SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A bill allowing restaurants in Mormon-majority Utah to stop shielding diners from seeing alcoholic drinks being prepared cleared its first vote on Monday.
The bill’s approval by the House Business and Labor Committee came after conservative groups, retailers and restaurants weighed in, with some restaurants and restaurant organizations supporting the plan and others saying it needs changes or they’ll need more time to comply.
Current Utah law generally requires restaurants built after 2009 to hide the preparation of alcoholic drinks, typically behind a translucent glass wall or back room. The barriers, nicknamed “Zion Curtain,” by some in the state as a reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which instructs members to avoid alcohol.
The new proposal requires all restaurants to now choose to use or install the Zion Curtain or instead create child-free buffer zones around bars, wither with a 10-foot open area or 6 foot zone marked by a half wall or railing. Customers over 21 would still be allowed to drink alcohol even if they’re sitting in the child-friendly parts of the restaurant.
Some restaurants would have to start complying by summer 2018, with all complying by summer 2022.
Eric Slaymaker, the founder of the Utah-based restaurant chain Wingers, told lawmakers Monday that he supports the bill because it allowed restaurants to take down the Zion Curtains, which he called an “embarrassment and “symbol of intolerance” to drinkers.
Defenders of the barriers argued Utah’s laws shouldn’t be changed because they draw a clear distinction between restaurants and bars.
“A 10 foot space or railing gives children a front row seat to the alcohol culture and sends a message that alcohol is fun and a normal part of dining,” said Laura Bunker, with conservative group Family Policy Resource.
The Utah Restaurant Association supports the proposal, while the smaller Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association said the bill moves in the right direction but some technical changes are still needed.
The bill, from Republican Rep. Brad Wilson, follows years of unsuccessful attempts to repeal the barrier. The Mormon church, to which most lawmakers and Utah residents belong, has resisted efforts to change the law in the past, saying the current rules work fine.
But Wilson appears to have a key nod of support from the faith, with a spokesman for the LDS Church saying this week that the proposal makes an “admirable attempt” to address concerns about underage drinking and alcohol abuse and includes appropriate protections.
In addition to addressing restaurant barriers, Wilson’s bill also raises the state markup on alcohol two percentage points - to 88 percent for liquor and wine and 66.5 for beer with more than 4 percent of alcohol by volume that’s only sold in state-run stores.
The proposal also includes measures looking at labeling of hard ciders and alcohol-infused sodas and where they can be placed in stores. It creates new alcohol abuse training programs and allows alcohol to be served earlier on weekends and holidays, starting at 10:30 a.m. instead of 11:30 a.m.
The committee’s approval Monday advances the measure to the full House for debate, which could happen as early as Thursday. The proposal then has one week to clear Utah’s Senate before lawmakers adjourn for the year.
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