SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has launched a training portal for nearly 1 million alcoholic beverage licensees, managers and servers.
The Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) is now available for employees who register as a server with ABC, according to a news release from ABC.
Upon completion of an approved RBS training course, the server will be able to return to the RBS Portal to take their alcohol server certification exam.
The training programs are designed to provide licensees, managers and servers with the tools and knowledge needed to promote responsible consumption, reduce youth access to alcohol and make communities safer, according to the news release.
Officials said the training is a requirement under Assembly Bill 1221, which was signed into law in 2017 and gave way to the Responsible Beverage Service Training Act.
Prospective RBS trainers are encouraged to submit their applications to ABC on the same RBS Portal as soon as possible. ABC will review the trainer applications to determine if they can be certified, said ABC officials.
Starting July 1, 2022, alcohol servers, on-sale licensees and their managers must have a valid RBS certification from an ABC-approved RBS training provider and pass an online ABC-administered RBS exam within 60 days from the effective date of the law or, if newly hired, from the first date of employment, according to ABC.
Questions may be directed to the Responsible Beverage Service Training Program unit at rbstp@abc.ca.gov.
ABC is a department of the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency.
