COLUMBUS, Ohio—A bill allowing Ohio bars and restaurants to stay open until 4 a.m. on weekends and sell liquor on Sundays without a special permit passed the state House of Representatives 75-16 on Thursday.
House Bill 674, which now heads to the Ohio Senate, would also make it easier to establish or expand outdoor drinking areas, permit voters to allow 24-hour liquor sales, and ban authorities from revoking the liquor license of a bar or restaurant that violated Ohio’s coronavirus orders before June 1.
Proponents of the legislation say the changes are designed to help bars and restaurants that have been financially crippled by the coronavirus crisis and the resulting closure orders.
4 a.m. booze sales: The bill would create a new “J’ liquor permit, which would cost $100 and allow holders to continue selling drinks until 4 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, rather than the state’s current 2:30 a.m. cutoff time.
Sunday liquor sales: Currently, only establishments with a D-6 liquor permit, and the approval of local voters, can sell alcohol in Ohio on Sundays during certain hours, though no such permit is needed to sell beer on Sundays.
HB 674 would abolish that type of permit and allow holders of a variety of liquor permits to sell alcohol at any time on Sundays.
24-hour alcohol sales option: HB 674 would allow voters in a given precinct to pass a ballot item authorizing 24-hour sales of liquor, beer, wine, and mixed beverages.
Right now, alcohol sales must begin no earlier than 5:30 a.m. and must stop at either 1 a.m. or 2:30 a.m., depending on the type of liquor permit the seller has.
Coronavirus order violations: The legislation would ban health or liquor officials from revoking the liquor license of a bar or restaurant that violated Ohio’s coronavirus orders before June 1.
After the DeWine administration allowed bars and restaurants to resume outdoor service last month, several establishments in Cleveland and elsewhere around the state received citations or warnings from authorities for violating social-distancing rules. Gov. Mike DeWine warned that offenders could lose their liquor licenses, among other potential punishments.
Outdoor refreshment areas: Since 2015, Ohio communities have been allowed to set up “outdoor refreshment areas” exempt from open-container laws. HB 674 would reduce the number of liquor permit holders needed to create a new area, eliminate the number or size of such areas within a city or township, and allow a municipality’s chief executive officer or a township’s fiscal officer to create a new area without needing the approval of the local legislative authority (e.g., a city council).
Airport drinking: Travelers who buy drinks at a public airport restaurant would be allowed to consume them in other parts of the terminal, so long as they stay near the restaurant and airport officials approve the rule change.
Brewpubs: Brewpubs would no longer need a food service license if they serve prepackaged meals or enter an agreement with a food truck.
Read more Ohio politics and government stories:
Ohio GOP state senator fired from ER doctor job after using racist language
Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act clears legislature, sent to Gov. Mike DeWine
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Bill to allow 4 a.m. bar closings, Sunday liquor sales passes Ohio House - cleveland.com
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