House Committee Approves of Changes to Liquor Laws

Liz Gullett

Jun 05, 2020

A bipartisan proposal allowing restaurants to sell “Cocktails to Go” and allow municipalities to create “social districts”, was reported by the House Regulatory Reform Committee this week. The bills are aimed to help the restaurant and bar industry which have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. Introduced by Representative Michael Webber (R-Rochester Hills) and Representative Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), the bills allow bars and restaurants to sell cocktails to-go or for delivery. Additionally, the legislation allows local municipalities to establish designated drinking areas where people can purchase and enjoy to-go beverages. In areas where the social districts are in place, people of legal drinking age can walk around in public with their drinks as long as they remain within the boundaries of the district. Local governments would be given the sole authority to permit or revoke social districts. The bills have been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for consideration.

In the Senate, Senator Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) sponsored Senate Bill 942, which is also aimed at assisting restaurants and bars. SB 942 was unanimously adopted by the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee on Thursday and will likely be taken up by the full Senate next week.

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