beverages shall be less than fifty percent (50%) of the gross receipts paid to all providers at permitted functions for food, nonalcoholic beverages, alcoholic beverages, service, and facility usage fees (excluding receipts or charges for entertainment and ancillary services not directly related to providing food and beverage service). The person to whom a permit has been issued for a privately owned facility shall be required to maintain copies of all contracts and invoices for items supplied by providers for a period of three years from the date of the event.
A permit issued for a convention center shall be valid only for those parts of the building used for conventions, banquets, receptions, and other events, and only during scheduled  activities."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 3rd day of October, 2002.

	s/	 Marc Basnight
	 President Pro Tempore of the Senate

	s/	 James B. Black
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives

	s/	 Michael F. Easley
	 Governor

Approved 4:55 p.m. this 31st day of October, 2002