Section 18A Licenses for agents or brokers of foreign manufacturers and importers; records; fees

Section 18A. The commission may issue to any individual who is both a citizen and resident of the commonwealth, or to any partnership composed solely of such individuals, or to any corporation organized under the laws of the commonwealth or organized under the laws of any other state of the United States or of any foreign country and admitted to do business in the commonwealth or to a limited liability company or a limited liability partnership organized under the laws of the commonwealth, subject to such conditions as the commission may prescribe by regulation to address issues of citizenship and residency and the requirements for a citizen manager or citizen principal representative of an alien licensee under section 26 as qualifications for a limited liability company or limited liability partnership to hold a license pursuant to this section and sections 15, 18, 19, 19B and 19C, a license which shall authorize the licensee to act as agent, broker or solicitor for any specified individual, corporation or partnership in another state or foreign country engaged in the business of manufacturing, importing or selling alcoholic beverages, hereinafter called the principal, and, on behalf of such principal, to solicit orders for such beverages from holders of licenses under section eighteen only. A license granted hereunder shall authorize representation of one principal only, but the licensee may also, in the discretion of the commission, be licensed hereunder to represent other principals. No licensee hereunder shall buy or sell alcoholic beverages for his own account, and no such beverages shall be brought into the commonwealth in pursuance of the exercise of such a license otherwise than through a licensee under said section eighteen.

Licensees hereunder shall keep such records as the commission may require, which shall be open to inspection by its investigators at any reasonable time.

The annual license fee for each license issued under this section shall be $5,000; provided, however, that for any licensee who represents more than 1 principal, the license fee shall be $500 for each principal more than 1; and provided further, that there shall be a cap on the fees paid to represent multiple principals of $6,500.

Whoever acts as aforesaid as such agent, broker or solicitor without being licensed so to do hereunder, or whoever being so licensed violates any provision of this section or of any condition or stipulation in his license, shall be subject to the penalties prescribed by section two.