Utah: Utah lawmakers made a few tweaks to liquor laws, but abstained from major alcohol legislation in 2018
Source: sltrib.com
By Kathy Stephenson
March 10, 2018
Utah lawmakers abstained from any major alcohol legislation in 2018.
They let Utah’s tough new drunken driving law – the toughest in the nation – stand, albeit with a few minor tweaks. The law, passed in 2017, lowers the state’s blood-alcohol content for driving under the influence from 0.08 to 0.05 and goes into effect on Dec. 30.
Not a single bill was introduced in 2018 to discuss what the state will do later this year when the selection of 3.2 beer in Utah grocery and convenience stores is expected to decline.
And lawmakers decided not to change the July 1 expiration date on Utah’s unique “dining clubs.” Businesses that have the special licenses will have to decide before that date whether they want to become a restaurant or a bar.
“That choice is detrimental to many of our businesses,” said Max Doliney, owner of the Corner Store Pub and Grill in Park City.
Doliney, along with dozens of other dining club owners – especially those in tourist areas such as Park City and southern Utah – had fought to keep the hybrid designation as part of HB465, sponsored by Rep. Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville. Like a bar, the dining club allows adults to drink alcoholic beverages, without also having to order food. But minors are allowed inside when accompanied by adults.
While HB456 did not change dining clubs, it addressed a host of other issues that have come up since 2017, when lawmakers passed a massive liquor-reform law. Among the changes in the “clean-up” bill:
. Restaurants no longer have to post signs that say: “This premise is licensed as a restaurant, not a bar.” A bar will still have to display a sign that “clearly states” it is a bar and “no one under 21 years of age is allowed.”
. Salt Lake International Airport will have 14 bars, four more than the current state formula allows, when a massive expansion project now underway is complete.
. It creates a new liquor license for arenas with seating of more than 9,000. The new license will make it easier for Utah Jazz fans at the Vivint Smart Home Arena, for example, to carry a beer from private dining areas into the arena – something that currently is not allowed.
. Businesses with a restaurant and a bar in the same building will have to meet new room requirements to ensure that the two serving areas are distinct and minors in the restaurant cannot see liquor being poured in the bar.
Finally, SB263, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, removes the language – deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge – that prohibits alcohol from being served during an R-rated movie where characters have — while nude. The changes should prevent another lawsuit like the two-year battle involving Brewvies Cinema Pub’s showing of “Deadpool” and the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.