Anita Le Brun, 82, led campaign after facility cited for serving champagne
The legislation allows nursing homes, boarding care homes and assisted living facilities to serve alcohol to residents and their guests during organized activities or events, provided the facility notifies the state beforehand. Facilities previously needed a retail liquor license, which operators described as costly and burdensome.
Le Brun, a grandmother of five who enjoys pinot grigio, said she found the previous restrictions “ridiculous.” She testified twice before the state legislature after her facility, Amira Choice Champlin, was contacted by local officials in April 2025 for violating rules by serving champagne at an event following renovations.
“Just because we are older and live in assisted living doesn’t mean that we should have fewer freedoms than anyone else,” Le Brun told a Senate committee. “My friends and I love happy hour, just like many of you do.”
Sara Luehmann of Amira Choice said residents had always been allowed to drink in their own rooms and bring their own alcohol to community functions, but the facility could not serve drinks itself without a license. She said alcohol consumption at social events is limited to two drinks per resident due to safety concerns.
Walz signed the bill in a ceremonial event at Amira Choice on Tuesday, with Le Brun standing beside him. “Growing older shouldn’t mean giving up the traditions and freedoms you’ve enjoyed your whole life,” Walz said at the ceremony. He added that the law “cuts unnecessary red tape so senior living communities can spend less time worrying about paperwork and more time creating opportunities for residents to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Happy Hours, and everyday moments together.”
Erin Huppert of LeadingAge Minnesota, which advocated for the change, said financial concerns were not the only factor. “This is their home,” Huppert said. “They should be allowed to take part in legal consumption of alcohol, just like they could if they lived in a single-family home in the community of their choice.”
The state-level rules on alcohol in senior living vary nationwide. Le Brun’s effort drew attention beyond Minnesota after 96-year-old Lillian Droniak, known to 15.1 million followers as “Grandma Droniak” on TikTok, went public with a letter from her Connecticut facility warning her to stop throwing parties with alcohol in her room. Droniak’s grandson told the BBC that she welcomed the Minnesota law. “Let them drink!” she said.
At Amira Choice, staff and residents are planning an all-day party next month to celebrate the change. Luehmann called Le Brun “the resident superstar” for her months-long campaign. Le Brun said she practiced her testimony over the phone to her daughters and in front of a mirror. She expressed pride in the outcome.