Over the last few years, New York has made changes to alcohol consumption laws, and Gov. Kathy Hochul and some lawmakers are hoping to keep that going.

The state Senate will hold a hearing Friday to examine the procedures and practices of the State Liquor Authority, look at what has worked and what hasn’t when it comes to recent initiatives and gather feedback on future changes. 

The New York State Restaurant Association, which is part of a group called NY Cheers for Change, said many of the proposals would really help their industry. The New York State Liquor Store Association, meanwhile, declined an interview until after the hearing, but made it clear it has serious concerns about some possible changes.

The State Restaurant Association, however, is hopeful that legislation, as well initiatives in the governor's proposed executive budget, will be a breath of fresh air as the industry confronts challenging times.

“They are struggling and they are continuing to struggle. It’s a difficult time for our customers, who are very price conscious right now,” President and CEO Melissa Fleischut said.

She stressed that one of the most crucial of the initiatives is making New York’s drinks-to-go policy permanent. It is scheduled to sunset in 2025.

“It’s a revenue driver for the industry, it’s highly popular with our customers and the restaurants that are doing it and marketing well are really seeing a boost from that,” she said.

Also important, she said, is a change in state law that would allow restaurants to purchase a limited quantity of an alcoholic beverage from a liquor store.

“The ability to be able to run to a liquor store nearby to pick up a bottle, or a couple of bottles, in a limited quantity that you might need to tide you through the weekend would be really helpful to the industry, because you can’t just get a delivery on a busy Saturday night,” she said.

Legislation is also being considered that would allow the sale of wine in grocery stores, while also allowing multiple licenses for liquor store owners, among other proposals.

The New York State State Liquor Store Association said it strongly opposes those changes. They say its opposition boils down to protecting New York's customers and small businesses, while not bowing to retail chains.

Representatives from the association told Spectrum News 1 that in support of the restaurant industry, it is not against drinks-to-go as the language is proposed in the governor’s executive budget, but they oppose any further changes to the law.

Fleischut said while these items don’t directly impact the restaurant industry, as part of the coalition, she is advocating for them.

“Anything the Legislature and the governor can do to work together and make it easier on our small businesses, we would really appreciate,” she said.

The organization is also pushing for changes to other licensing laws.