Michigan Lawmakers Hope To Allow Bars To Stay Open Until 4am
After a few unsuccessful attempts at changing a statewide law to allow bars to serve alcohol until 4am, Michigan lawmakers are at it again.
In order to help struggling restaurants and bars, Michigan lawmakers hope to extend the hours in which you can serve alcohol from 2am to 4am. The move comes in response to restaurants and abrs struggling to make profits during the coronavirus pandemic.
The bill to change the time was introduced by Republican Representative Ryan Berman last week and is currently in front of the state House committee.
Currently, there is a curfew of 10pm in place for indoor dining in Michigan, but that is set to expire on March 29.
The bill seems like it will have some bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, but there are some groups that oppose it. The group known as Michigan Alcohol Policy Promoting Health and Safety warns that extended the bar times could cause damage to communities in Michigan, even if the bill just ends up being an opt-in policy. They claim that this will increase the drunk driving rate in the state and can also further fuel addiction for people already struggling with alcohol abuse.
There is no current timeline on if and when the bill will be put to a vote.
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